# verses

text:
 The kingdom of Israel will not be jealous of Judah any more, and Judah will not be the enemy of Israel.


text:
 Together they will attack the Philistines on the west and plunder the people who live to the east. They will conquer the people of Edom and Moab, and the people of Ammon will obey them.


text:
 The LORD will dry up the Gulf of Suez, and he will bring a hot wind to dry up the Euphrates, leaving only seven tiny streams, so that anyone can walk across.


text:
 There will be a highway out of Assyria for those of his people Israel who have survived there, just as there was for their ancestors when they left Egypt.


text:
 A day is coming when people will sing, "I praise you, LORD! You were angry with me, but now you comfort me and are angry no longer.


text:
 God is my savior; I will trust him and not be afraid. The LORD gives me power and strength; he is my savior.


text:
 A day is coming when people will sing, "Give thanks to the LORD! Call for him to help you! Tell all the nations what he has done! Tell them how great he is!


text:
 Let everyone who lives in Zion shout and sing! Israel's holy God is great, and he lives among his people."


text:
 On the top of a barren hill raise the battle flag! Shout to the soldiers and raise your arm as the signal for them to attack the gates of the proud city.


text:
 The LORD has called out his proud and confident soldiers to fight a holy war and punish those he is angry with.


text:
 Listen to the noise on the mountains---the sound of a great crowd of people, the sound of nations and kingdoms gathering. The LORD of Armies is preparing his troops for battle.


text:
 They are coming from far-off countries at the ends of the earth. In his anger the LORD is coming to devastate the whole country.


text:
 They will all be terrified and overcome with pain, like the pain of a woman in labor. They will look at each other in fear, and their faces will burn with shame.


text:
 The day of the LORD is coming---that cruel day of his fierce anger and fury. The earth will be made a wilderness, and every sinner will be destroyed.


text:
 Every star and every constellation will stop shining, the sun will be dark when it rises, and the moon will give no light.


text:
 The LORD says, "I will bring disaster on the earth and punish all wicked people for their sins. I will humble everyone who is proud and punish everyone who is arrogant and cruel.


text:
 I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place on that day when I, the LORD Almighty, show my anger.


text:
 "The foreigners living in Babylon will run away to their homelands, scattering like deer escaping from hunters, like sheep without a shepherd.


text:
 While they look on helplessly, their babies will be battered to death, their houses will be looted, and their wives will be raped."


text:
 The LORD says, "I am stirring up the Medes to attack Babylon. They care nothing for silver and are not tempted by gold.


text:
 With their bows and arrows they will kill the young men. They will show no mercy to babies and take no pity on children.


text:
 Babylonia is the most beautiful kingdom of all; it is the pride of its people. But I, the LORD, will overthrow Babylon as I did Sodom and Gomorrah!


text:
 No one will ever live there again. No wandering Arab will ever pitch a tent there, and no shepherd will ever pasture a flock there.


text:
 It will be a place where desert animals live and where owls build their nests. Ostriches will live there, and wild goats will prance through the ruins.


text:
 The towers and palaces will echo with the cries of hyenas and jackals. Babylon's time has come! Her days are almost over."


text:
 The LORD will once again be merciful to his people Israel and choose them as his own. He will let them live in their own land again, and foreigners will come and live there with them.


text:
 Many nations will help the people of Israel return to the land which the LORD gave them, and there the nations will serve Israel as slaves. Those who once captured Israel will now be captured by Israel, and the people of Israel will rule over those who once oppressed them.


text:
 The LORD will give the people of Israel relief from their pain and suffering and from the hard work they were forced to do.


text:
 When he does this, they are to mock the king of Babylon and say: "The cruel king has fallen! He will never oppress anyone again!


text:
 The cypress trees and the cedars of Lebanon rejoice over the fallen king, because there is no one to cut them down, now that he is gone!


text:
 "The world of the dead is getting ready to welcome the king of Babylon. The ghosts of those who were powerful on earth are stirring about. The ghosts of kings are rising from their thrones.


text:
 You used to be honored with the music of harps, but now here you are in the world of the dead. You lie on a bed of maggots and are covered with a blanket of worms.' "


text:
 King of Babylon, bright morning star, you have fallen from heaven! In the past you conquered nations, but now you have been thrown to the ground.


text:
 You were determined to climb up to heaven and to place your throne above the highest stars. You thought you would sit like a king on that mountain in the north where the gods assemble.


text:
 The dead will stare and gape at you. They will ask, "Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble?


text:
 Is this the man who destroyed cities and turned the world into a desert? Is this the man who never freed his prisoners or let them go home?"


text:
 but you have no tomb, and your corpse is thrown out to rot. It is covered by the bodies of soldiers killed in battle, thrown with them into a rocky pit, and trampled down.


text:
 Because you ruined your country and killed your own people, you will not be buried like other kings. None of your evil family will survive.


text:
 Let the slaughter begin! The sons of this king will die because of their ancestors' sins. None of them will ever rule the earth or cover it with cities.


text:
 The LORD Almighty says, "I will attack Babylon and bring it to ruin. I will leave nothing---no children, no survivors at all. I, the LORD, have spoken.


text:
 I will turn Babylon into a marsh, and owls will live there. I will sweep Babylon with a broom that will sweep everything away. I, the LORD Almighty, have spoken."


text:
 The LORD Almighty has sworn an oath: "What I have planned will happen. What I have determined to do will be done.


text:
 I will destroy the Assyrians in my land of Israel and trample them on my mountains. I will free my people from the Assyrian yoke and from the burdens they have had to bear.


text:
 The LORD Almighty is determined to do this; he has stretched out his arm to punish, and no one can stop him.


text:
 People of Philistia, the rod that beat you is broken, but you have no reason to be glad. When one snake dies, a worse one comes in its place. A snake's egg hatches a flying dragon.


text:
 The LORD will be a shepherd to the poor of his people and will let them live in safety. But he will send a terrible famine on you Philistines, and it will not leave any of you alive.


text:
 Howl and cry for help, all you Philistine cities! Be terrified, all of you! A cloud of dust is coming from the north---it is an army with no cowards in its ranks.


text:
 How shall we answer the messengers that come to us from Philistia? We will tell them that the LORD has established Zion and that his suffering people will find safety there.


text:
 This is a message about Moab. The cities of Ar and Kir are destroyed in a single night, and silence covers the land of Moab.


text:
 The people of Dibon climb the hill to weep at the shrine. The people of Moab wail in grief over the cities of Nebo and Medeba; they have shaved their heads and their beards in grief.


text:
 The people in the streets are dressed in sackcloth; in the city squares and on the rooftops people mourn and cry.


text:
 The people of Heshbon and Elealeh cry out, and their cry can be heard as far away as Jahaz. Even the soldiers tremble; their courage is gone.


text:
 My heart cries out for Moab! The people have fled to the town of Zoar, and to Eglath Shelishiyah. Some climb the road to Luhith, weeping as they go; some escape to Horonaim, grieving loudly.


text:
 Everywhere at Moab's borders the sound of crying is heard. It is heard at the towns of Eglaim and Beerelim.


text:
 At the town of Dibon the river is red with blood, and God has something even worse in store for the people there. Yes, there will be a bloody slaughter of everyone left in Moab.


text:
 From the city of Sela in the desert the people of Moab send a lamb as a present to the one who rules in Jerusalem.


text:
 They wait on the banks of the Arnon River and move aimlessly back and forth, like birds driven from their nest.


text:
 They say to the people of Judah, "Tell us what to do. Protect us like a tree that casts a cool shadow in the heat of noon, and let us rest in your shade. We are refugees; hide us where no one can find us.


text:
 Let us stay in your land. Protect us from those who want to destroy us." (Oppression and destruction will end, and those who are devastating the country will be gone.


text:
 Then one of David's descendants will be king, and he will rule the people with faithfulness and love. He will be quick to do what is right, and he will see that justice is done.)


text:
 The people of Judah say, "We have heard how proud the people of Moab are. We know that they are arrogant and conceited, but their boasts are empty."


text:
 The people of Moab will weep because of the troubles they suffer. They will all weep when they remember the fine food they used to eat in the city of Kir Heres. They will be driven to despair.


text:
 The farms near Heshbon and the vineyards of Sibmah are destroyed---those vineyards whose wine used to make the rulers of the nations drunk. At one time the vines spread as far as the city of Jazer, and eastward into the desert, and westward to the other side of the Dead Sea.


text:
 Now I weep for Sibmah's vines as I weep for Jazer. My tears fall for Heshbon and Elealeh, because there is no harvest to make the people glad.


text:
 No one is happy now in the fertile fields. No one shouts or sings in the vineyards. No one tramples grapes to make wine; the shouts of joy are ended.


text:
 The people of Moab wear themselves out going to their mountain shrines and to their temples to pray, but it will do them no good.


text:
 And now the LORD says, "In exactly three years Moab's great wealth will disappear. Of its many people, only a few will survive, and they will be weak."


text:
 The cities of Syria will be deserted forever. They will be a pasture for sheep and cattle, and no one will drive them away.


text:
 Israel will be defenseless, and Damascus will lose its independence. Those Syrians who survive will be in disgrace like the people of Israel. I, the LORD Almighty, have spoken."


text:
 The LORD said, "A day is coming when Israel's greatness will come to an end, and its wealth will be replaced by poverty.


text:
 Israel will be like a field where the grain has been cut and harvested, as desolate as a field in Rephaim Valley when it has been picked bare.


text:
 Only a few people will survive, and Israel will be like an olive tree from which all the olives have been picked except two or three at the very top, or a few that are left on the lower branches. I, the LORD God of Israel, have spoken."


text:
 They will no longer rely on the altars they made with their own hands, or trust in their own handiwork---symbols of the goddess Asherah and altars for burning incense.


text:
 When that day comes, well-defended cities will be deserted and left in ruins like the cities that the Hivites and the Amorites abandoned as they fled from the people of Israel.


text:
 Israel, you have forgotten the God who rescues you and protects you like a mighty rock. Instead, you plant sacred gardens in order to worship a foreign god.


text:
 But even if they sprouted and blossomed the very morning you planted them, there would still be no harvest. There would be only trouble and incurable pain.


text:
 Powerful nations are in commotion with a sound like the roar of the sea, like the crashing of huge waves.


text:
 The nations advance like rushing waves, but God reprimands them and they retreat, driven away like dust on a mountainside, like straw in a whirlwind.


text:
 At evening they cause terror, but by morning they are gone. That is the fate of everyone who plunders our land.


text:
 From that land ambassadors come down the Nile in boats made of reeds. Go back home, swift messengers! Take a message back to your land divided by rivers, to your strong and powerful nation, to your tall and smooth-skinned people, who are feared all over the world.


text:
 Listen, everyone who lives on earth! Look for a signal flag to be raised on the mountaintops! Listen for the blowing of the bugle!


text:
 The LORD said to me, "I will look down from heaven as quietly as the dew forms in the warm nights of harvest time, as serenely as the sun shines in the heat of the day.


text:
 Before the grapes are gathered, when the blossoms have all fallen and the grapes are ripening, the enemy will destroy the Ethiopians as easily as a knife cuts branches from a vine.


text:
 The corpses of their soldiers will be left exposed to the birds and the wild animals. In summer the birds will feed on them, and in winter, the animals."


text:
 A time is coming when the LORD Almighty will receive offerings from this land divided by rivers, this strong and powerful nation, this tall and smooth-skinned people, who are feared all over the world. They will come to Mount Zion, where the LORD Almighty is worshiped.


text:
 This is a message about Egypt. The LORD is coming to Egypt, riding swiftly on a cloud. The Egyptian idols tremble before him, and the people of Egypt lose their courage.


text:
 The LORD says, "I will stir up civil war in Egypt and turn brother against brother and neighbor against neighbor. Rival cities will fight each other, and rival kings will struggle for power.


text:
 I am going to frustrate the plans of the Egyptians and destroy their morale. They will ask their idols to help them, and they will go and consult mediums and ask the spirits of the dead for advice.


text:
 I will hand the Egyptians over to a tyrant, to a cruel king who will rule them. I, the LORD Almighty, have spoken."


text:
 Everyone who earns a living by fishing in the Nile will groan and cry; their hooks and their nets will be useless.


text:
 The leaders of the city of Zoan are fools! Egypt's wisest people give stupid advice! How do they dare to tell the king that they are successors to the ancient scholars and kings?


text:
 King of Egypt, where are those clever advisers of yours? Perhaps they can tell you what plans the LORD Almighty has for Egypt.


text:
 The leaders of Zoan and Memphis are fools. They were supposed to lead the nation, but they have misled it.


text:
 The LORD has made them give confusing advice. As a result, Egypt does everything wrong and staggers like a drunk slipping on his own vomit.


text:
 A time is coming when the people of Egypt will be as timid as women. They will tremble in terror when they see that the LORD Almighty has stretched out his hand to punish them.


text:
 The people of Egypt will be terrified of Judah every time they are reminded of the fate that the LORD Almighty has prepared for them.


text:
 When that time comes, the Hebrew language will be spoken in five Egyptian cities. The people there will take their oaths in the name of the LORD Almighty. One of the cities will be called, "City of the Sun."


text:
 When that time comes, there will be an altar to the LORD in the land of Egypt and a stone pillar dedicated to him at the Egyptian border.


text:
 They will be symbols of the LORD Almighty's presence in Egypt. When the people there are oppressed and call out to the LORD for help, he will send someone to rescue them.


text:
 The LORD will reveal himself to the Egyptian people, and then they will acknowledge and worship him, and bring him sacrifices and offerings. They will make solemn promises to him and do what they promise.


text:
 The LORD will punish the Egyptians, but then he will heal them. They will turn to him, and he will hear their prayers and heal them.


text:
 When that time comes, there will be a highway between Egypt and Assyria. The people of these two countries will travel back and forth between them, and the two nations will worship together.


text:
 When that time comes, Israel will rank with Egypt and Assyria, and these three nations will be a blessing to all the world.


text:
 The LORD Almighty will bless them and say, "I will bless you, Egypt, my people; you, Assyria, whom I created; and you, Israel, my chosen people."


text:
 Under the orders of Emperor Sargon of Assyria, the commander-in-chief of the Assyrian army attacked the Philistine city of Ashdod.


text:
 Three years earlier the LORD had told Isaiah son of Amoz to take off his sandals and the sackcloth he was wearing. He obeyed and went around naked and barefoot.


text:
 When Ashdod was captured, the LORD said, "My servant Isaiah has been going around naked and barefoot for three years. This is a sign of what will happen to Egypt and Ethiopia.


text:
 The emperor of Assyria will lead away naked the prisoners he captures from those two countries. Young and old, they will walk barefoot and naked, with their buttocks exposed, bringing shame on Egypt.


text:
 Those who have put their trust in Ethiopia and have boasted about Egypt will be disillusioned, their hopes shattered.


text:
 When that time comes, the people who live along the coast of Philistia will say, 'Look at what has happened to the people we relied on to protect us from the emperor of Assyria! How will we ever survive?' "


text:
 This is a message about Babylonia. Like a whirlwind sweeping across the desert, disaster will come from a terrifying land.


text:
 I have seen a vision of cruel events, a vision of betrayal and destruction. Army of Elam, attack! Army of Media, lay siege to the cities! God will put an end to the suffering which Babylon has caused.


text:
 What I saw and heard in the vision has filled me with terror and pain, pain like that of a woman in labor.


text:
 My head is spinning, and I am trembling with fear. I had been longing for evening to come, but it has brought me nothing but terror.


text:
 In the vision a banquet is ready; rugs are spread for the guests to sit on. They are eating and drinking. Suddenly the command rings out: "Officers! Prepare your shields!"


text:
 If he sees riders coming on horseback, two by two, and riders on donkeys and camels, he is to observe them carefully."


text:
 Suddenly, here they come! Riders on horseback, two by two. The sentry gives the news, "Babylon has fallen! All the idols they worshiped lie shattered on the ground."


text:
 My people Israel, you have been threshed like wheat, but now I have announced to you the good news that I have heard from the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel.


text:
 This is a message about Edom. Someone calls to me from Edom, "Sentry, how soon will the night be over? Tell me how soon it will end."


text:
 I answer, "Morning is coming, but night will come again. If you want to ask again, come back and ask."


text:
 This is a message about Arabia. People of Dedan, you whose caravans camp in the barren country of Arabia,


text:
 give water to the thirsty people who come to you. You people of the land of Tema, give food to the refugees.


text:
 People are fleeing to escape from swords that are ready to kill them, from bows that are ready to shoot, from all the dangers of war.


text:
 Then the Lord said to me, "In exactly one year the greatness of the tribes of Kedar will be at an end.


text:
 The archers are the bravest warriors of Kedar, but few of them will be left. I, the LORD God of Israel, have spoken."


text:
 This is a message about the Valley of Vision. What is happening? Why are all the people of the city celebrating on the roofs of the houses?


text:
 The whole city is in an uproar, filled with noise and excitement. Your people who died in this war did not die fighting.


text:
 Now leave me alone to weep bitterly over all those of my people who have died. Don't try to comfort me.


text:
 This is a time of panic, defeat, and confusion in the Valley of Vision, and the Sovereign LORD Almighty has sent it on us. The walls of our city have been battered down, and cries for help have echoed among the hills.


text:
 The soldiers from the land of Elam came riding on horseback, armed with bows and arrows. Soldiers from the land of Kir had their shields ready.


text:
 The fertile valleys of Judah were filled with chariots; soldiers on horseback stood in front of Jerusalem's gates.


text:
 You found the places where the walls of Jerusalem needed repair. You inspected all the houses in Jerusalem and tore some of them down to get stones to repair the city walls. In order to store water,


text:
 you built a reservoir inside the city to hold the water flowing down from the old pool. But you paid no attention to God, who planned all this long ago and who caused it to happen.


text:
 The Sovereign LORD Almighty was calling you then to weep and mourn, to shave your heads and wear sackcloth.


text:
 Instead, you laughed and celebrated. You killed sheep and cattle to eat, and you drank wine. You said, "We might as well eat and drink! Tomorrow we'll be dead."


text:
 The Sovereign LORD Almighty himself spoke to me and said, "This evil will never be forgiven them as long as they live. I, the Sovereign LORD Almighty, have spoken."


text:
 The Sovereign LORD Almighty told me to go to Shebna, the manager of the royal household, and say to him,


text:
 "Who do you think you are? What right do you have to carve a tomb for yourself out of the rocky hillside?


text:
 He will pick you up like a ball and throw you into a much larger country. You will die there beside the chariots you were so proud of. You are a disgrace to your master's household.


text:
 I will put your official robe and belt on him and give him all the authority you have had. He will be like a father to the people of Jerusalem and Judah.


text:
 I will give him complete authority under the king, the descendant of David. He will have the keys of office; what he opens, no one will shut, and what he shuts, no one will open.


text:
 I will fasten him firmly in place like a peg, and he will be a source of honor to his whole family.


text:
 "But all his relatives and dependents will become a burden to him. They will hang on him like pots and bowls hanging from a peg!


text:
 When that happens, the peg that was firmly fastened will pull loose and fall. And that will be the end of everything that was hanging on it." The LORD has spoken.


text:
 This is a message about Tyre. Howl with grief, you sailors out on the ocean! Your home port of Tyre has been destroyed; its houses and its harbor are in ruins. As your ships return from Cyprus, you learn the news.


text:
 across the sea to buy and sell the grain that grew in Egypt and to do business with all the nations.


text:
 City of Sidon, you are disgraced! The sea and the great ocean depths disown you and say, "I never had any children. I never raised sons or daughters."


text:
 Can this be the joyful city of Tyre, founded so long ago? Is this the city that sent settlers across the sea to establish colonies?


text:
 Who was it that planned to bring all this on Tyre, that imperial city, whose merchant princes were the most honored men on earth?


text:
 The LORD Almighty planned it. He planned it in order to put an end to their pride in what they had done and to humiliate their honored ones.


text:
 Go and farm the land, you people in the colonies in Spain! There is no one to protect you any more.


text:
 The LORD has stretched out his hand over the sea and overthrown kingdoms. He has commanded that the Phoenician centers of commerce be destroyed.


text:
 City of Sidon, your happiness has ended, and your people are oppressed. Even if they escape to Cyprus, they will still not be safe.


text:
 (It was the Babylonians, not the Assyrians, who let the wild animals overrun Tyre. It was the Babylonians who put up siege towers, tore down the fortifications of Tyre, and left the city in ruins. )


text:
 A time is coming when Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, the lifetime of a king. When those years are over, Tyre will be like the prostitute in the song:


text:
 Take your harp, go round the town, you poor forgotten whore! Play and sing your songs again to bring men back once more.


text:
 When the seventy years are over, the LORD will let Tyre go back to her old trade, and she will hire herself out to all the kingdoms of the world.


text:
 The money she earns by commerce will be dedicated to the LORD. She will not store it away, but those who worship the LORD will use her money to buy the food and the clothing they need.


text:
 The LORD is going to devastate the earth and leave it desolate. He will twist the earth's surface and scatter its people.


text:
 Everyone will meet the same fate---the priests and the people, slaves and masters, buyers and sellers, lenders and borrowers, rich and poor.


text:
 The people have defiled the earth by breaking God's laws and by violating the covenant he made to last forever.


text:
 So God has pronounced a curse on the earth. Its people are paying for what they have done. Fewer and fewer remain alive.


text:
 People shout in the streets because there is no more wine. Happiness is gone forever; it has been banished from the land.


text:
 This is what will happen in every nation all over the world. It will be like the end of harvest, when the olives have been beaten off every tree and the last grapes picked from the vines.


text:
 and those in the East will praise him. The people who live along the sea will praise the LORD, the God of Israel.


text:
 From the most distant parts of the world we will hear songs in praise of Israel, the righteous nation. But there is no hope for me! I am wasting away! Traitors continue to betray, and their treachery grows worse and worse.


text:
 Anyone who tries to escape from the terror will fall in a pit, and anyone who escapes from the pit will be caught in a trap. Torrents of rain will pour from the sky, and earth's foundations will shake.


text:
 The earth itself will stagger like a drunk, sway like a hut in a storm. The world is weighed down by its sins; it will collapse and never rise again.


text:
 God will crowd kings together like prisoners in a pit. He will shut them in prison until the time of their punishment comes.


text:
 The moon will grow dark, and the sun will no longer shine, for the LORD Almighty will be king. He will rule in Jerusalem on Mount Zion, and the leaders of the people will see his glory.


text:
 LORD, you are my God; I will honor you and praise your name. You have done amazing things; you have faithfully carried out the plans you made long ago.


text:
 You have turned cities into ruins and destroyed their fortifications. The palaces which our enemies built are gone forever.


text:
 The poor and the helpless have fled to you and have been safe in times of trouble. You give them shelter from storms and shade from the burning heat. Cruel enemies attack like a winter storm,


text:
 like drought in a dry land. But you, LORD, have silenced our enemies; you silence the shouts of cruel people, as a cloud cools a hot day.


text:
 Here on Mount Zion the LORD Almighty will prepare a banquet for all the nations of the world---a banquet of the richest food and the finest wine.


text:
 The Sovereign LORD will destroy death forever! He will wipe away the tears from everyone's eyes and take away the disgrace his people have suffered throughout the world. The LORD himself has spoken.


text:
 When it happens, everyone will say, "He is our God! We have put our trust in him, and he has rescued us. He is the LORD! We have put our trust in him, and now we are happy and joyful because he has saved us."


text:
 The LORD will protect Mount Zion, but the people of Moab will be trampled down the way straw is trampled in manure.


text:
 They will reach out their hands as if they were trying to swim, but God will humiliate them, and their hands will sink helplessly.


text:
 He will destroy the fortresses of Moab with their high walls and bring them tumbling down into the dust.


text:
 A day is coming when the people will sing this song in the land of Judah: Our city is strong! God himself defends its walls!


text:
 He has humbled those who were proud; he destroyed the strong city they lived in, and sent its walls crashing into the dust.


text:
 At night I long for you with all my heart; when you judge the earth and its people, they will all learn what justice is.


text:
 Even though you are kind to the wicked, they never learn to do what is right. Even here in a land of righteous people they still do wrong; they refuse to recognize your greatness.


text:
 Your enemies do not know that you will punish them. LORD, put them to shame and let them suffer; let them suffer the punishment you have prepared. Show them how much you love your people.


text:
 Now they are dead and will not live again; their ghosts will not rise, for you have punished them and destroyed them. No one remembers them any more.


text:
 LORD, you have made our nation grow, enlarging its territory on every side; and this has brought you honor.


text:
 We were in pain and agony, but we gave birth to nothing. We have won no victory for our land; we have accomplished nothing.


text:
 Those of our people who have died will live again! Their bodies will come back to life. All those sleeping in their graves will wake up and sing for joy. As the sparkling dew refreshes the earth, so the LORD will revive those who have long been dead.


text:
 Go into your houses, my people, and shut the door behind you. Hide yourselves for a little while until God's anger is over.


text:
 The LORD is coming from his heavenly dwelling place to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The murders that were secretly committed on the earth will be revealed, and the ground will no longer hide those who have been killed.


text:
 On that day the LORD will use his powerful and deadly sword to punish Leviathan, that wriggling, twisting dragon, and to kill the monster that lives in the sea.


text:
 I am no longer angry with the vineyard. If there were thorns and briers to fight against, I would burn them up completely.


text:
 But if the enemies of my people want my protection, let them make peace with me. Yes, let them make peace with me."


text:
 In the days to come the people of Israel, the descendants of Jacob, will take root like a tree, and they will blossom and bud. The earth will be covered with the fruit they produce.


text:
 The LORD punished his people by sending them into exile. He took them away with a cruel wind from the east.


text:
 But Israel's sins will be forgiven only when the stones of pagan altars are ground up like chalk, and no more incense altars or symbols of the goddess Asherah are left.


text:
 The fortified city lies in ruins. It is deserted like an empty wilderness. It has become a pasture for cattle, where they can rest and graze.


text:
 The branches of the trees are withered and broken, and women gather them for firewood. Because the people have understood nothing, God their Creator will not pity them or show them any mercy.


text:
 On that day, from the Euphrates to the Egyptian border, the LORD will gather his people one by one, as threshing separates the wheat from the chaff.


text:
 When that day comes, a trumpet will be blown to call back from Assyria and Egypt all the Israelites who are in exile there. They will come and worship the LORD in Jerusalem, on his sacred hill.


text:
 The kingdom of Israel is doomed! Its glory is fading like the crowns of flowers on the heads of its drunken leaders. Their proud heads are well perfumed, but there they lie, dead drunk.


text:
 The Lord has someone strong and powerful ready to attack them, someone who will come like a hailstorm, like a torrent of rain, like a rushing, overpowering flood, and will overwhelm the land.


text:
 The fading glory of those proud leaders will disappear like the first figs of the season, picked and eaten as soon as they are ripe.


text:
 A day is coming when the LORD Almighty will be like a glorious crown of flowers for his people who survive.


text:
 He will give a sense of justice to those who serve as judges, and courage to those who defend the city gates from attack.


text:
 Even the prophets and the priests are so drunk that they stagger. They have drunk so much wine and liquor that they stumble in confusion. The prophets are too drunk to understand the visions that God sends, and the priests are too drunk to decide the cases that are brought to them.


text:
 They complain about me. They say, "Who does that man think he's teaching? Who needs his message? It's only good for babies that have just stopped nursing!


text:
 If you won't listen to me, then God will use foreigners speaking some strange-sounding language to teach you a lesson.


text:
 That is why the LORD is going to teach you letter by letter, line by line, lesson by lesson. Then you will stumble with every step you take. You will be wounded, trapped, and taken prisoner.


text:
 Now you arrogant leaders who rule here in Jerusalem over this people, listen to what the LORD is saying.


text:
 You boast that you have made a treaty with death and reached an agreement with the world of the dead. You are certain that disaster will spare you when it comes, because you depend on lies and deceit to keep you safe.


text:
 This, now, is what the Sovereign LORD says: "I am placing in Zion a foundation that is firm and strong. In it I am putting a solid cornerstone on which are written the words, 'Faith that is firm is also patient.'


text:
 Justice will be the measuring line for the foundation, and honesty will be its plumb line." Hailstorms will sweep away all the lies you depend on, and floods will destroy your security.


text:
 The treaty you have made with death will be abolished, and your agreement with the world of the dead will be canceled. When disaster sweeps down, you will be overcome.


text:
 It will strike you again and again, morning after morning. You will have to bear it day and night. Each new message from God will bring new terror!


text:
 You will be like the person in the proverb, who tries to sleep in a bed too short to stretch out on, with a blanket too narrow to wrap himself in.


text:
 The LORD will fight as he did at Mount Perazim and in the valley of Gibeon, in order to do what he intends to do---strange as his actions may seem. He will complete his work, his mysterious work.


text:
 Don't laugh at the warning I am giving you! If you do, it will be even harder for you to escape. I have heard the LORD Almighty's decision to destroy the whole country.


text:
 Once they have prepared the soil, they plant the seeds of herbs such as dill and cumin. They plant rows of wheat and barley, and at the edges of their fields they plant other grain.


text:
 They never use a heavy club to beat out dill seeds or cumin seeds; instead they use light sticks of the proper size.


text:
 They do not ruin the wheat by threshing it endlessly, and they know how to thresh it by driving a cart over it without bruising the grains.


text:
 All this wisdom comes from the LORD Almighty. The plans God makes are wise, and they always succeed.


text:
 God's altar, Jerusalem itself, is doomed! The city where David camped is doomed! Let another year or two come and go, with its feasts and festivals,


text:
 and then God will bring disaster on the city that is called "God's altar." There will be weeping and wailing, and the whole city will be like an altar covered with blood.


text:
 Jerusalem will be like a ghost struggling to speak from under the ground, a muffled voice coming from the dust.


text:
 Jerusalem, all the foreigners who attack you will be blown away like dust, and their terrifying armies will fly away like straw. Suddenly and unexpectedly


text:
 the LORD Almighty will rescue you with violent thunderstorms and earthquakes. He will send windstorms and raging fire;


text:
 then all the armies of the nations attacking the city of God's altar, all their weapons and equipment---everything---will vanish like a dream, like something imagined in the night.


text:
 All the nations that assemble to attack Jerusalem will be like a starving person who dreams he is eating and wakes up hungry, or like someone dying of thirst who dreams he is drinking and wakes with a dry throat.


text:
 Go ahead and be stupid! Go ahead and be blind! Get drunk without any wine! Stagger without drinking a drop!


text:
 The LORD has made you drowsy, ready to fall into a deep sleep. The prophets should be the eyes of the people, but God has blindfolded them.


text:
 The meaning of every prophetic vision will be hidden from you; it will be like a sealed scroll. If you take it to someone who knows how to read and ask him to read it to you, he will say he can't because it is sealed.


text:
 If you give it to someone who can't read and ask him to read it to you, he will answer that he doesn't know how.


text:
 The Lord said, "These people claim to worship me, but their words are meaningless, and their hearts are somewhere else. Their religion is nothing but human rules and traditions, which they have simply memorized.


text:
 So I will startle them with one unexpected blow after another. Those who are wise will turn out to be fools, and all their cleverness will be useless."


text:
 Those who try to hide their plans from the LORD are doomed! They carry out their schemes in secret and think no one will see them or know what they are doing.


text:
 They turn everything upside down. Which is more important, the potter or the clay? Can something you have made say, "You didn't make me"? Or can it say, "You don't know what you are doing"?


text:
 As the saying goes, before long the dense forest will become farmland, and the farmland will go back to forest.


text:
 When that day comes, the deaf will be able to hear a book being read aloud, and the blind, who have been living in darkness, will open their eyes and see.


text:
 Poor and humble people will once again find the happiness which the LORD, the holy God of Israel, gives.


text:
 It will be the end of those who oppress others and show contempt for God. Every sinner will be destroyed.


text:
 God will destroy those who slander others, those who prevent the punishment of criminals, and those who tell lies to keep honest people from getting justice.


text:
 So now the LORD, the God of Israel, who rescued Abraham from trouble, says, "My people, you will not be disgraced any longer, and your faces will no longer be pale with shame.


text:
 When you see the children that I will give you, then you will acknowledge that I am the holy God of Israel. You will honor me and stand in awe of me.


text:
 Foolish people will learn to understand, and those who are always grumbling will be glad to be taught."


text:
 The LORD has spoken: "Those who rule Judah are doomed because they rebel against me. They follow plans that I did not make, and sign treaties against my will, piling one sin on another.


text:
 They go to Egypt for help without asking for my advice. They want Egypt to protect them, so they put their trust in Egypt's king.


text:
 the people of Judah will regret that they ever trusted that unreliable nation, a nation that fails them when they expect help."


text:
 This is God's message about the animals of the southern desert: "The ambassadors travel through dangerous country, where lions live and where there are poisonous snakes and flying dragons. They load their donkeys and camels with expensive gifts for a nation that cannot give them any help.


text:
 God told me to write down in a book what the people are like, so that there would be a permanent record of how evil they are.


text:
 They are always rebelling against God, always lying, always refusing to listen to the LORD's teachings.


text:
 They tell the prophets to keep quiet. They say, "Don't talk to us about what's right. Tell us what we want to hear. Let us keep our illusions.


text:
 Get out of our way and stop blocking our path. We don't want to hear about your holy God of Israel."


text:
 But this is what the holy God of Israel says: "You ignore what I tell you and rely on violence and deceit.


text:
 You will be shattered like a clay pot, so badly broken that there is no piece big enough to pick up hot coals with or to dip water from a cistern."


text:
 The Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says to the people, "Come back and quietly trust in me. Then you will be strong and secure." But you refuse to do it.


text:
 Instead, you plan to escape from your enemies by riding fast horses. And you are right---escape is what you will have to do! You think your horses are fast enough, but those who pursue you will be faster!


text:
 A thousand of you will run away when you see one enemy soldier, and five soldiers will be enough to make you all run away. Nothing will be left of your army except a lonely flagpole on the top of a hill.


text:
 And yet the LORD is waiting to be merciful to you. He is ready to take pity on you because he always does what is right. Happy are those who put their trust in the LORD.


text:
 You people who live in Jerusalem will not weep any more. The LORD is compassionate, and when you cry to him for help, he will answer you.


text:
 The Lord will make you go through hard times, but he himself will be there to teach you, and you will not have to search for him any more.


text:
 If you wander off the road to the right or the left, you will hear his voice behind you saying, "Here is the road. Follow it."


text:
 You will take your idols plated with silver and your idols covered with gold, and will throw them away like filth, shouting, "Out of my sight!"


text:
 Whenever you plant your crops, the Lord will send rain to make them grow and will give you a rich harvest, and your livestock will have plenty of pasture.


text:
 On the day when the forts of your enemies are captured and their people are killed, streams of water will flow from every mountain and every hill.


text:
 The moon will be as bright as the sun, and the sun will be seven times brighter than usual, like the light of seven days in one. This will all happen when the LORD bandages and heals the wounds he has given his people.


text:
 The LORD's power and glory can be seen in the distance. Fire and smoke show his anger. He speaks, and his words burn like fire.


text:
 He sends the wind in front of him like a flood that carries everything away. It sweeps nations to destruction and puts an end to their evil plans.


text:
 But you, God's people, will be happy and sing as you do on the night of a sacred festival. You will be as happy as those who walk to the music of flutes on their way to the Temple of the LORD, the defender of Israel.


text:
 The LORD will let everyone hear his majestic voice and feel the force of his anger. There will be flames, cloudbursts, hailstones, and torrents of rain.


text:
 The Assyrians will be terrified when they hear the LORD's voice and feel the force of his punishment.


text:
 As the LORD strikes them again and again, his people will keep time with the music of drums and harps. God himself will fight against the Assyrians.


text:
 Long ago a place was prepared where a huge fire will burn the emperor of Assyria. It is deep and wide, and piled high with wood. The LORD will breathe out a stream of flame to set it on fire.


text:
 Those who go to Egypt for help are doomed! They are relying on Egypt's vast military strength---horses, chariots, and soldiers. But they do not rely on the LORD, the holy God of Israel, or ask him for help.


text:
 He knows what he is doing! He sends disaster. He carries out his threats to punish evil people and those who protect them.


text:
 The Egyptians are not gods---they are only human. Their horses are not supernatural. When the LORD acts, the strong nation will crumble, and the weak nation it helped will fall. Both of them will be destroyed.


text:
 The LORD said to me, "No matter how shepherds yell and shout, they can't scare away a lion from an animal that it has killed; in the same way, there is nothing that can keep me, the LORD Almighty, from protecting Mount Zion.


text:
 Just as a bird hovers over its nest to protect its young, so I, the LORD Almighty, will protect Jerusalem and defend it."


text:
 Assyria will be destroyed in war, but not by human power. The Assyrians will run from battle, and their young men will be made slaves.


text:
 Their emperor will run away in terror, and the officers will be so frightened that they will abandon their battle flags." The LORD has spoken---the LORD who is worshiped in Jerusalem and whose fire burns there for sacrifices.


text:
 Some day there will be a king who rules with integrity, and national leaders who govern with justice.


text:
 Each of them will be like a shelter from the wind and a place to hide from storms. They will be like streams flowing in a desert, like the shadow of a giant rock in a barren land.


text:
 They will not be impatient any longer, but they will act with understanding and will say what they mean.


text:
 A fool speaks foolishly and thinks up evil things to do. What he does and what he says are an insult to the LORD, and he never feeds the hungry or gives thirsty people anything to drink.


text:
 A stupid person is evil and does evil things; he plots to ruin the poor with lies and to keep them from getting their rights.


text:
 You may be satisfied now, but this time next year you will be in despair because there will be no grapes for you to gather.


text:
 You have been living an easy life, free from worries; but now, tremble with fear! Strip off your clothes and tie rags around your waist.


text:
 and thorn bushes and briers are growing on my people's land. Weep for all the houses where people were happy and for the city that was full of life.


text:
 Even the palace will be abandoned and the capital city totally deserted. Homes and the forts that guarded them will be in ruins forever. Wild donkeys will roam there, and sheep will find pasture there.


text:
 But once more God will send us his spirit. The wasteland will become fertile, and fields will produce rich crops.


text:
 How happy everyone will be with plenty of water for the crops and safe pasture everywhere for the donkeys and cattle.


text:
 Our enemies are doomed! They have robbed and betrayed, although no one has robbed them or betrayed them. But their time to rob and betray will end, and they themselves will become victims of robbery and treachery.


text:
 LORD, have mercy on us. We have put our hope in you. Protect us day by day and save us in times of trouble.


text:
 and give stability to the nation. He always protects his people and gives them wisdom and knowledge. Their greatest treasure is their reverence for the LORD.


text:
 The brave are calling for help. The ambassadors who tried to bring about peace are crying bitterly.


text:
 The highways are so dangerous that no one travels on them. Treaties are broken and agreements are violated. No one is respected any more.


text:
 The land lies idle and deserted. The forests of Lebanon have withered, the fertile valley of Sharon is like a desert, and in Bashan and on Mount Carmel the leaves are falling from the trees.


text:
 You make worthless plans and everything you do is useless. My spirit is like a fire that will destroy you.


text:
 The sinful people of Zion are trembling with fright. They say, "God's judgment is like a fire that burns forever. Can any of us survive a fire like that?"


text:
 You can survive if you say and do what is right. Don't use your power to cheat the poor and don't accept bribes. Don't join with those who plan to commit murder or to do other evil things.


text:
 Then you will be safe; you will be as secure as if in a strong fortress. You will have food to eat and water to drink.


text:
 Look at Zion, the city where we celebrate our religious festivals. Look at Jerusalem! What a safe place it will be to live in! It will be like a tent that is never moved, whose pegs are never pulled up and whose ropes never break.


text:
 The LORD will show us his glory. We will live beside broad rivers and streams, but hostile ships will not sail on them.


text:
 All the rigging on those ships is useless; the sails cannot be spread! We will seize all the wealth of enemy armies, and there will be so much that even the lame can get a share. The LORD himself will be our king; he will rule over us and protect us.


text:
 No one who lives in our land will ever again complain of being sick, and all sins will be forgiven.


text:
 Come, people of all nations! Gather around and listen. Let the whole earth and everyone living on it come here and listen.


text:
 Their corpses will not be buried, but will lie there rotting and stinking; and the mountains will be red with blood.


text:
 The sun, moon, and stars will crumble to dust. The sky will disappear like a scroll being rolled up, and the stars will fall like leaves dropping from a vine or a fig tree.


text:
 The LORD has prepared his sword in heaven, and now it will strike Edom, those people whom he has condemned to destruction.


text:
 His sword will be covered with their blood and fat, like the blood and fat of lambs and goats that are sacrificed. The LORD will offer this sacrifice in the city of Bozrah; he will make this a great slaughter in the land of Edom.


text:
 The people will fall like wild oxen and young bulls, and the earth will be red with blood and covered with fat.


text:
 The rivers of Edom will turn into tar, and the soil will turn into sulfur. The whole country will burn like tar.


text:
 It will burn day and night, and smoke will rise from it forever. The land will lie waste age after age, and no one will ever travel through it again.


text:
 Owls and ravens will take over the land. The LORD will make it a barren waste again, as it was before the creation.


text:
 Thorns and thistles will grow up in all the palaces and walled towns, and jackals and owls will live in them.


text:
 Wild animals will roam there, and demons will call to each other. The night monster will come there looking for a place to rest.


text:
 Owls will build their nests, lay eggs, hatch their young, and care for them there. Vultures will gather there, one after another.


text:
 Search in the LORD's book of living creatures and read what it says. Not one of these creatures will be missing, and not one will be without its mate. The LORD has commanded it to be so; he himself will bring them together.


text:
 It is the LORD who will divide the land among them and give each of them a share. They will live in the land age after age, and it will belong to them forever.


text:
 The desert will sing and shout for joy; it will be as beautiful as the Lebanon Mountains and as fertile as the fields of Carmel and Sharon. Everyone will see the LORD's splendor, see his greatness and power.


text:
 Tell everyone who is discouraged, "Be strong and don't be afraid! God is coming to your rescue, coming to punish your enemies."


text:
 The lame will leap and dance, and those who cannot speak will shout for joy. Streams of water will flow through the desert;


text:
 the burning sand will become a lake, and dry land will be filled with springs. Where jackals used to live, marsh grass and reeds will grow.


text:
 There will be a highway there, called "The Road of Holiness." No sinner will ever travel that road; no fools will mislead those who follow it.


text:
 No lions will be there; no fierce animals will pass that way. Those whom the LORD has rescued will travel home by that road.


text:
 They will reach Jerusalem with gladness, singing and shouting for joy. They will be happy forever, forever free from sorrow and grief.


text:
 In the fourteenth year that Hezekiah was king of Judah, Sennacherib, the emperor of Assyria, attacked the fortified cities of Judah and captured them.


text:
 Then he ordered his chief official to go from Lachish to Jerusalem with a large military force to demand that King Hezekiah surrender. The official occupied the road where the cloth makers work, by the ditch that brings water from the upper pool.


text:
 Three Judeans came out to meet him: the official in charge of the palace, Eliakim son of Hilkiah; the court secretary, Shebna; and the official in charge of the records, Joah son of Asaph.


text:
 The Assyrian official told them that the emperor wanted to know what made King Hezekiah so confident.


text:
 You are expecting Egypt to help you, but that would be like using a reed as a walking stick---it would break and would jab your hand. That is what the king of Egypt is like when anyone relies on him."


text:
 The Assyrian official went on, "Or will you tell me that you are relying on the LORD your God? It was the LORD's shrines and altars that Hezekiah destroyed when he told the people of Judah and Jerusalem to worship at one altar only.


text:
 I will make a bargain with you in the name of the emperor. I will give you two thousand horses if you can find that many riders.


text:
 You are no match for even the lowest ranking Assyrian official, and yet you expect the Egyptians to send you chariots and horsemen.


text:
 Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah told the official, "Speak Aramaic to us. We understand it. Don't speak Hebrew; all the people on the wall are listening."


text:
 Then the official stood up and shouted in Hebrew, "Listen to what the emperor of Assyria is telling you.


text:
 Don't listen to Hezekiah! The emperor of Assyria commands you to come out of the city and surrender. You will all be allowed to eat grapes from your own vines and figs from your own trees, and to drink water from your own wells---


text:
 until the emperor resettles you in a country much like your own, where there are vineyards to give wine and there is grain for making bread.


text:
 Don't let Hezekiah fool you into thinking that the LORD will rescue you. Did the gods of any other nations save their countries from the emperor of Assyria?


text:
 Where are they now, the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Did anyone save Samaria?


text:
 Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah tore their clothes in grief and went and reported to the king what the Assyrian official had said.


text:
 This is the message which he told them to give to Isaiah: "Today is a day of suffering; we are being punished and are in disgrace. We are like a woman who is ready to give birth, but is too weak to do it.


text:
 he sent back this answer: "The LORD tells you not to let the Assyrians frighten you by their claims that he cannot save you.


text:
 Word reached the Assyrians that the Egyptian army, led by King Tirhakah of Ethiopia, was coming to attack them. When the emperor heard this, he sent a letter to King Hezekiah


text:
 of Judah to tell him: "The god you are trusting in has told you that you will not fall into my hands, but don't let that deceive you.


text:
 "Almighty LORD, God of Israel, seated above the winged creatures, you alone are God, ruling all the kingdoms of the world. You created the earth and the sky.


text:
 Now, LORD, hear us and look at what is happening to us. Listen to all the things that Sennacherib is saying to insult you, the living God.


text:
 Now, LORD our God, rescue us from the Assyrians, so that all the nations of the world will know that you alone are God."


text:
 You sent your servants to boast to me that with all your chariots you had conquered the highest mountains of Lebanon. You boasted that there you cut down the tallest cedars and the finest cypress trees, and that you reached the deepest parts of the forests.


text:
 You boasted that you dug wells and drank water in foreign lands, and that the feet of your soldiers tramped the Nile River dry.


text:
 I have received the report of that rage and that pride of yours, and now I will put a hook through your nose and a bit in your mouth and will take you back by the same road you came."


text:
 Then Isaiah said to King Hezekiah, "Here is a sign of what will happen. This year and next you will have only wild grain to eat, but the following year you will be able to plant grain and harvest it, and plant vines and eat grapes.


text:
 There will be people in Jerusalem and on Mount Zion who will survive, because the LORD Almighty is determined to make this happen.


text:
 An angel of the LORD went to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 soldiers. At dawn the next day there they lay, all dead!


text:
 One day when he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, two of his sons, Adrammelech and Sharezer, killed him with their swords and then escaped to the land of Ararat. Another of his sons, Esarhaddon, succeeded him as emperor.


text:
 About this time King Hezekiah became sick and almost died. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to see him and said to him, "The LORD tells you that you are to put everything in order because you will not recover. Get ready to die."


text:
 "Remember, LORD, that I have served you faithfully and loyally, and that I have always tried to do what you wanted me to." And he began to cry bitterly.


text:
 to go back to Hezekiah and say to him, "I, the LORD, the God of your ancestor David, have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will let you live fifteen years longer.


text:
 I will rescue you and this city of Jerusalem from the emperor of Assyria, and I will continue to protect the city."


text:
 On the stairway built by King Ahaz, the LORD will make the shadow go back ten steps." And the shadow moved back ten steps.


text:
 I thought that in the prime of life I was going to the world of the dead, Never to live out my life.


text:
 My life was cut off and ended, Like a tent that is taken down, Like cloth that is cut from a loom. I thought that God was ending my life.


text:
 All night I cried out with pain, As if a lion were breaking my bones. I thought that God was ending my life.


text:
 My voice was thin and weak, And I moaned like a dove. My eyes grew tired from looking to heaven. LORD, rescue me from all this trouble.


text:
 It is the living who praise you, As I praise you now. Parents tell their children how faithful you are.


text:
 LORD, you have healed me. We will play harps and sing your praise, Sing praise in your Temple as long as we live.


text:
 About that same time the king of Babylonia, Merodach Baladan, son of Baladan, heard that King Hezekiah had been sick, so he sent him a letter and a present.


text:
 Then the prophet Isaiah went to King Hezekiah and asked, "Where did these messengers come from and what did they say to you?" Hezekiah answered, "They came from a very distant country, from Babylonia."


text:
 Encourage the people of Jerusalem. Tell them they have suffered long enough and their sins are now forgiven. I have punished them in full for all their sins."


text:
 A voice cries out, "Prepare in the wilderness a road for the LORD! Clear the way in the desert for our God!


text:
 Fill every valley; level every mountain. The hills will become a plain, and the rough country will be made smooth.


text:
 Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it. The LORD himself has promised this."


text:
 A voice cries out, "Proclaim a message!" "What message shall I proclaim?" I ask. "Proclaim that all human beings are like grass; they last no longer than wild flowers.


text:
 Grass withers and flowers fade when the LORD sends the wind blowing over them. People are no more enduring than grass.


text:
 Jerusalem, go up on a high mountain and proclaim the good news! Call out with a loud voice, Zion; announce the good news! Speak out and do not be afraid. Tell the towns of Judah that their God is coming!


text:
 He will take care of his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs together and carry them in his arms; he will gently lead their mothers.


text:
 Can anyone measure the ocean by handfuls or measure the sky with his hands? Can anyone hold the soil of the earth in a cup or weigh the mountains and hills on scales?


text:
 To the LORD the nations are nothing, no more than a drop of water; the distant islands are as light as dust.


text:
 All the animals in the forests of Lebanon are not enough for a sacrifice to our God, and its trees are too few to kindle the fire.


text:
 He is not like an idol that workers make, that metalworkers cover with gold and set in a base of silver.


text:
 Anyone who cannot afford silver or gold chooses wood that will not rot. He finds a skillful worker to make an image that won't fall down.


text:
 It was made by the one who sits on his throne above the earth and beyond the sky; the people below look as tiny as ants. He stretched out the sky like a curtain, like a tent in which to live.


text:
 They are like young plants, just set out and barely rooted. When the LORD sends a wind, they dry up and blow away like straw.


text:
 Look up at the sky! Who created the stars you see? The one who leads them out like an army, he knows how many there are and calls each one by name! His power is so great--- not one of them is ever missing!


text:
 Israel, why then do you complain that the LORD doesn't know your troubles or care if you suffer injustice?


text:
 Don't you know? Haven't you heard? The LORD is the everlasting God; he created all the world. He never grows tired or weary. No one understands his thoughts.


text:
 But those who trust in the LORD for help will find their strength renewed. They will rise on wings like eagles; they will run and not get weary; they will walk and not grow weak.


text:
 God says, "Be silent and listen to me, you distant lands! Get ready to present your case in court; you will have your chance to speak. Let us come together to decide who is right.


text:
 "Who was it that brought the conqueror from the east and makes him triumphant wherever he goes? Who gives him victory over kings and nations? His sword strikes them down as if they were dust. His arrows scatter them like straw before the wind.


text:
 Who was it that made this happen? Who has determined the course of history? I, the LORD, was there at the beginning, and I, the LORD, will be there at the end.


text:
 "The people of distant lands have seen what I have done; they are frightened and tremble with fear. So they all assemble and come.


text:
 The carpenter says to the goldsmith, 'Well done!' The one who beats the idol smooth encourages the one who nails it together. They say, 'The soldering is good'--- and they fasten the idol in place with nails.


text:
 "But you, Israel my servant, you are the people that I have chosen, the descendants of Abraham, my friend.


text:
 I brought you from the ends of the earth; I called you from its farthest corners and said to you, 'You are my servant.' I did not reject you, but chose you.


text:
 Do not be afraid---I am with you! I am your God---let nothing terrify you! I will make you strong and help you; I will protect you and save you.


text:
 The LORD says, "Small and weak as you are, Israel, don't be afraid; I will help you. I, the holy God of Israel, am the one who saves you.


text:
 I will make you like a threshing board, with spikes that are new and sharp. You will thresh mountains and destroy them; hills will crumble into dust.


text:
 You will toss them in the air; the wind will carry them off, and they will be scattered by the storm. Then you will be happy because I am your God; you will praise me, the holy God of Israel.


text:
 "When my people in their need look for water, when their throats are dry with thirst, then I, the LORD, will answer their prayer; I, the God of Israel, will never abandon them.


text:
 I will make rivers flow among barren hills and springs of water run in the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water and the dry land into flowing springs.


text:
 I will make cedars grow in the desert, and acacias and myrtles and olive trees. Forests will grow in barren land, forests of pine and juniper and cypress.


text:
 People will see this and know that I, the LORD, have done it. They will come to understand that Israel's holy God has made it happen."


text:
 The LORD, the king of Israel, has this to say: "You gods of the nations, present your case. Bring the best arguments you have!


text:
 Come here and predict what will happen, so that we will know it when it takes place. Explain to the court the events of the past, and tell us what they mean.


text:
 Tell us what the future holds--- then we will know that you are gods! Do something good or bring some disaster; fill us with fear and awe!


text:
 "I have chosen a man who lives in the east; I will bring him to attack from the north. He tramples on rulers as if they were mud, like a potter trampling clay.


text:
 Which of you predicted that this would happen, so that we could say that you were right? None of you said a word about it; no one heard you say a thing!


text:
 I, the LORD, was the first to tell Zion the news; I sent a messenger to Jerusalem to say, 'Your people are coming! They are coming home!'


text:
 When I looked among the gods, none of them had a thing to say; not one could answer the questions I asked.


text:
 The LORD says, "Here is my servant, whom I strengthen--- the one I have chosen, with whom I am pleased. I have filled him with my Spirit, and he will bring justice to every nation.


text:
 He will not break off a bent reed nor put out a flickering lamp. He will bring lasting justice to all.


text:
 He will not lose hope or courage; he will establish justice on the earth. Distant lands eagerly wait for his teaching."


text:
 God created the heavens and stretched them out; he fashioned the earth and all that lives there; he gave life and breath to all its people. And now the LORD God says to his servant,


text:
 "I, the LORD, have called you and given you power to see that justice is done on earth. Through you I will make a covenant with all peoples; through you I will bring light to the nations.


text:
 "I alone am the LORD your God. No other god may share my glory; I will not let idols share my praise.


text:
 The things I predicted have now come true. Now I will tell you of new things even before they begin to happen."


text:
 Sing a new song to the LORD; sing his praise, all the world! Praise him, you that sail the sea; praise him, all creatures of the sea! Sing, distant lands and all who live there!


text:
 Let the desert and its towns praise God; let the people of Kedar praise him! Let those who live in the city of Sela shout for joy from the tops of the mountains!


text:
 The LORD goes out to fight like a warrior; he is ready and eager for battle. He gives a war cry, a battle shout; he shows his power against his enemies.


text:
 God says, "For a long time I kept silent; I did not answer my people. But now the time to act has come; I cry out like a woman in labor.


text:
 I will destroy the hills and mountains and dry up the grass and trees. I will turn the river valleys into deserts and dry up the pools of water.


text:
 "I will lead my blind people by roads they have never traveled. I will turn their darkness into light and make rough country smooth before them. These are my promises, and I will keep them without fail.


text:
 Israel, you have seen so much, but what has it meant to you? You have ears to hear with, but what have you really heard?"


text:
 The LORD is a God who is eager to save, so he exalted his laws and teachings, and he wanted his people to honor them.


text:
 But now his people have been plundered; they are locked up in dungeons and hidden away in prisons. They were robbed and plundered, with no one to come to their rescue.


text:
 Who gave Israel up to the looters? It was the LORD himself, against whom we sinned! We would not live as he wanted us to live or obey the teachings he gave us.


text:
 So he made us feel the force of his anger and suffer the violence of war. Like fire his anger burned throughout Israel, but we never knew what was happening; we learned nothing at all from it.


text:
 Israel, the LORD who created you says, "Do not be afraid---I will save you. I have called you by name---you are mine.


text:
 When you pass through deep waters, I will be with you; your troubles will not overwhelm you. When you pass through fire, you will not be burned; the hard trials that come will not hurt you.


text:
 For I am the LORD your God, the holy God of Israel, who saves you. I will give up Egypt to set you free; I will give up Ethiopia and Seba.


text:
 I will give up whole nations to save your life, because you are precious to me and because I love you and give you honor.


text:
 Do not be afraid---I am with you! "From the distant east and the farthest west I will bring your people home.


text:
 I will tell the north to let them go and the south not to hold them back. Let my people return from distant lands, from every part of the world.


text:
 God says, "Summon my people to court. They have eyes, but they are blind; they have ears, but they are deaf !


text:
 Summon the nations to come to the trial. Which of their gods can predict the future? Which of them foretold what is happening now? Let these gods bring in their witnesses to prove that they are right, to testify to the truth of their words.


text:
 "People of Israel, you are my witnesses; I chose you to be my servant, so that you would know me and believe in me and understand that I am the only God. Besides me there is no other god; there never was and never will be.


text:
 I predicted what would happen, and then I came to your aid. No foreign god has ever done this; you are my witnesses.


text:
 Israel's holy God, the LORD who saves you, says, "To save you, I will send an army against Babylon; I will break down the city gates, and the shouts of her people will turn into crying.


text:
 He led a mighty army to destruction, an army of chariots and horses. Down they fell, never to rise, snuffed out like the flame of a lamp!


text:
 Watch for the new thing I am going to do. It is happening already---you can see it now! I will make a road through the wilderness and give you streams of water there.


text:
 Even the wild animals will honor me; jackals and ostriches will praise me when I make rivers flow in the desert to give water to my chosen people.


text:
 You did not bring me your burnt offerings of sheep; you did not honor me with your sacrifices. I did not burden you by demanding offerings or wear you out by asking for incense.


text:
 You didn't buy incense for me or satisfy me with the fat of your animals. Instead you burdened me with your sins; you wore me out with the wrongs you have committed.


text:
 And yet, I am the God who forgives your sins, and I do this because of who I am. I will not hold your sins against you.


text:
 and your rulers profaned my sanctuary. So I brought destruction on Israel; I let my own people be insulted."


text:
 I am the LORD who created you; from the time you were born, I have helped you. Do not be afraid; you are my servant, my chosen people whom I love.


text:
 "I will give water to the thirsty land and make streams flow on the dry ground. I will pour out my spirit on your children and my blessing on your descendants.


text:
 "One by one, people will say, 'I am the LORD's.' They will come to join the people of Israel. They each will mark the name of the LORD on their arms and call themselves one of God's people."


text:
 The LORD, who rules and protects Israel, the LORD Almighty, has this to say: "I am the first, the last, the only God; there is no other god but me.


text:
 Could anyone else have done what I did? Who could have predicted all that would happen from the very beginning to the end of time?


text:
 Do not be afraid, my people! You know that from ancient times until now I have predicted all that would happen, and you are my witnesses. Is there any other god? Is there some powerful god I never heard of ?"


text:
 All those who make idols are worthless, and the gods they prize so highly are useless. Those who worship these gods are blind and ignorant---and they will be disgraced.


text:
 Everyone who worships it will be humiliated. The people who make idols are human beings and nothing more. Let them come and stand trial---they will be terrified and will suffer disgrace.


text:
 The metalworker takes a piece of metal and works with it over a fire. His strong arm swings a hammer to pound the metal into shape. As he works, he gets hungry, thirsty, and tired.


text:
 The carpenter measures the wood. He outlines a figure with chalk, carves it out with his tools, and makes it in the form of a man, a handsome human figure, to be placed in his house.


text:
 He might cut down cedars to use, or choose oak or cypress wood from the forest. Or he might plant a laurel tree and wait for the rain to make it grow.


text:
 A person uses part of a tree for fuel and part of it for making an idol. With one part he builds a fire to warm himself and bake bread; with the other part he makes a god and worships it.


text:
 With some of the wood he makes a fire; he roasts meat, eats it, and is satisfied. He warms himself and says, "How nice and warm! What a beautiful fire!"


text:
 The rest of the wood he makes into an idol, and then he bows down and worships it. He prays to it and says, "You are my god---save me!"


text:
 Such people are too stupid to know what they are doing. They close their eyes and their minds to the truth.


text:
 The maker of idols hasn't the wit or the sense to say, "Some of the wood I burned up. I baked some bread on the coals, and I roasted meat and ate it. And the rest of the wood I made into an idol. Here I am bowing down to a block of wood!"


text:
 It makes as much sense as eating ashes. His foolish ideas have so misled him that he is beyond help. He won't admit to himself that the idol he holds in his hand is not a god at all.


text:
 The LORD says, "Israel, remember this; remember that you are my servant. I created you to be my servant, and I will never forget you.


text:
 Shout for joy, you heavens! Shout, deep places of the earth! Shout for joy, mountains, and every tree of the forest! The LORD has shown his greatness by saving his people Israel.


text:
 "I am the LORD, your savior; I am the one who created you. I am the LORD, the Creator of all things. I alone stretched out the heavens; when I made the earth, no one helped me.


text:
 I make fools of fortunetellers and frustrate the predictions of astrologers. The words of the wise I refute and show that their wisdom is foolishness.


text:
 But when my servant makes a prediction, when I send a messenger to reveal my plans, I make those plans and predictions come true. I tell Jerusalem that people will live there again, and the cities of Judah that they will be rebuilt. Those cities will rise from the ruins.


text:
 I say to Cyrus, 'You are the one who will rule for me; you will do what I want you to do: you will order that Jerusalem be rebuilt and that the foundations of the Temple be laid.' "


text:
 The LORD has chosen Cyrus to be king. He has appointed him to conquer nations; he sends him to strip kings of their power; the LORD will open the gates of cities for him. To Cyrus the LORD says,


text:
 "I myself will prepare your way, leveling mountains and hills. I will break down bronze gates and smash their iron bars.


text:
 I will give you treasures from dark, secret places; then you will know that I am the LORD and that the God of Israel has called you by name.


text:
 I appoint you to help my servant Israel, the people that I have chosen. I have given you great honor, although you do not know me.


text:
 "I am the LORD; there is no other god. I will give you the strength you need, although you do not know me.


text:
 I do this so that everyone from one end of the world to the other may know that I am the LORD and that there is no other god.


text:
 I create both light and darkness; I bring both blessing and disaster. I, the LORD, do all these things.


text:
 I will send victory from the sky like rain; the earth will open to receive it and will blossom with freedom and justice. I, the LORD, will make this happen."


text:
 Does a clay pot dare argue with its maker, a pot that is like all the others? Does the clay ask the potter what he is doing? Does the pot complain that its maker has no skill?


text:
 The LORD, the holy God of Israel, the one who shapes the future, says: "You have no right to question me about my children or to tell me what I ought to do!


text:
 I am the one who made the earth and created human beings to live there. By my power I stretched out the heavens; I control the sun, the moon, and the stars.


text:
 I myself have stirred Cyrus to action to fulfill my purpose and put things right. I will straighten out every road that he travels. He will rebuild my city, Jerusalem, and set my captive people free. No one has hired him or bribed him to do this." The LORD Almighty has spoken.


text:
 The LORD says to Israel, "The wealth of Egypt and Ethiopia will be yours, and the tall men of Seba will be your slaves; they will follow you in chains. They will bow down to you and confess, 'God is with you---he alone is God.


text:
 But Israel is saved by the LORD, and her victory lasts forever; her people will never be disgraced.' "


text:
 The LORD created the heavens--- he is the one who is God! He formed and made the earth--- he made it firm and lasting. He did not make it a desolate waste, but a place for people to live. It is he who says, "I am the LORD, and there is no other god.


text:
 I have not spoken in secret or kept my purpose hidden. I did not require the people of Israel to look for me in a desolate waste. I am the LORD, and I speak the truth; I make known what is right."


text:
 The LORD says, "Come together, people of the nations, all who survive the fall of the empire; present yourselves for the trial! The people who parade with their idols of wood and pray to gods that cannot save them--- those people know nothing at all!


text:
 Come and present your case in court; let the defendants consult one another. Who predicted long ago what would happen? Was it not I, the LORD, the God who saves his people? There is no other god.


text:
 My promise is true, and it will not be changed. I solemnly promise by all that I am: Everyone will come and kneel before me and vow to be loyal to me.


text:
 "They will say that only through me are victory and strength to be found; but all who hate me will suffer disgrace.


text:
 "This is the end for Babylon's gods! Bel and Nebo once were worshiped, but now they are loaded on donkeys, a burden for the backs of tired animals.


text:
 The idols cannot save themselves; they are captured and carried away. This is the end for Babylon's gods!


text:
 "Listen to me, descendants of Jacob, all who are left of my people. I have cared for you from the time you were born.


text:
 I am your God and will take care of you until you are old and your hair is gray. I made you and will care for you; I will give you help and rescue you.


text:
 People open their purses and pour out gold; they weigh out silver on the scales. They hire a goldsmith to make a god; then they bow down and worship it.


text:
 They lift it to their shoulders and carry it; they put it in place, and there it stands, unable to move from where it is. If any pray to it, it cannot answer or save them from disaster.


text:
 Remember what happened long ago; acknowledge that I alone am God and that there is no one else like me.


text:
 From the beginning I predicted the outcome; long ago I foretold what would happen. I said that my plans would never fail, that I would do everything I intended to do.


text:
 I am calling a man to come from the east; he will swoop down like a hawk and accomplish what I have planned. I have spoken, and it will be done.


text:
 I am bringing the day of victory near--- it is not far away at all. My triumph will not be delayed. I will save Jerusalem and bring honor to Israel there."


text:
 The LORD says, "Babylon, come down from your throne, and sit in the dust on the ground. You were once like a virgin, a city unconquered, but you are soft and delicate no longer! You are now a slave!


text:
 Turn the millstone! Grind the flour! Off with your veil! Strip off your fine clothes! Lift up your skirts to cross the streams!


text:
 People will see you naked; they will see you humbled and shamed. I will take vengeance, and no one will stop me."


text:
 The LORD says to Babylon, "Sit in silence and darkness; no more will they call you the queen of nations!


text:
 I was angry with my people; I treated them as no longer mine: I put them in your power, and you showed them no mercy; even the aged you treated harshly.


text:
 You thought you would always be a queen, and did not take these things to heart or think how it all would end.


text:
 "Listen to this, you lover of pleasure, you that think you are safe and secure. You claim you are as great as God--- that there is no one else like you. You thought that you would never be a widow or suffer the loss of your children.


text:
 But in a moment, in a single day, both of these things will happen. In spite of all the magic you use, you will lose your husband and children.


text:
 "You felt sure of yourself in your evil; you thought that no one could see you. Your wisdom and knowledge led you astray, and you said to yourself, 'I am God--- there is no one else like me.'


text:
 Disaster will come upon you, and none of your magic can stop it. Ruin will come on you suddenly--- ruin you never dreamed of !


text:
 Keep all your magic spells and charms; you have used them since you were young. Perhaps they will be of some help to you; perhaps you can frighten your enemies.


text:
 You are powerless in spite of the advice you get. Let your astrologers come forward and save you--- those people who study the stars, who map out the zones of the heavens and tell you from month to month what is going to happen to you.


text:
 "They will be like bits of straw, and a fire will burn them up! They will not even be able to save themselves--- the flames will be too hot for them, not a cozy fire to warm themselves by.


text:
 That is all the good they will do you--- those astrologers you've consulted all your life. They all will leave you and go their own way, and none will be left to save you."


text:
 Listen to this, people of Israel, you that are descended from Judah: You swear by the name of the LORD and claim to worship the God of Israel--- but you don't mean a word you say.


text:
 And yet you are proud to say that you are citizens of the holy city and that you depend on Israel's God, whose name is the LORD Almighty.


text:
 The LORD says to Israel, "Long ago I predicted what would take place; then suddenly I made it happen.


text:
 And so I predicted your future long ago, announcing events before they took place, to keep you from claiming that your idols and images made them happen.


text:
 "All I foretold has now taken place; you have to admit my predictions were right. Now I will tell you of new things to come, events that I did not reveal before.


text:
 Only now am I making them happen; nothing like this took place in the past. If it had, you would claim that you knew all about it.


text:
 I knew that you couldn't be trusted, that you have always been known as a rebel. That is why you never heard of this at all, why no word of it ever came to your ears.


text:
 "In order that people will praise my name, I am holding my anger in check; I am keeping it back and will not destroy you.


text:
 I have tested you in the fire of suffering, as silver is refined in a furnace. But I have found that you are worthless.


text:
 What I do is done for my own sake--- I will not let my name be dishonored or let anyone else share the glory that should be mine and mine alone."


text:
 The LORD says, "Listen to me, Israel, the people I have called! I am God, the first, the last, the only God!


text:
 My hands made the earth's foundations and spread the heavens out. When I summon earth and sky, they come at once and present themselves.


text:
 "Assemble and listen, all of you! None of the gods could predict that the man I have chosen would attack Babylon; he will do what I want him to do.


text:
 "Now come close to me and hear what I say. From the beginning I have spoken openly and have always made my words come true." (Now the Sovereign LORD has given me his power and sent me.)


text:
 The holy God of Israel, the LORD who saves you, says: "I am the LORD your God, the one who wants to teach you for your own good and direct you in the way you should go.


text:
 "If only you had listened to my commands! Then blessings would have flowed for you like a stream that never goes dry. Victory would have come to you like the waves that roll on the shore.


text:
 Your descendants would be as numerous as grains of sand, and I would have made sure they were never destroyed."


text:
 Go out from Babylon, go free! Shout the news gladly; make it known everywhere: "The LORD has saved his servant Israel!"


text:
 When the LORD led his people through a hot, dry desert, they did not suffer from thirst. He made water come from a rock for them; he split the rock open, and water flowed out.


text:
 Listen to me, distant nations, you people who live far away! Before I was born, the LORD chose me and appointed me to be his servant.


text:
 He made my words as sharp as a sword. With his own hand he protected me. He made me like an arrow, sharp and ready for use.


text:
 I said, "I have worked, but how hopeless it is! I have used up my strength, but have accomplished nothing." Yet I can trust the LORD to defend my cause; he will reward me for what I do.


text:
 Before I was born, the LORD appointed me; he made me his servant to bring back his people, to bring back the scattered people of Israel. The LORD gives me honor; he is the source of my strength.


text:
 The LORD said to me, "I have a greater task for you, my servant. Not only will you restore to greatness the people of Israel who have survived, but I will also make you a light to the nations--- so that all the world may be saved."


text:
 Israel's holy God and savior says to the one who is deeply despised, who is hated by the nations and is the servant of rulers: "Kings will see you released and will rise to show their respect; princes also will see it, and they will bow low to honor you." This will happen because the LORD has chosen his servant; the holy God of Israel keeps his promises.


text:
 The LORD says to his people, "When the time comes to save you, I will show you favor and answer your cries for help. I will guard and protect you and through you make a covenant with all peoples. I will let you settle once again in your land that is now laid waste.


text:
 I will say to the prisoners, 'Go free!' and to those who are in darkness, 'Come out to the light!' They will be like sheep that graze on the hills;


text:
 they will never be hungry or thirsty. Sun and desert heat will not hurt them, for they will be led by one who loves them. He will lead them to springs of water.


text:
 Sing, heavens! Shout for joy, earth! Let the mountains burst into song! The LORD will comfort his people; he will have pity on his suffering people.


text:
 So the LORD answers, "Can a woman forget her own baby and not love the child she bore? Even if a mother should forget her child, I will never forget you.


text:
 Look around and see what is happening! Your people are assembling---they are coming home! As surely as I am the living God, you will be proud of your people, as proud as a bride is of her jewels.


text:
 "Your country was ruined and desolate--- but now it will be too small for those who are coming to live there. And those who left you in ruins will be far removed from you.


text:
 Your people who were born in exile will one day say to you, 'This land is too small--- we need more room to live in!'


text:
 Then you will say to yourself, 'Who bore all these children for me? I lost my children and could have no more. I was exiled and driven away--- who brought these children up? I was left all alone--- where did these children come from?' "


text:
 The Sovereign LORD says to his people: "I will signal to the nations, and they will bring your children home.


text:
 Kings will be like fathers to you; queens will be like mothers. They will bow low before you and honor you; they will humbly show their respect for you. Then you will know that I am the LORD; no one who waits for my help will be disappointed."


text:
 The LORD replies, "That is just what is going to happen. The soldier's prisoners will be taken away, and the tyrant's loot will be seized. I will fight against whoever fights you, and I will rescue your children.


text:
 I will make your oppressors kill each other; they will be drunk with murder and rage. Then all people will know that I am the LORD, the one who saves you and sets you free. They will know that I am Israel's powerful God."


text:
 The LORD says, "Do you think I sent my people away like a man who divorces his wife? Where, then, are the papers of divorce? Do you think I sold you into captivity like a man who sells his children as slaves? No, you went away captive because of your sins; you were sent away because of your crimes.


text:
 "Why did my people fail to respond when I went to them to save them? Why did they not answer when I called? Am I too weak to save them? I can dry up the sea with a command and turn rivers into a desert, so that the fish in them die for lack of water.


text:
 The Sovereign LORD has taught me what to say, so that I can strengthen the weary. Every morning he makes me eager to hear what he is going to teach me.


text:
 I bared my back to those who beat me. I did not stop them when they insulted me, when they pulled out the hairs of my beard and spit in my face.


text:
 But their insults cannot hurt me because the Sovereign LORD gives me help. I brace myself to endure them. I know that I will not be disgraced,


text:
 for God is near, and he will prove me innocent. Does anyone dare bring charges against me? Let us go to court together! Let him bring his accusation!


text:
 The Sovereign LORD himself defends me--- who, then, can prove me guilty? All my accusers will disappear; they will vanish like moth-eaten cloth.


text:
 All of you that honor the LORD and obey the words of his servant, the path you walk may be dark indeed, but trust in the LORD, rely on your God.


text:
 All of you that plot to destroy others will be destroyed by your own plots. The LORD himself will make this happen; you will suffer a miserable fate.


text:
 The LORD says, "Listen to me, you that want to be saved, you that come to me for help. Think of the rock from which you came, the quarry from which you were cut.


text:
 Think of your ancestor, Abraham, and of Sarah, from whom you are descended. When I called Abraham, he was childless, but I blessed him and gave him children; I made his descendants numerous.


text:
 "I will show compassion to Jerusalem, to all who live in her ruins. Though her land is a desert, I will make it a garden, like the garden I planted in Eden. Joy and gladness will be there, and songs of praise and thanks to me.


text:
 "Listen to me, my people, listen to what I say: I give my teaching to the nations; my laws will bring them light.


text:
 I will come quickly and save them; the time of my victory is near. I myself will rule over the nations. Distant lands wait for me to come; they wait with hope for me to save them.


text:
 Look up at the heavens; look at the earth! The heavens will disappear like smoke; the earth will wear out like old clothing, and all its people will die like flies. But the deliverance I bring will last forever; my victory will be final.


text:
 "Listen to me, you that know what is right, who have my teaching fixed in your hearts. Do not be afraid when people taunt and insult you;


text:
 they will vanish like moth-eaten clothing! But the deliverance I bring will last forever; my victory will endure for all time."


text:
 Wake up, LORD, and help us! Use your power and save us; use it as you did in ancient times. It was you that cut the sea monster Rahab to pieces.


text:
 It was you also who dried up the sea and made a path through the water, so that those you were saving could cross.


text:
 Those whom you have rescued will reach Jerusalem with gladness, singing and shouting for joy. They will be happy forever, forever free from sorrow and grief.


text:
 The LORD says, "I am the one who strengthens you. Why should you fear mortals, who are no more enduring than grass?


text:
 Have you forgotten the LORD who made you, who stretched out the heavens and laid the earth's foundations? Why should you live in constant fear of the fury of those who oppress you, of those who are ready to destroy you? Their fury can no longer touch you.


text:
 Those who are prisoners will soon be set free; they will live a long life and have all the food they need.


text:
 I stretched out the heavens and laid the earth's foundations; I say to Jerusalem, 'You are my people! I have given you my teaching, and I protect you with my hand.' "


text:
 Jerusalem, wake up! Rouse yourself and get up! You have drunk the cup of punishment that the LORD in his anger gave you to drink; you drank it down, and it made you stagger.


text:
 A double disaster has fallen on you: your land has been devastated by war, and your people have starved. There is no one to show you sympathy.


text:
 At the corner of every street your people collapse from weakness; they are like deer caught in a hunter's net. They have felt the force of God's anger.


text:
 the LORD your God defends you and says, "I am taking away the cup that I gave you in my anger. You will no longer have to drink the wine that makes you stagger.


text:
 I will give it to those who oppressed you, to those who made you lie down in the streets and trampled on you as if you were dirt."


text:
 Jerusalem, be strong and great again! Holy city of God, clothe yourself with splendor! The heathen will never enter your gates again.


text:
 Shake yourself free, Jerusalem! Rise from the dust and sit on your throne! Undo the chains that bind you, captive people of Zion!


text:
 The Sovereign LORD says to his people, "When you became slaves, no money was paid for you; in the same way nothing will be paid to set you free.


text:
 When you went to live in Egypt as foreigners, you did so of your own free will; Assyria, however, took you away by force and paid nothing for you.


text:
 And now in Babylonia the same thing has happened: you are captives, and nothing was paid for you. Those who rule over you boast and brag and constantly show contempt for me.


text:
 How wonderful it is to see a messenger coming across the mountains, bringing good news, the news of peace! He announces victory and says to Zion, "Your God is king!"


text:
 Those who guard the city are shouting, shouting together for joy. They can see with their own eyes the return of the LORD to Zion.


text:
 Break into shouts of joy, you ruins of Jerusalem! The LORD will rescue his city and comfort his people.


text:
 Be sure to leave Babylonia, all you that carry the Temple equipment. Touch no forbidden thing; keep yourselves holy and leave.


text:
 This time you will not have to leave in a hurry; you will not be trying to escape. The LORD your God will lead you and protect you on every side.


text:
 But now many nations will marvel at him, and kings will be speechless with amazement. They will see and understand something they had never known."


text:
 The people reply, "Who would have believed what we now report? Who could have seen the LORD's hand in this?


text:
 It was the will of the LORD that his servant grow like a plant taking root in dry ground. He had no dignity or beauty to make us take notice of him. There was nothing attractive about him, nothing that would draw us to him.


text:
 We despised him and rejected him; he endured suffering and pain. No one would even look at him--- we ignored him as if he were nothing.


text:
 "But he endured the suffering that should have been ours, the pain that we should have borne. All the while we thought that his suffering was punishment sent by God.


text:
 But because of our sins he was wounded, beaten because of the evil we did. We are healed by the punishment he suffered, made whole by the blows he received.


text:
 All of us were like sheep that were lost, each of us going his own way. But the LORD made the punishment fall on him, the punishment all of us deserved.


text:
 "He was treated harshly, but endured it humbly; he never said a word. Like a lamb about to be slaughtered, like a sheep about to be sheared, he never said a word.


text:
 He was arrested and sentenced and led off to die, and no one cared about his fate. He was put to death for the sins of our people.


text:
 He was placed in a grave with those who are evil, he was buried with the rich, even though he had never committed a crime or ever told a lie."


text:
 The LORD says, "It was my will that he should suffer; his death was a sacrifice to bring forgiveness. And so he will see his descendants; he will live a long life, and through him my purpose will succeed.


text:
 After a life of suffering, he will again have joy; he will know that he did not suffer in vain. My devoted servant, with whom I am pleased, will bear the punishment of many and for his sake I will forgive them.


text:
 And so I will give him a place of honor, a place among the great and powerful. He willingly gave his life and shared the fate of evil men. He took the place of many sinners and prayed that they might be forgiven."


text:
 Jerusalem, you have been like a childless woman, but now you can sing and shout for joy. Now you will have more children than a woman whose husband never left her.


text:
 You will extend your boundaries on all sides; your people will get back the land that the other nations now occupy. Cities now deserted will be filled with people.


text:
 Do not be afraid---you will not be disgraced again; you will not be humiliated. You will forget your unfaithfulness as a young wife, and your desperate loneliness as a widow.


text:
 Your Creator will be like a husband to you--- the LORD Almighty is his name. The holy God of Israel will save you--- he is the ruler of all the world.


text:
 Israel, you are like a young wife, deserted by her husband and deeply distressed. But the LORD calls you back to him and says:


text:
 I turned away angry for only a moment, but I will show you my love forever." So says the LORD who saves you.


text:
 "In the time of Noah I promised never again to flood the earth. Now I promise not to be angry with you again; I will not reprimand or punish you.


text:
 The mountains and hills may crumble, but my love for you will never end; I will keep forever my promise of peace." So says the LORD who loves you.


text:
 The LORD says, "O Jerusalem, you suffering, helpless city, with no one to comfort you, I will rebuild your foundations with precious stones.


text:
 I will build your towers with rubies, your gates with stones that glow like fire, and the wall around you with jewels.


text:
 "I create the blacksmith, who builds a fire and forges weapons. I also create the soldier, who uses the weapons to kill.


text:
 But no weapon will be able to hurt you; you will have an answer for all who accuse you. I will defend my servants and give them victory." The LORD has spoken.


text:
 The LORD says, "Come, everyone who is thirsty--- here is water! Come, you that have no money--- buy grain and eat! Come! Buy wine and milk--- it will cost you nothing!


text:
 Why spend money on what does not satisfy? Why spend your wages and still be hungry? Listen to me and do what I say, and you will enjoy the best food of all.


text:
 "Listen now, my people, and come to me; come to me, and you will have life! I will make a lasting covenant with you and give you the blessings I promised to David.


text:
 Now you will summon foreign nations; at one time they did not know you, but now they will come running to join you! I, the LORD your God, the holy God of Israel, will make all this happen; I will give you honor and glory."


text:
 Let the wicked leave their way of life and change their way of thinking. Let them turn to the LORD, our God; he is merciful and quick to forgive.


text:
 "My word is like the snow and the rain that come down from the sky to water the earth. They make the crops grow and provide seed for planting and food to eat.


text:
 So also will be the word that I speak--- it will not fail to do what I plan for it; it will do everything I send it to do.


text:
 "You will leave Babylon with joy; you will be led out of the city in peace. The mountains and hills will burst into singing, and the trees will shout for joy.


text:
 Cypress trees will grow where now there are briers; myrtle trees will come up in place of thorns. This will be a sign that will last forever, a reminder of what I, the LORD, have done."


text:
 I will bless those who always observe the Sabbath and do not misuse it. I will bless those who do nothing evil."


text:
 A foreigner who has joined the LORD's people should not say, "The LORD will not let me worship with his people." A man who has been castrated should never think that because he cannot have children, he can never be part of God's people.


text:
 The LORD says to such a man, "If you honor me by observing the Sabbath and if you do what pleases me and faithfully keep my covenant,


text:
 then your name will be remembered in my Temple and among my people longer than if you had sons and daughters. You will never be forgotten."


text:
 And the LORD says to those foreigners who become part of his people, who love him and serve him, who observe the Sabbath and faithfully keep his covenant:


text:
 "I will bring you to Zion, my sacred hill, give you joy in my house of prayer, and accept the sacrifices you offer on my altar. My Temple will be called a house of prayer for the people of all nations."


text:
 The Sovereign LORD, who has brought his people Israel home from exile, has promised that he will bring still other people to join them.


text:
 He says, "All the leaders, who are supposed to warn my people, are blind! They know nothing. They are like watch dogs that don't bark---they only lie around and dream. How they love to sleep!


text:
 They are like greedy dogs that never get enough. These leaders have no understanding. They each do as they please and seek their own advantage.


text:
 'Let's get some wine,' these drunkards say, 'and drink all we can hold! Tomorrow will be even better than today!' "


text:
 Good people die, and no one understands or even cares. But when they die, no calamity can hurt them.


text:
 Come here to be judged, you sinners! You are no better than sorcerers, adulterers, and prostitutes.


text:
 You worship the fertility gods by having sex under those sacred trees of yours. You offer your children as sacrifices in the rocky caves near stream beds.


text:
 You take smooth stones from there and worship them as gods. You pour out wine as offerings to them and bring them grain offerings. Do you think I am pleased with all this?


text:
 You set up your obscene idols just inside your front doors. You forsake me; you take off your clothes and climb in your large beds with your lovers, whom you pay to sleep with you. And there you satisfy your lust.


text:
 You put on your perfumes and ointments and go to worship the god Molech. To find gods to worship, you send messengers far and wide, even to the world of the dead.


text:
 You wear yourselves out looking for other gods, but you never give up. You think your obscene idols give you strength, and so you never grow weak.


text:
 The LORD says, "Who are these gods that make you afraid, so that you tell me lies and forget me completely? Have you stopped honoring me because I have kept silent for so long?


text:
 You think that what you do is right, but I will expose your conduct, and your idols will not be able to help you.


text:
 When you cry for help, let those idols of yours save you! A puff of wind will carry them off ! But those who trust in me will live in the land and will worship me in my Temple."


text:
 The LORD says, "Let my people return to me. Remove every obstacle from their path! Build the road and make it ready!


text:
 "I am the high and holy God, who lives forever. I live in a high and holy place, but I also live with people who are humble and repentant, so that I can restore their confidence and hope.


text:
 I was angry with them because of their sin and greed, and so I punished them and abandoned them. But they were stubborn and kept on going their own way.


text:
 "I have seen how they acted, but I will heal them. I will lead them and help them, and I will comfort those who mourn.


text:
 But evil people are like the restless sea, whose waves never stop rolling in, bringing filth and muck.


text:
 They worship me every day, claiming that they are eager to know my ways and obey my laws. They say they want me to give them just laws and that they take pleasure in worshiping me."


text:
 The people ask, "Why should we fast if the LORD never notices? Why should we go without food if he pays no attention?" The LORD says to them, "The truth is that at the same time you fast, you pursue your own interests and oppress your workers.


text:
 Your fasting makes you violent, and you quarrel and fight. Do you think this kind of fasting will make me listen to your prayers?


text:
 When you fast, you make yourselves suffer; you bow your heads low like a blade of grass and spread out sackcloth and ashes to lie on. Is that what you call fasting? Do you think I will be pleased with that?


text:
 "The kind of fasting I want is this: Remove the chains of oppression and the yoke of injustice, and let the oppressed go free.


text:
 Share your food with the hungry and open your homes to the homeless poor. Give clothes to those who have nothing to wear, and do not refuse to help your own relatives.


text:
 "Then my favor will shine on you like the morning sun, and your wounds will be quickly healed. I will always be with you to save you; my presence will protect you on every side.


text:
 When you pray, I will answer you. When you call to me, I will respond. "If you put an end to oppression, to every gesture of contempt, and to every evil word;


text:
 if you give food to the hungry and satisfy those who are in need, then the darkness around you will turn to the brightness of noon.


text:
 And I will always guide you and satisfy you with good things. I will keep you strong and well. You will be like a garden that has plenty of water, like a spring of water that never goes dry.


text:
 Your people will rebuild what has long been in ruins, building again on the old foundations. You will be known as the people who rebuilt the walls, who restored the ruined houses."


text:
 The LORD says, "If you treat the Sabbath as sacred and do not pursue your own interests on that day; if you value my holy day and honor it by not traveling, working, or talking idly on that day,


text:
 then you will find the joy that comes from serving me. I will make you honored all over the world, and you will enjoy the land I gave to your ancestor, Jacob. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 It is because of your sins that he doesn't hear you. It is your sins that separate you from God when you try to worship him.


text:
 You go to court, but you do not have justice on your side. You depend on lies to win your case. You carry out your plans to hurt others.


text:
 The evil plots you make are as deadly as the eggs of a poisonous snake. Crush an egg, out comes a snake! But your plots will do you no good---they are as useless as clothing made of cobwebs!


text:
 You are always planning something evil, and you can hardly wait to do it. You never hesitate to murder innocent people. You leave ruin and destruction wherever you go,


text:
 and no one is safe when you are around. Everything you do is unjust. You follow a crooked path, and no one who walks that path will ever be safe.


text:
 The people say, "Now we know why God does not save us from those who oppress us. We hope for light to walk by, but there is only darkness,


text:
 and we grope about like blind people. We stumble at noon, as if it were night, as if we were in the dark world of the dead.


text:
 We are frightened and distressed. We long for God to save us from oppression and wrong, but nothing happens.


text:
 We have rebelled against you, rejected you, and refused to follow you. We have oppressed others and turned away from you. Our thoughts are false; our words are lies.


text:
 Justice is driven away, and right cannot come near. Truth stumbles in the public square, and honesty finds no place there.


text:
 There is so little honesty that those who stop doing evil find themselves the victims of crime." The LORD has seen this, and he is displeased that there is no justice.


text:
 He is astonished to see that there is no one to help the oppressed. So he will use his own power to rescue them and to win the victory.


text:
 He will wear justice like a coat of armor and saving power like a helmet. He will clothe himself with the strong desire to set things right and to punish and avenge the wrongs that people suffer.


text:
 From east to west everyone will fear him and his great power. He will come like a rushing river, like a strong wind.


text:
 The LORD says to his people, "I will come to Jerusalem to defend you and to save all of you that turn from your sins.


text:
 And I make a covenant with you: I have given you my power and my teachings to be yours forever, and from now on you are to obey me and teach your children and your descendants to obey me for all time to come."


text:
 Other nations will be covered by darkness, But on you the light of the LORD will shine; The brightness of his presence will be with you.


text:
 Look around you and see what is happening: Your people are gathering to come home! Your sons will come from far away; Your daughters will be carried like children.


text:
 You will see this and be filled with joy; You will tremble with excitement. The wealth of the nations will be brought to you; From across the sea their riches will come.


text:
 Great caravans of camels will come, from Midian and Ephah. They will come from Sheba, bringing gold and incense. People will tell the good news of what the LORD has done!


text:
 All the sheep of Kedar and Nebaioth Will be brought to you as sacrifices And offered on the altar to please the LORD. The LORD will make his Temple more glorious than ever.


text:
 They are ships coming from distant lands, Bringing God's people home. They bring with them silver and gold To honor the name of the LORD, The holy God of Israel, Who has made all nations honor his people.


text:
 The LORD says to Jerusalem, "Foreigners will rebuild your walls, And their kings will serve you. In my anger I punished you, But now I will show you my favor and mercy.


text:
 Day and night your gates will be open, So that the kings of the nations May bring you their wealth.


text:
 "The wood of the pine, the juniper, and the cypress, The finest wood from the forests of Lebanon, Will be brought to rebuild you, Jerusalem, To make my Temple beautiful, To make my city glorious.


text:
 The descendants of those who oppressed you will come And bow low to show their respect. All who once despised you will worship at your feet. They will call you 'The City of the LORD,' 'Zion, the City of Israel's Holy God.'


text:
 "You will no longer be forsaken and hated, A city deserted and desolate. I will make you great and beautiful, A place of joy forever and ever.


text:
 Nations and kings will care for you As a mother nurses her child. You will know that I, the LORD, have saved you, That the mighty God of Israel sets you free.


text:
 "I will bring you gold instead of bronze, Silver and bronze instead of iron and wood, And iron instead of stone. Your rulers will no longer oppress you; I will make them rule with justice and peace.


text:
 The sounds of violence will be heard no more; Destruction will not shatter your country again. I will protect and defend you like a wall; You will praise me because I have saved you.


text:
 "No longer will the sun be your light by day Or the moon be your light by night; I, the LORD, will be your eternal light; The light of my glory will shine on you.


text:
 Your days of grief will come to an end. I, the LORD, will be your eternal light, More lasting than the sun and moon.


text:
 Your people will all do what is right, And will possess the land forever. I planted them, I made them, To reveal my greatness to all.


text:
 Even your smallest and humblest family Will become as great as a powerful nation. When the right time comes, I will make this happen quickly. I am the LORD!"


text:
 The Sovereign LORD has filled me with his Spirit. He has chosen me and sent me To bring good news to the poor, To heal the broken-hearted, To announce release to captives And freedom to those in prison.


text:
 He has sent me to proclaim That the time has come When the LORD will save his people And defeat their enemies. He has sent me to comfort all who mourn,


text:
 To give to those who mourn in Zion Joy and gladness instead of grief, A song of praise instead of sorrow. They will be like trees That the LORD himself has planted. They will all do what is right, And God will be praised for what he has done.


text:
 My people, foreigners will serve you. They will take care of your flocks And farm your land and tend your vineyards.


text:
 And you will be known as the priests of the LORD, The servants of our God. You will enjoy the wealth of the nations And be proud that it is yours.


text:
 Your shame and disgrace are ended. You will live in your own land, And your wealth will be doubled; Your joy will last forever.


text:
 The LORD says, "I love justice and I hate oppression and crime. I will faithfully reward my people And make an eternal covenant with them.


text:
 They will be famous among the nations; Everyone who sees them will know That they are a people whom I have blessed."


text:
 Jerusalem rejoices because of what the LORD has done. She is like a bride dressed for her wedding. God has clothed her with salvation and victory.


text:
 As surely as seeds sprout and grow, The Sovereign LORD will save his people, And all the nations will praise him.


text:
 I will speak out to encourage Jerusalem; I will not be silent until she is saved, And her victory shines like a torch in the night.


text:
 Jerusalem, the nations will see you victorious! All their kings will see your glory. You will be called by a new name, A name given by the LORD himself.


text:
 No longer will you be called "Forsaken," Or your land be called "The Deserted Wife." Your new name will be "God Is Pleased with Her." Your land will be called "Happily Married," Because the LORD is pleased with you And will be like a husband to your land.


text:
 Like a young man taking a virgin as his bride, He who formed you will marry you. As a groom is delighted with his bride, So your God will delight in you.


text:
 On your walls, Jerusalem, I have placed sentries; They must never be silent day or night. They must remind the LORD of his promises And never let him forget them.


text:
 They must give him no rest until he restores Jerusalem And makes it a city the whole world praises.


text:
 The LORD has made a solemn promise, And by his power he will carry it out: "Your grain will no longer be food for your enemies, And foreigners will no longer drink your wine.


text:
 But you that planted and harvested the grain Will eat the bread and praise the LORD. You that tended and gathered the grapes Will drink the wine in the courts of my Temple."


text:
 People of Jerusalem, go out of the city And build a road for your returning people! Prepare a highway; clear it of stones! Put up a signal so that the nations can know


text:
 That the LORD is announcing to all the earth: "Tell the people of Jerusalem That the LORD is coming to save you, Bringing with him the people he has rescued."


text:
 You will be called "God's Holy People," "The People the LORD Has Saved." Jerusalem will be called "The City That God Loves," "The City That God Did Not Forsake."


text:
 "Who is this coming from the city of Bozrah in Edom? Who is this so splendidly dressed in red, marching along in power and strength?" It is the LORD, powerful to save, coming to announce his victory.


text:
 The LORD answers, "I have trampled the nations like grapes, and no one came to help me. I trampled them in my anger, and their blood has stained all my clothing.


text:
 I was amazed when I looked and saw that there was no one to help me. But my anger made me strong, and I won the victory myself.


text:
 In my anger I trampled whole nations and shattered them. I poured out their lifeblood on the ground."


text:
 I will tell of the LORD's unfailing love; I praise him for all he has done for us. He has richly blessed the people of Israel because of his mercy and constant love.


text:
 from all their suffering. It was not an angel, but the LORD himself who saved them. In his love and compassion he rescued them. He had always taken care of them in the past,


text:
 but they rebelled against him and made his holy spirit sad. So the LORD became their enemy and fought against them.


text:
 But then they remembered the past, the days of Moses, the servant of the LORD, and they asked, "Where now is the LORD, who saved the leaders of his people from the sea? Where is the LORD, who gave his spirit to Moses?


text:
 Where is the LORD, who by his power did great things through Moses, dividing the waters of the sea and leading his people through the deep water, to win everlasting fame for himself ?" Led by the LORD, they were as sure-footed as wild horses, and never stumbled.


text:
 As cattle are led into a fertile valley, so the LORD gave his people rest. He led his people and brought honor to his name.


text:
 LORD, look upon us from heaven, where you live in your holiness and glory. Where is your great concern for us? Where is your power? Where are your love and compassion? Do not ignore us.


text:
 You are our father. Our ancestors Abraham and Jacob do not acknowledge us, but you, LORD, are our father, the one who has always rescued us.


text:
 Why do you let us stray from your ways? Why do you make us so stubborn that we turn away from you? Come back, for the sake of those who serve you, for the sake of the people who have always been yours.


text:
 We, your holy people, were driven out by our enemies for a little while; they trampled down your sanctuary.


text:
 They would tremble like water boiling over a hot fire. Come and reveal your power to your enemies, and make the nations tremble at your presence!


text:
 There was a time when you came and did terrifying things that we did not expect; the mountains saw you and shook with fear.


text:
 No one has ever seen or heard of a God like you, who does such deeds for those who put their hope in him.


text:
 You welcome those who find joy in doing what is right, those who remember how you want them to live. You were angry with us, but we went on sinning; in spite of your great anger we have continued to do wrong since ancient times.


text:
 All of us have been sinful; even our best actions are filthy through and through. Because of our sins we are like leaves that wither and are blown away by the wind.


text:
 No one turns to you in prayer; no one goes to you for help. You have hidden yourself from us and have abandoned us because of our sins.


text:
 so do not be too angry with us or hold our sins against us forever. We are your people; be merciful to us.


text:
 and our Temple, the sacred and beautiful place where our ancestors praised you, has been destroyed by fire. All the places we loved are in ruins.


text:
 LORD, are you unmoved by all this? Are you going to do nothing and make us suffer more than we can endure?


text:
 The LORD said, "I was ready to answer my people's prayers, but they did not pray. I was ready for them to find me, but they did not even try. The nation did not pray to me, even though I was always ready to answer, 'Here I am; I will help you.'


text:
 I have always been ready to welcome my people, who stubbornly do what is wrong and go their own way.


text:
 They shamelessly keep on making me angry. They offer pagan sacrifices at sacred gardens and burn incense on pagan altars.


text:
 At night they go to caves and tombs to consult the spirits of the dead. They eat pork and drink broth made from meat offered in pagan sacrifices.


text:
 And then they say to others, 'Keep away from us; we are too holy for you to touch!' I cannot stand people like that---my anger against them is like a fire that never goes out.


text:
 "I have already decided on their punishment, and their sentence is written down. I will not overlook what they have done, but will repay them


text:
 for their sins and the sins of their ancestors. They have burned incense at pagan hill shrines and spoken evil of me. So I will punish them as their past deeds deserve."


text:
 The LORD says, "No one destroys good grapes; instead, they make wine with them. Neither will I destroy all my people---I will save those who serve me.


text:
 I will bless the Israelites who belong to the tribe of Judah, and their descendants will possess my land of mountains. My chosen people, who serve me, will live there.


text:
 They will worship me and will lead their sheep and cattle to pasture in the Plain of Sharon in the west and in Trouble Valley in the east.


text:
 "But it will be different for you that forsake me, who ignore Zion, my sacred hill, and worship Gad and Meni, the gods of luck and fate.


text:
 It will be your fate to die a violent death, because you did not answer when I called you or listen when I spoke. You chose to disobey me and do evil.


text:
 And so I tell you that those who worship and obey me will have plenty to eat and drink, but you will be hungry and thirsty. They will be happy, but you will be disgraced.


text:
 My chosen people will use your name as a curse. I, the Sovereign LORD, will put you to death. But I will give a new name to those who obey me.


text:
 Anyone in the land who asks for a blessing will ask to be blessed by the faithful God. Whoever takes an oath will swear by the name of the faithful God. The troubles of the past will be gone and forgotten."


text:
 The LORD says, "I am making a new earth and new heavens. The events of the past will be completely forgotten.


text:
 Be glad and rejoice forever in what I create. The new Jerusalem I make will be full of joy, and her people will be happy.


text:
 I myself will be filled with joy because of Jerusalem and her people. There will be no weeping there, no calling for help.


text:
 Babies will no longer die in infancy, and all people will live out their life span. Those who live to be a hundred will be considered young. To die before that would be a sign that I had punished them.


text:
 People will build houses and get to live in them---they will not be used by someone else. They will plant vineyards and enjoy the wine---it will not be drunk by others. Like trees, my people will live long lives. They will fully enjoy the things that they have worked for.


text:
 The work they do will be successful, and their children will not meet with disaster. I will bless them and their descendants for all time to come.


text:
 Wolves and lambs will eat together; lions will eat straw, as cattle do, and snakes will no longer be dangerous. On Zion, my sacred hill, there will be nothing harmful or evil."


text:
 The LORD says, "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house, then, could you build for me, what kind of place for me to live in?


text:
 I myself created the whole universe! I am pleased with those who are humble and repentant, who fear me and obey me.


text:
 "The people do as they please. It's all the same to them whether they kill a bull as a sacrifice or sacrifice a human being; whether they sacrifice a lamb or break a dog's neck; whether they present a grain offering or offer pigs' blood; whether they offer incense or pray to an idol. They take pleasure in disgusting ways of worship.


text:
 So I will bring disaster upon them---the very things they are afraid of---because no one answered when I called or listened when I spoke. They chose to disobey me and do evil."


text:
 Listen to what the LORD says, you that fear him and obey him: "Because you are faithful to me, some of your own people hate you and will have nothing to do with you. They mock you and say, 'Let the LORD show his greatness and save you, so that we may see you rejoice.' But they themselves will be disgraced!


text:
 Listen! That loud noise in the city, that sound in the Temple, is the sound of the LORD punishing his enemies!


text:
 Has anyone ever seen or heard of such a thing? Has a nation ever been born in a day? Zion will not have to suffer long, before the nation is born.


text:
 Do not think that I will bring my people to the point of birth and not let them be born." The LORD has spoken.


text:
 Rejoice with Jerusalem; be glad for her, all you that love this city! Rejoice with her now, all you that have mourned for her!


text:
 The LORD says, "I will bring you lasting prosperity; the wealth of the nations will flow to you like a river that never goes dry. You will be like a child that is nursed by its mother, carried in her arms, and treated with love.


text:
 When you see this happen, you will be glad; it will make you strong and healthy. Then you will know that I, the LORD, help those who obey me, and I show my anger against my enemies."


text:
 The LORD will come with fire. He will ride on the wings of a storm to punish those he is angry with.


text:
 By fire and sword he will punish all the people of the world whom he finds guilty---and many will be put to death.


text:
 The LORD says, "The end is near for those who purify themselves for pagan worship, who go in procession to sacred gardens, and who eat pork and mice and other disgusting foods.


text:
 I know their thoughts and their deeds. I am coming to gather the people of all the nations. When they come together, they will see what my power can do


text:
 and will know that I am the one who punishes them. "But I will spare some of them and send them to the nations and the distant lands that have not heard of my fame or seen my greatness and power: to Spain, Libya, and Lydia, with its skilled archers, and to Tubal and Greece. Among these nations they will proclaim my greatness.


text:
 They will bring back all your people from the nations as a gift to me. They will bring them to my sacred hill in Jerusalem on horses, mules, and camels, and in chariots and wagons, just as Israelites bring grain offerings to the Temple in ritually clean containers.


text:
 "Just as the new earth and the new heavens will endure by my power, so your descendants and your name will endure.


text:
 On every New Moon Festival and every Sabbath people of every nation will come to worship me here in Jerusalem," says the LORD.


text:
 "As they leave, they will see the dead bodies of those who have rebelled against me. The worms that eat them will never die, and the fire that burns them will never be put out. The sight of them will be disgusting to all people."


text:
 This book is the account of what was said by Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests of the town of Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin.


text:
 and he spoke to him again when Josiah's son Jehoiakim was king. After that, the LORD spoke to him many times, until the eleventh year of the reign of Zedekiah son of Josiah. In the fifth month of that year the people of Jerusalem were taken into exile.


text:
 "I chose you before I gave you life, and before you were born I selected you to be a prophet to the nations."


text:
 But the LORD said to me, "Do not say that you are too young, but go to the people I send you to, and tell them everything I command you to say.


text:
 Then the LORD reached out, touched my lips, and said to me, "Listen, I am giving you the words you must speak.


text:
 Today I give you authority over nations and kingdoms to uproot and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant."


text:
 Then the LORD spoke to me again. "What else do you see?" he asked. I answered, "I see a pot boiling in the north, and it is about to tip over this way."


text:
 because I am calling all the nations in the north to come. Their kings will set up their thrones at the gates of Jerusalem and around its walls and also around the other cities of Judah.


text:
 I will punish my people because they have sinned; they have abandoned me, have offered sacrifices to other gods, and have made idols and worshiped them.


text:
 Get ready, Jeremiah; go and tell them everything I command you to say. Do not be afraid of them now, or I will make you even more afraid when you are with them.


text:
 Listen, Jeremiah! Everyone in this land---the kings of Judah, the officials, the priests, and the people---will be against you. But today I am giving you the strength to resist them; you will be like a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall. They will not defeat you, for I will be with you to protect you. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 to proclaim this message to everyone in Jerusalem. "I remember how faithful you were when you were young, how you loved me when we were first married; you followed me through the desert, through a land that had not been planted.


text:
 Israel, you belonged to me alone; you were my sacred possession. I sent suffering and disaster on everyone who hurt you. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 The LORD says: "What accusation did your ancestors bring against me? What made them turn away from me? They worshiped worthless idols and became worthless themselves.


text:
 They did not care about me, even though I rescued them from Egypt and led them through the wilderness: a land of deserts and sand pits, a dry and dangerous land where no one lives and no one will even travel.


text:
 I brought them into a fertile land, to enjoy its harvests and its other good things. But instead they ruined my land; they defiled the country I had given them.


text:
 The priests did not ask, 'Where is the LORD?' My own priests did not know me. The rulers rebelled against me; the prophets spoke in the name of Baal and worshiped useless idols.


text:
 "And so I, the LORD, will state my case against my people again. I will bring charges against their descendants.


text:
 Go west to the island of Cyprus, and send someone eastward to the land of Kedar. You will see that nothing like this has ever happened before.


text:
 No other nation has ever changed its gods, even though they were not real. But my people have exchanged me, the God who has brought them honor, for gods that can do nothing for them.


text:
 for my people have committed two sins: they have turned away from me, the spring of fresh water, and they have dug cisterns, cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all.


text:
 They have roared at him like lions; they have made his land a desert, and his towns lie in ruins, completely abandoned.


text:
 Israel, you brought this on yourself ! You deserted me, the LORD your God, while I was leading you along the way.


text:
 What do you think you will gain by going to Egypt to drink water from the Nile? What do you think you will gain by going to Assyria to drink water from the Euphrates?


text:
 Your own evil will punish you, and your turning from me will condemn you. You will learn how bitter and wrong it is to abandon me, the LORD your God, and no longer to remain faithful to me. I, the Sovereign LORD Almighty, have spoken."


text:
 The Sovereign LORD says, "Israel, long ago you rejected my authority; you refused to obey me and worship me. On every high hill and under every green tree you worshiped fertility gods.


text:
 I planted you like a choice vine from the very best seed. But look what you have become! You are like a rotten, worthless vine.


text:
 How can you say you have not defiled yourself, that you have never worshiped Baal? Look how you sinned in the valley; see what you have done. You are like a wild camel in heat, running around loose,


text:
 rushing into the desert. When she is in heat, who can control her? No male that wants her has to trouble himself; she is always available in mating season.


text:
 Israel, don't wear your feet out, or let your throat become dry from chasing after other gods. But you say, 'No! I can't turn back. I have loved foreign gods and will go after them.' "


text:
 The LORD says, "Just as a thief is disgraced when caught, so all you people of Israel will be disgraced---your kings and officials, your priests and prophets.


text:
 You will all be disgraced---you that say that a tree is your father and that a rock is your mother. This will happen because you turned away from me instead of turning to me. But when you are in trouble, you ask me to come and save you.


text:
 "Where are the gods that you made for yourselves? When you are in trouble, let them save you---if they can! Judah, you have as many gods as you have cities.


text:
 I punished you, but it did no good; you would not let me correct you. Like a raging lion, you have murdered your prophets.


text:
 People of Israel, listen to what I am saying. Have I been like a desert to you, like a dark and dangerous land? Why, then, do you say that you will do as you please, that you will never come back to me?


text:
 Does a young woman forget her jewelry, or a bride her wedding dress? But my people have forgotten me for more days than can be counted.


text:
 Your clothes are stained with the blood of the poor and innocent, not with the blood of burglars. "But in spite of all this,


text:
 you say, 'I am innocent; surely the LORD is no longer angry with me.' But I, the LORD, will punish you because you deny that you have sinned.


text:
 You have cheapened yourself by turning to the gods of other nations. You will be disappointed by Egypt, just as you were by Assyria.


text:
 You will turn away from Egypt, hanging your head in shame. I, the LORD, have rejected those you trust; you will not gain anything from them."


text:
 The LORD says, "If a man divorces his wife, and she leaves him and becomes another man's wife, he cannot take her back again. This would completely defile the land. But, Israel, you have had many lovers, and now you want to return to me!


text:
 Look up at the hilltops. Is there any place where you have not acted like a prostitute? You waited for lovers along the roadside, as an Arab waits for victims in the desert. You have defiled the land with your prostitution.


text:
 That is why the rains were held back, and the spring showers did not come. You even look like a prostitute; you have no shame.


text:
 You won't always be angry; you won't be mad at me forever.' Israel, that is what you said, but you did all the evil you could."


text:
 When Josiah was king, the LORD said to me, "Have you seen what Israel, that unfaithful woman, has done? She has turned away from me, and on every high hill and under every green tree she has acted like a prostitute.


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


text:
 Judah also saw that I divorced Israel and sent her away because she had turned from me and had become a prostitute. But Judah, Israel's unfaithful sister, was not afraid. She too became a prostitute


text:
 and was not at all ashamed. She defiled the land, and she committed adultery by worshiping stones and trees.


text:
 And after all this, Judah, Israel's unfaithful sister, only pretended to return to me; she was not sincere. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 Then the LORD told me that, even though Israel had turned away from him, she had proved to be better than unfaithful Judah.


text:
 He told me to go and say to Israel, "Unfaithful Israel, come back to me. I am merciful and will not be angry; I will not be angry with you forever.


text:
 Only admit that you are guilty and that you have rebelled against the LORD, your God. Confess that under every green tree you have given your love to foreign gods and that you have not obeyed my commands. I, the LORD, have spoken.


text:
 "Unfaithful people, come back; you belong to me. I will take one of you from each town and two from each clan, and I will bring you back to Mount Zion.


text:
 Then when you have become numerous in that land, people will no longer talk about my Covenant Box. They will no longer think about it or remember it; they will not even need it, nor will they make another one.


text:
 When that time comes, Jerusalem will be called 'The Throne of the LORD,' and all nations will gather there to worship me. They will no longer do what their stubborn and evil hearts tell them.


text:
 Israel will join with Judah, and together they will come from exile in the country in the north and will return to the land that I gave your ancestors as a permanent possession."


text:
 The LORD says, "Israel, I wanted to accept you as my child and give you a delightful land, the most beautiful land in all the world. I wanted you to call me father and never again turn away from me.


text:
 A noise is heard on the hilltops: it is the people of Israel crying and pleading because they have lived sinful lives and have forgotten the LORD their God.


text:
 Return, all of you who have turned away from the LORD; he will heal you and make you faithful. You say, "Yes, we are coming to the LORD because he is our God.


text:
 We were not helped at all by our pagan worship on the hilltops. Help for Israel comes only from the LORD our God.


text:
 But the worship of Baal, the god of shame, has made us lose flocks and herds, sons and daughters---everything that our ancestors have worked for since ancient times.


text:
 We should lie down in shame and let our disgrace cover us. We and our ancestors have always sinned against the LORD our God; we have never obeyed his commands."


text:
 The LORD says, "People of Israel, if you want to turn, then turn back to me. If you are faithful to me and remove the idols I hate,


text:
 it will be right for you to swear by my name. Then all the nations will ask me to bless them, and they will praise me."


text:
 The LORD says to the people of Judah and Jerusalem, "Plow up your unplowed fields; do not plant your seeds among thorns.


text:
 Keep your covenant with me, your LORD, and dedicate yourselves to me, you people of Judah and Jerusalem. If you don't, my anger will burn like fire because of the evil things you have done. It will burn, and there will be no one to put it out."


text:
 Blow the trumpet throughout the land! Shout loud and clear! Tell the people of Judah and Jerusalem to run to the fortified cities.


text:
 Point the way to Zion! Run for safety! Don't delay! The LORD is bringing disaster and great destruction from the north.


text:
 Like a lion coming from its hiding place, a destroyer of nations has set out. He is coming to destroy Judah. The cities of Judah will be left in ruins, and no one will live in them.


text:
 So put on sackcloth, and weep and wail because the fierce anger of the LORD has not turned away from Judah.


text:
 The LORD said, "On that day kings and officials will lose their courage; priests will be shocked and prophets will be astonished."


text:
 Then I said, "Sovereign LORD, you have completely deceived the people of Jerusalem! You have said there would be peace, but a sword is at their throats."


text:
 The time is coming when the people of Jerusalem will be told that a scorching wind is blowing in from the desert toward them. It will not be a gentle wind that only blows away the chaff---


text:
 the wind that comes at the LORD's command will be much stronger than that! It is the LORD himself who is pronouncing judgment on his people.


text:
 Look, the enemy is coming like clouds. Their war chariots are like a whirlwind, and their horses are faster than eagles. We are lost! We are doomed!


text:
 Jerusalem, wash the evil from your heart, so that you may be saved. How long will you go on thinking sinful thoughts?


text:
 They have come to warn the nations and to tell Jerusalem that enemies are coming from a country far away. These enemies will shout against the cities of Judah


text:
 and will surround Jerusalem like men guarding a field, because her people have rebelled against the LORD. The LORD has spoken.


text:
 Judah, you have brought this on yourself by the way you have lived and by the things you have done. Your sin has caused this suffering; it has stabbed you through the heart.


text:
 The pain! I can't bear the pain! My heart! My heart is beating wildly! I can't keep quiet; I hear the trumpets and the shouts of battle.


text:
 One disaster follows another; the whole country is left in ruins. Suddenly our tents are destroyed; their curtains are torn to pieces.


text:
 The LORD says, "My people are stupid; they don't know me. They are like foolish children; they have no understanding. They are experts at doing what is evil, but failures at doing what is good."


text:
 (The LORD has said that the whole earth will become a wasteland, but that he will not completely destroy it.)


text:
 The earth will mourn; the sky will grow dark. The LORD has spoken and will not change his mind. He has made his decision and will not turn back.


text:
 At the noise of the cavalry and archers everyone will run away. Some will run to the forest; others will climb up among the rocks. Every town will be left empty, and no one will live in them again.


text:
 Jerusalem, you are doomed! Why do you dress in scarlet? Why do you put on jewelry and paint your eyes? You are making yourself beautiful for nothing! Your lovers have rejected you and want to kill you.


text:
 I heard a cry, like a woman in labor, a scream like a woman bearing her first child. It was the cry of Jerusalem gasping for breath, stretching out her hand and saying, "I am doomed! They are coming to kill me!"


text:
 People of Jerusalem, run through your streets! Look around! See for yourselves! Search the marketplaces! Can you find one person who does what is right and tries to be faithful to God? If you can, the LORD will forgive Jerusalem.


text:
 Surely the LORD looks for faithfulness. He struck you, but you paid no attention; he crushed you, but you refused to learn. You were stubborn and would not turn from your sins.


text:
 Then I thought, "These are only the poor and ignorant. They behave foolishly; they don't know what their God requires, what the LORD wants them to do.


text:
 I will go to the people in power and talk with them. Surely they know what their God requires, what the LORD wants them to do." But all of them have rejected the LORD's authority and refuse to obey him.


text:
 That is why lions from the forest will kill them; wolves from the desert will tear them to pieces, and leopards will prowl through their towns. If those people go out, they will be torn apart because their sins are numerous and time after time they have turned from God.


text:
 The LORD asked, "Why should I forgive the sins of my people? They have abandoned me and have worshiped gods that are not real. I fed my people until they were full, but they committed adultery and spent their time with prostitutes.


text:
 I will send enemies to cut down my people's vineyards, but not to destroy them completely. I will tell them to strip away the branches, because those branches are not mine.


text:
 The LORD's people have denied him and have said, "He won't really do anything. We won't have hard times; we won't have war or famine."


text:
 They have said that the prophets are nothing but windbags and that they have no message from the LORD. The LORD God Almighty said to me, "Jeremiah, because these people have said such things, I will make my words like a fire in your mouth. The people will be like wood, and the fire will burn them up."


text:
 People of Israel, the LORD is bringing a nation from far away to attack you. It is a strong and ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know.


text:
 They will devour your crops and your food; they will kill your sons and your daughters. They will slaughter your flocks and your herds and destroy your vines and fig trees. The fortified cities in which you trust will be destroyed by their army.


text:
 When they ask why I did all these things, tell them, Jeremiah, that just as they turned away from me and served foreign gods in their own land, so they will serve strangers in a land that is not theirs."


text:
 Pay attention, you foolish and stupid people, who have eyes, but cannot see, and have ears, but cannot hear.


text:
 I am the LORD; why don't you fear me? Why don't you tremble before me? I placed the sand as the boundary of the sea, a permanent boundary that it cannot cross. The sea may toss, but it cannot go beyond it; the waves may roar, but they cannot break through.


text:
 You never thought to honor me, even though I send the autumn rains and the spring rains and give you the harvest season each year.


text:
 "Evildoers live among my people; they lie in wait like those who lay nets to catch birds, but they have set their traps to catch people.


text:
 Just as a hunter fills a cage with birds, they have filled their houses with loot. That is why they are powerful and rich,


text:
 why they are fat and well fed. There is no limit to their evil deeds. They do not give orphans their rights or show justice to the oppressed.


text:
 prophets speak nothing but lies; priests rule as the prophets command, and my people offer no objections. But what will they do when it all comes to an end?"


text:
 People of Benjamin, run for safety! Escape from Jerusalem! Sound the trumpet in Tekoa and build a signal fire in Beth Haccherem. Disaster and destruction are about to come from the north.


text:
 kings will camp there with their armies. They will pitch their tents around the city, and each of them will camp wherever they want.


text:
 They will say, "Prepare to attack Jerusalem! Get ready! We'll attack at noon!" But then they will say, "It's too late, the day is almost over, and the evening shadows are growing long.


text:
 The LORD Almighty has ordered these kings to cut down trees and build mounds in order to besiege Jerusalem. He has said, "I will punish this city because it is full of oppression.


text:
 As a well keeps its water fresh, so Jerusalem keeps its evil fresh. I hear violence and destruction in the city; sickness and wounds are all I see.


text:
 People of Jerusalem, let these troubles be a warning to you, or else I will abandon you; I will turn your city into a desert, a place where no one lives."


text:
 The LORD Almighty said to me, "Israel will be stripped clean like a vineyard from which every grape has been picked. So you must rescue everyone you can while there is still time."


text:
 I answered, "Who would listen to me if I spoke to them and warned them? They are stubborn and refuse to listen to your message; they laugh at what you tell me to say.


text:
 Your anger against them burns in me too, LORD, and I can't hold it in any longer." Then the LORD said to me, "Pour out my anger on the children in the streets and on the gatherings of the young people. Husbands and wives will be taken away, and even the very old will not be spared.


text:
 Their houses will be given to others, and so will their fields and their wives. I am going to punish the people of this land.


text:
 Everyone, great and small, tries to make money dishonestly; even prophets and priests cheat the people.


text:
 They act as if my people's wounds were only scratches. 'All is well,' they say, when all is not well.


text:
 Were they ashamed because they did these disgusting things? No, they were not at all ashamed; they don't even know how to blush. And so they will fall as others have fallen; when I punish them, that will be the end of them. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 The LORD said to his people, "Stand at the crossroads and look. Ask for the ancient paths and where the best road is. Walk in it, and you will live in peace." But they said, "No, we will not!"


text:
 Then the LORD appointed sentries to listen for the trumpet's warning. But they said, "We will not listen."


text:
 Listen, earth! As punishment for all their schemes I am bringing ruin on these people, because they have rejected my teaching and have not obeyed my words.


text:
 What do I care about the incense they bring me from Sheba, or the spices from a distant land? I will not accept their offerings or be pleased with their sacrifices.


text:
 And so I will make these people stumble and fall. Parents and children will die, and so will friends and neighbors."


text:
 The LORD says, "People are coming from a country in the north; a mighty nation far away is preparing for war.


text:
 They have taken up their bows and swords; they are cruel and merciless. They sound like the roaring sea, as they ride their horses. They are ready for battle against Jerusalem."


text:
 "We have heard the news," say the people of Jerusalem, "and our hands hang limp; we are seized by anguish and pain like a woman in labor.


text:
 We don't dare go to the countryside or walk on the roads, because our enemies are armed and terror is all around us."


text:
 The LORD says to his people, "Put on sackcloth and roll in ashes. Mourn with bitter tears as you would for an only child, because the one who comes to destroy you will suddenly attack.


text:
 They are all stubborn rebels, hard as bronze and iron. They are all corrupt, going around and spreading gossip.


text:
 The furnace burns fiercely, but the waste metals do not melt and run off. It is useless to go on refining my people, because those who are evil are not taken away.


text:
 The LORD sent me to the gate of the Temple where the people of Judah went in to worship. He told me to stand there and announce what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, had to say to them: "Change the way you are living and the things you are doing, and I will let you go on living here.


text:
 Stop believing those deceitful words, 'We are safe! This is the LORD's Temple, this is the LORD's Temple, this is the LORD's Temple!'


text:
 "Change the way you are living and stop doing the things you are doing. Be fair in your treatment of one another.


text:
 Stop taking advantage of aliens, orphans, and widows. Stop killing innocent people in this land. Stop worshiping other gods, for that will destroy you.


text:
 If you change, I will let you go on living here in the land which I gave your ancestors as a permanent possession.


text:
 You steal, murder, commit adultery, tell lies under oath, offer sacrifices to Baal, and worship gods that you had not known before.


text:
 You do these things I hate, and then you come and stand in my presence, in my own Temple, and say, 'We are safe!'


text:
 Go to Shiloh, the first place where I chose to be worshiped, and see what I did to it because of the sins of my people Israel.


text:
 You have committed all these sins, and even though I spoke to you over and over again, you refused to listen. You would not answer when I called you.


text:
 And so, what I did to Shiloh I will do to this Temple of mine, in which you trust. Here in this place that I gave to your ancestors and you, I will do the same thing that I did to Shiloh.


text:
 I will drive you out of my sight as I drove out your relatives, the people of Israel. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 The LORD said, "Jeremiah, do not pray for these people. Do not cry or pray on their behalf; do not plead with me, for I will not listen to you.


text:
 The children gather firewood, the men build fires, and the women mix dough to bake cakes for the goddess they call the Queen of Heaven. They also pour out offerings of wine to other gods, in order to hurt me.


text:
 But am I really the one they are hurting? No, they are hurting themselves and bringing shame on themselves.


text:
 And so I, the Sovereign LORD, will pour out my fierce anger on this Temple. I will pour it out on people and animals alike, and even on the trees and the crops. My anger will be like a fire that no one can put out.


text:
 "My people, some sacrifices you burn completely on the altar, and some you are permitted to eat. But what I, the LORD, say is that you might as well eat them all.


text:
 I gave your ancestors no commands about burnt offerings or any other kinds of sacrifices when I brought them out of Egypt.


text:
 But I did command them to obey me, so that I would be their God and they would be my people. And I told them to live the way I had commanded them, so that things would go well for them.


text:
 But they did not obey or pay any attention. Instead, they did whatever their stubborn and evil hearts told them to do, and they became worse instead of better.


text:
 From the day that your ancestors came out of Egypt until this very day I have kept on sending to you my servants, the prophets.


text:
 Yet no one listened or paid any attention. Instead, you became more stubborn and rebellious than your ancestors.


text:
 "So, Jeremiah, you will speak all these words to my people, but they will not listen to you; you will call them, but they will not answer.


text:
 You will tell them that their nation does not obey me, the LORD their God, or learn from their punishment. Faithfulness is dead. No longer is it even talked about.


text:
 "Mourn, people of Jerusalem; cut off your hair and throw it away. Sing a funeral song on the hilltops, because I, the LORD, am angry and have rejected my people.


text:
 "The people of Judah have done an evil thing. They have placed their idols, which I hate, in my Temple and have defiled it.


text:
 In Hinnom Valley they have built an altar called Topheth, so that they can sacrifice their sons and daughters in the fire. I did not command them to do this---it did not even enter my mind.


text:
 And so, the time will come when it will no longer be called Topheth or Hinnom Valley, but Slaughter Valley. They will bury people there because there will be nowhere else to bury them.


text:
 The corpses will be food for the birds and wild animals, and there will be no one to scare them off.


text:
 The land will become a desert. In the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem I will put an end to the sounds of joy and gladness and to the happy sounds of wedding feasts.


text:
 "At that time the bones of the kings and of the officials of Judah, as well as the bones of the priests, of the prophets, and of the other people who lived in Jerusalem, will be taken out of their graves.


text:
 Instead of being gathered and buried, their bones will be like manure lying on the ground. They will be spread out before the sun, the moon, and the stars, which these people have loved and served, and which they have consulted and worshiped.


text:
 And the people of this evil nation who survive, who live in the places where I have scattered them, will prefer to die rather than to go on living. I, the LORD Almighty, have spoken."


text:
 The LORD told me to say to his people, "When someone falls down, doesn't he get back up? If someone misses the road, doesn't he turn back?


text:
 Why then, my people, do you turn away from me without ever turning back? You cling to your idols and refuse to return to me.


text:
 I listened carefully, but you did not speak the truth. Not one of you has been sorry for your wickedness; not one of you has asked, 'What have I done wrong?' Each of you keep on going your own way, like a horse rushing into battle.


text:
 Even storks know when it is time to return; doves, swallows, and thrushes know when it is time to migrate. But, my people, you do not know the laws by which I rule you.


text:
 How can you say that you are wise and that you know my laws? Look, the laws have been changed by dishonest scribes.


text:
 Your wise men are put to shame; they are confused and trapped. They have rejected my words; what wisdom do they have now?


text:
 So I will give their fields to new owners and their wives to other men. Everyone, great and small, tries to make money dishonestly. Even prophets and priests cheat the people.


text:
 My people, were you ashamed because you did these disgusting things? No, you were not ashamed at all; you don't even know how to blush! And so you will fall as others have fallen; when I punish you, that will be the end of you. I, the LORD, have spoken.


text:
 "I wanted to gather my people, as a farmer gathers a harvest; but they are like a vine with no grapes, like a fig tree with no figs; even the leaves have withered. Therefore, I have allowed outsiders to take over the land."


text:
 "Why are we sitting still?" God's people ask. "Come on, we will run to the fortified cities and die there. The LORD our God has condemned us to die; he has given us poison to drink, because we have sinned against him.


text:
 Our enemies are already in the city of Dan; we hear the snorting of their horses. The whole land trembles when their horses neigh. Our enemies have come to destroy our land and everything in it, our city and all its people."


text:
 "Watch out!" the LORD says, "I am sending snakes among you, poisonous snakes that cannot be charmed, and they will bite you."


text:
 Listen! Throughout the land I hear my people crying out, "Is the LORD no longer in Zion? Is Zion's king no longer there?" The LORD, their king, replies, "Why have you made me angry by worshiping your idols and by bowing down to your useless foreign gods?"


text:
 Is there no medicine in Gilead? Are there no doctors there? Why, then, have my people not been healed?


text:
 I wish my head were a well of water, and my eyes a fountain of tears, so that I could cry day and night for my people who have been killed.


text:
 I wish I had a place to stay in the desert where I could get away from my people. They are all unfaithful, a mob of traitors.


text:
 They are always ready to tell lies; dishonesty instead of truth rules the land. The LORD says, "My people do one evil thing after another and do not acknowledge me as their God."


text:
 Everyone must be on guard against their friends, and no one can trust their relatives; for all relatives are as deceitful as Jacob, and everyone slanders their friends.


text:
 They all mislead their friends, and no one tells the truth; they have taught their tongues to lie and will not give up their sinning. They do one violent thing after another, and one deceitful act follows another. The LORD says that his people reject him.


text:
 Because of this the LORD Almighty says, "I will refine my people like metal and put them to the test. My people have done evil--- what else can I do with them?


text:
 Their tongues are like deadly arrows; they always tell lies. Everyone speaks friendly words to their neighbors, but they are really setting a trap for them.


text:
 Will I not punish them for these things? Will I not take revenge on a nation like this? I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 I said, "I will mourn for the mountains and weep for the pastures, because they have dried up, and no one travels through them. The sound of livestock is no longer heard; birds and wild animals have fled and gone."


text:
 The LORD says, "I will make Jerusalem a pile of ruins, a place where jackals live; the cities of Judah will become a desert, a place where no one lives."


text:
 I asked, " LORD, why is the land devastated and dry as a desert, so that no one travels through it? Who is wise enough to understand this? To whom have you explained it so that they can tell others?"


text:
 The LORD answered, "This has happened because my people have abandoned the teaching that I gave them. They have not obeyed me or done what I told them.


text:
 Instead, they have been stubborn and have worshiped the idols of Baal as their ancestors taught them to do.


text:
 So then, listen to what I, the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, will do: I will give my people bitter plants to eat and poison to drink.


text:
 I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their ancestors have heard about, and I will send armies against them until I have completely destroyed them."


text:
 The LORD Almighty said, "Think about what is happening! Call for the mourners to come, for the women who sing funeral songs."


text:
 The people said, "Tell them to hurry and sing a funeral song for us, until our eyes fill with tears, and our eyelids are wet from crying."


text:
 Listen to the sound of crying in Zion: "We are ruined! We are completely disgraced! We must leave our land; our homes have been torn down."


text:
 I said, "Listen to the LORD, you women, and pay attention to his words. Teach your daughters how to mourn, and your friends how to sing a funeral song.


text:
 Death has come in through our windows and entered our palaces; it has cut down the children in the streets and the young men in the marketplaces.


text:
 Dead bodies are scattered everywhere, like piles of manure on the fields, like grain cut and left behind by the reapers, grain that no one gathers. This is what the LORD has told me to say."


text:
 The LORD says, "The wise should not boast of their wisdom, nor the strong of their strength, nor the rich of their wealth.


text:
 If any want to boast, they should boast that they know and understand me, because my love is constant, and I do what is just and right. These are the things that please me. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 The LORD says, "The time is coming when I will punish the people of Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab, and the desert people, who have their hair cut short. All these people are circumcised, but have not kept the covenant it symbolizes. None of these people and none of the people of Israel have kept my covenant."


text:
 He says, "Do not follow the ways of other nations; do not be disturbed by unusual sights in the sky, even though other nations are terrified.


text:
 The religion of these people is worthless. A tree is cut down in the forest; it is carved by the tools of the woodworker


text:
 Such idols are like scarecrows in a field of melons; they cannot speak; they have to be carried because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them: they can cause you no harm, and they can do you no good."


text:
 Who would not honor you, the king of all nations? You deserve to be honored. There is no one like you among all the wise men of the nations or among any of their kings.


text:
 Their idols are covered with silver from Spain and with gold from Uphaz, all the work of artists; they are dressed in violet and purple cloth woven by skilled weavers.


text:
 But you, LORD, are the true God, you are the living God and the eternal king. When you are angry, the world trembles; the nations cannot endure your anger.


text:
 (You people must tell them that the gods who did not make the earth and the sky will be destroyed. They will no longer exist anywhere on earth.)


text:
 The LORD made the earth by his power; by his wisdom he created the world and stretched out the heavens.


text:
 At his command the waters above the sky roar; he brings clouds from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning flash in the rain and sends the wind from his storeroom.


text:
 At the sight of this, people feel stupid and senseless; those who make idols are disillusioned, because the gods they make are false and lifeless.


text:
 They are worthless and should be despised; they will be destroyed when the LORD comes to deal with them.


text:
 The God of Jacob is not like them; he is the one who made everything, and he has chosen Israel to be his very own people. The LORD Almighty is his name.


text:
 The LORD is going to throw you out of this land; he is going to crush you until not one of you is left. The LORD has spoken.


text:
 The people of Jerusalem cried out, "How badly we are hurt! Our wounds will not heal. And we thought this was something we could endure!


text:
 Our tents are ruined; the ropes that held them have broken. Our children have all gone away; there is no one left to put up our tents again; there is no one to hang their curtains."


text:
 I answered, "Our leaders are stupid; they do not ask the LORD for guidance. This is why they have failed, and our people have been scattered.


text:
 Listen! News has come! There is a great commotion in a nation to the north; its army will turn the cities of Judah into a desert, a place where jackals live."


text:
 LORD, I know that none of us are in charge of our own destiny; none of us have control over our own life.


text:
 Correct your people, LORD, but do not be too hard on us or punish us when you are angry; that would be the end of us.


text:
 Turn your anger on the nations that do not worship you and on the people who reject you. They have killed your people; they have destroyed us completely and left our country in ruins.


text:
 that I, the LORD God of Israel, have placed a curse on everyone who does not obey the terms of this covenant.


text:
 It is the covenant I made with their ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt, the land that was like a blazing furnace to them. I told them to obey me and to do everything that I had commanded. I told them that if they obeyed, they would be my people and I would be their God.


text:
 Then I would keep the promise I made to their ancestors that I would give them the rich and fertile land which they now have." I said, "Yes, LORD."


text:
 Then the LORD said to me, "Go to the cities of Judah and to the streets of Jerusalem. Proclaim my message there and tell the people to listen to the terms of the covenant and to obey them.


text:
 When I brought their ancestors out of Egypt, I solemnly warned them to obey me, and I have kept on warning the people until this day.


text:
 But they did not listen or obey. Instead, everyone continued to be as stubborn and evil as ever. I had commanded them to keep the covenant, but they refused. So I brought on them all the punishments described in it."


text:
 They have gone back to the sins of their ancestors, who refused to do what I said; they have worshiped other gods. Both Israel and Judah have broken the covenant that I made with their ancestors.


text:
 So now I, the LORD, warn them that I am going to bring destruction on them, and they will not escape. And when they cry out to me for help, I will not listen to them.


text:
 Then the people of Judah and of Jerusalem will go to the gods to whom they offer sacrifices and will cry out to them for help. But those gods will not be able to save them when this destruction comes.


text:
 The people of Judah have as many gods as they have cities, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem have set up as many altars for sacrifices to that disgusting god Baal as there are streets in the city.


text:
 Jeremiah, don't pray to me or plead with me on behalf of these people. When they are in trouble and call to me for help, I will not listen to them."


text:
 The LORD says, "The people I love are doing evil things. What right do they have to be in my Temple? Do they think they can prevent disaster by making promises and by offering animal sacrifices? Will they then rejoice?


text:
 I once called them a leafy olive tree, full of beautiful fruit; but now, with a roar like thunder I will set its leaves on fire and break its branches.


text:
 "I, the LORD Almighty, planted Israel and Judah; but now I threaten them with disaster. They have brought this on themselves because they have done wrong; they have made me angry by offering sacrifices to Baal."


text:
 I was like a trusting lamb taken out to be killed, and I did not know that it was against me that they were planning evil things. They were saying, "Let's chop down the tree while it is still healthy; let's kill him so that no one will remember him any more."


text:
 Then I prayed, "Almighty LORD, you are a just judge; you test people's thoughts and feelings. I have placed my cause in your hands; so let me watch you take revenge on these people."


text:
 The people of Anathoth wanted me killed, and they told me that they would kill me if I kept on proclaiming the LORD's message.


text:
 So the LORD Almighty said, "I will punish them! Their young men will be killed in war; their children will die of starvation.


text:
 I have set a time for bringing disaster on the people of Anathoth, and when that time comes, none of them will survive."


text:
 " LORD, if I argued my case with you, you would prove to be right. Yet I must question you about matters of justice. Why are the wicked so prosperous? Why do dishonest people succeed?


text:
 You plant them, and they take root; they grow and bear fruit. They always speak well of you, yet they do not really care about you.


text:
 But, LORD, you know me; you see what I do and how I love you. Drag these evil people away like sheep to be butchered; guard them until it is time for them to be slaughtered.


text:
 How long will our land be dry, and the grass in every field be withered? Animals and birds are dying because of the wickedness of our people, people who say, 'God doesn't see what we are doing.' "


text:
 The LORD said, "Jeremiah, if you get tired racing against people, how can you race against horses? If you can't even stand up in open country, how will you manage in the jungle by the Jordan?


text:
 Even your relatives, members of your own family, have betrayed you; they join in the attacks against you. Do not trust them, even though they speak friendly words."


text:
 The LORD says, "I have abandoned Israel; I have rejected my chosen nation. I have given the people I love into the power of their enemies.


text:
 My chosen people have turned against me; like a lion in the forest they have roared at me, and so I hate them.


text:
 My chosen people are like a bird attacked from all sides by hawks. Call the wild animals to come and join in the feast!


text:
 Many foreign rulers have destroyed my vineyard; they have trampled down my fields; they have turned my lovely land into a desert.


text:
 They have made it a wasteland; it lies desolate before me. The whole land has become a desert, and no one cares.


text:
 Across all the desert highlands people have come to plunder. I have sent war to destroy the entire land; no one can live in peace.


text:
 My people planted wheat, but gathered weeds; they have worked hard, but got nothing for it. Because of my fierce anger their crops have failed."


text:
 The LORD says, "I have something to say about Israel's neighbors who have ruined the land I gave to my people Israel. I will take those wicked people away from their countries like an uprooted plant, and I will rescue Judah from them.


text:
 But after I have taken them away, I will have mercy on them; I will bring each nation back to its own land and to its own country.


text:
 If with all their hearts they will accept the religion of my people and will swear, 'As the LORD lives'---as they once taught my people to swear by Baal---then they will also be a part of my people and will prosper.


text:
 But if any nation will not obey, then I will completely uproot it and destroy it. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 The LORD told me to go and buy myself some linen shorts and to put them on; but he told me not to put them in water.


text:
 So I went back, and when I found the place where I had hidden them, I saw that they were ruined and were no longer any good.


text:
 These evil people have refused to obey me. They have been as stubborn and wicked as ever, and have worshiped and served other gods. So then, they will become like these shorts that are no longer any good.


text:
 Just as shorts fit tightly around the waist, so I intended all the people of Israel and Judah to hold tightly to me. I did this so that they would be my people and would bring praise and honor to my name; but they would not obey me."


text:
 The LORD God said to me, "Jeremiah, tell the people of Israel that every wine jar should be filled with wine. They will answer that they know every wine jar should be filled with wine.


text:
 Then tell them that I, the LORD, am going to fill the people in this land with wine until they are drunk: the kings, who are David's descendants, the priests, the prophets, and all the people of Jerusalem.


text:
 Then I will smash them like jars against one another, old and young alike. No pity, compassion, or mercy will stop me from killing them."


text:
 Honor the LORD, your God, before he brings darkness, and you stumble on the mountains; before he turns into deep darkness the light you hoped for.


text:
 If you will not listen, I will cry in secret because of your pride; I will cry bitterly, and my tears will flow because the LORD's people have been taken away as captives.


text:
 The LORD said to me, "Tell the king and his mother to come down from their thrones, because their beautiful crowns have fallen from their heads.


text:
 The towns of southern Judah are under siege; no one can get through to them. All the people of Judah have been taken away into exile."


text:
 Jerusalem, look! Your enemies are coming down from the north! Where are the people entrusted to your care, your people you were so proud of ?


text:
 What will you say when people you thought were your friends conquer you and rule over you? You will be in pain like a woman giving birth.


text:
 If you ask why all this has happened to you---why your clothes have been torn off and you have been raped---it is because your sin is so terrible.


text:
 Can people change the color of their skin, or a leopard remove its spots? If they could, then you that do nothing but evil could learn to do what is right.


text:
 He has said that this will be your fate. This is what he has decided to do with you, because you have forgotten him and have trusted in false gods.


text:
 He has seen you do the things he hates. He has seen you go after pagan gods on the hills and in the fields, like a man lusting after his neighbor's wife or like a stallion after a mare. People of Jerusalem, you are doomed! When will you ever be pure?


text:
 "Judah is in mourning; its cities are dying, its people lie on the ground in sorrow, and Jerusalem cries out for help.


text:
 The rich people send their servants for water; they go to the cisterns, but find no water; they come back with their jars empty. Discouraged and confused, they hide their faces.


text:
 Because there is no rain and the ground is dried up, the farmers are sick at heart; they hide their faces.


text:
 The wild donkeys stand on the hilltops and pant for breath like jackals; their eyesight fails them because they have no food.


text:
 My people cry out to me, 'Even though our sins accuse us, help us, LORD, as you have promised. We have turned away from you many times; we have sinned against you.


text:
 You are Israel's only hope; you are the one who saves us from disaster. Why are you like a stranger in our land, like a traveler who stays for only one night?


text:
 Why are you like someone taken by surprise, like a soldier powerless to help? Surely, LORD, you are with us! We are your people; do not abandon us.' "


text:
 The LORD says about these people, "They love to run away from me, and they will not control themselves. So I am not pleased with them. I will remember the wrongs they have done and punish them because of their sins."


text:
 Even if they fast, I will not listen to their cry for help; and even if they offer me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not be pleased with them. Instead, I will kill them in war and by starvation and disease."


text:
 Then I said, "Sovereign LORD, you know that the prophets are telling the people that there will be no war or starvation, because you have promised, they say, that there will be only peace in our land."


text:
 But the LORD replied, "The prophets are telling lies in my name; I did not send them, nor did I give them any orders or speak one word to them. The visions they talk about have not come from me; their predictions are worthless things that they have imagined.


text:
 I, the LORD, tell you what I am going to do to those prophets whom I did not send but who speak in my name and say war and starvation will not strike this land---I will kill them in war and by starvation.


text:
 The people to whom they have said these things will be killed in the same way. Their bodies will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem, and there will be no one to bury them. This will happen to all of them---including their wives, their sons, and their daughters. I will make them pay for their wickedness."


text:
 The LORD commanded me to tell the people about my sorrow and to say: "May my eyes flow with tears day and night, may I never stop weeping, for my people are deeply wounded and are badly hurt.


text:
 When I go out in the fields, I see the bodies of men killed in war; when I go into the towns, I see people starving to death. Prophets and priests carry on their work, but they don't know what they are doing."


text:
 LORD, have you completely rejected Judah? Do you hate the people of Zion? Why have you hurt us so badly that we cannot be healed? We looked for peace, but nothing good happened; we hoped for healing, but terror came instead.


text:
 Remember your promises and do not despise us; do not bring disgrace on Jerusalem, the place of your glorious throne. Do not break the covenant you made with us.


text:
 None of the idols of the nations can send rain; the sky by itself cannot make showers fall. We have put our hope in you, O LORD our God, because you are the one who does these things.


text:
 Then the LORD said to me, "Even if Moses and Samuel were standing here pleading with me, I would not show these people any mercy. Make them go away; make them get out of my sight.


text:
 When they ask you where they should go, tell them that I have said: Some are doomed to die by disease--- that's where they will go! Others are doomed to die in war--- that's where they will go! Some are doomed to die of starvation--- that's where they will go! Others are doomed to be taken away as prisoners--- that's where they will go!


text:
 I, the LORD, have decided that four terrible things will happen to them: they will be killed in war; their bodies will be dragged off by dogs; birds will eat them, and wild animals will devour what is left over.


text:
 I will make all the people of the world horrified at them because of what Hezekiah's son Manasseh did in Jerusalem when he was king of Judah."


text:
 The LORD says, "Who will pity you, people of Jerusalem, and who will grieve over you? Who will stop long enough to ask how you are?


text:
 You people have rejected me; you have turned your backs on me. So I reached out and crushed you because I was tired of controlling my anger.


text:
 In every town in the land I threw you to the wind like straw. I destroyed you, my people, I killed your children because you did not stop your evil ways.


text:
 There are more widows in your land than grains of sand by the sea. I killed your young men in their prime and made their mothers suffer. I suddenly struck them with anguish and terror.


text:
 The mother who lost her seven children has fainted, gasping for breath. Her daylight has turned to darkness; she is disgraced and sick at heart. I will let your enemies kill those of you who are still alive. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 What an unhappy man I am! Why did my mother bring me into the world? I have to quarrel and argue with everyone in the land. I have not lent any money or borrowed any; yet everyone curses me.


text:
 LORD, may all their curses come true if I have not served you well, if I have not pleaded with you on behalf of my enemies when they were in trouble and distress.


text:
 The LORD said to me, "I will send enemies to carry away the wealth and treasures of my people, in order to punish them for the sins they have committed throughout the land.


text:
 I will make them serve their enemies in a land they know nothing about, because my anger is like fire, and it will burn forever."


text:
 Then I said, " LORD, you understand. Remember me and help me. Let me have revenge on those who persecute me. Do not be so patient with them that they succeed in killing me. Remember that it is for your sake that I am insulted.


text:
 You spoke to me, and I listened to every word. I belong to you, LORD God Almighty, and so your words filled my heart with joy and happiness.


text:
 I did not spend my time with other people, laughing and having a good time. In obedience to your orders I stayed by myself and was filled with anger.


text:
 Why do I keep on suffering? Why are my wounds incurable? Why won't they heal? Do you intend to disappoint me like a stream that goes dry in the summer?"


text:
 To this the LORD replied, "If you return, I will take you back, and you will be my servant again. If instead of talking nonsense you proclaim a worthwhile message, you will be my prophet again. The people will come back to you, and you will not need to go to them.


text:
 I will make you like a solid bronze wall as far as they are concerned. They will fight against you, but they will not defeat you. I will be with you to protect you and keep you safe.


text:
 They will die of terrible diseases, and no one will mourn for them or bury them. Their bodies will lie like piles of manure on the ground. They will be killed in war or die of starvation, and their bodies will be food for the birds and the wild animals.


text:
 "You must not enter a house where there is mourning. Do not grieve for anyone. I will no longer bless my people with peace or show them love and mercy.


text:
 The rich and the poor will die in this land, but no one will bury them or mourn for them. Not one of you will gash yourself or shave your head to show your grief.


text:
 No one will eat or drink with anyone to offer comfort when a loved one dies. No one will show sympathy, not even for someone who has lost a father or mother.


text:
 Listen to what I, the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, have to say. I will silence the sounds of joy and gladness and the happy sounds of wedding feasts. The people here will live to see this happen.


text:
 "When you tell them all this, they will ask you why I have decided to punish them so harshly. They will ask what crime they are guilty of and what sin they have committed against the LORD their God.


text:
 Then tell them that the LORD has said, 'Your ancestors turned away from me and worshiped and served other gods. They abandoned me and did not obey my teachings.


text:
 But you have done even worse than your ancestors. All of you are stubborn and evil, and you do not obey me.


text:
 So then, I will throw you out of this land into a land that neither you nor your ancestors have ever known. And there you will serve other gods day and night, and I will show you no mercy.' "


text:
 The LORD says, "The time is coming when people will no longer swear by me as the living God who brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt.


text:
 Instead, they will swear by me as the living God who brought the people of Israel out of a northern land and out of all the other countries where I had scattered them. I will bring them back to their own country, to the land that I gave their ancestors. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 The LORD says, "I am sending for many fishermen to come and catch these people. Then I will send for many hunters to hunt them down on every mountain and hill and in the caves among the rocks.


text:
 I will make them pay double for their sin and wickedness, because they have defiled my land with idols that are as lifeless as corpses, and have filled it with their false gods."


text:
 LORD, you are the one who protects me and gives me strength; you help me in times of trouble. Nations will come to you from the ends of the earth and say, "Our ancestors had nothing but false gods, nothing but useless idols.


text:
 "So then," says the LORD, "once and for all I will make the nations know my power and my might; they will know that I am the LORD."


text:
 The LORD says, "People of Judah, your sin is written with an iron pen; it is engraved on your hearts with a diamond point and carved on the corners of your altars.


text:
 Your people worship at the altars and the symbols that have been set up for the goddess Asherah by every green tree and on the hilltops


text:
 and on the mountains in the open country. I will have your enemies take away your wealth and your treasures because of all the sins you have committed throughout your land.


text:
 You will have to give up the land I gave you, and I will make you serve your enemies in a land you know nothing about, because my anger is like a fire, and it will burn forever."


text:
 The LORD says, "I will condemn those who turn away from me and put their trust in human beings, in the strength of mortals.


text:
 He is like a bush in the desert, which grows in the dry wasteland, on salty ground where nothing else grows. Nothing good ever happens to him.


text:
 He is like a tree growing near a stream and sending out roots to the water. It is not afraid when hot weather comes, because its leaves stay green; it has no worries when there is no rain; it keeps on bearing fruit.


text:
 "Who can understand the human heart? There is nothing else so deceitful; it is too sick to be healed.


text:
 I, the LORD, search the minds and test the hearts of people. I treat each of them according to the way they live, according to what they do."


text:
 The person who gets money dishonestly is like a bird that hatches eggs it didn't lay. In the prime of life he will lose his riches, and in the end he is nothing but a fool.


text:
 LORD, you are Israel's hope; all who abandon you will be put to shame. They will disappear like names written in the dust, because they have abandoned you, the LORD, the spring of fresh water.


text:
 LORD, heal me and I will be completely well; rescue me and I will be perfectly safe. You are the one I praise!


text:
 The people say to me, "Where are those threats the LORD made against us? Let him carry them out now!"


text:
 But, LORD, I never urged you to bring disaster on them; I did not wish a time of trouble for them. LORD, you know this; you know what I have said.


text:
 Bring disgrace on those who persecute me, but spare me, LORD. Fill them with terror, but do not terrify me. Bring disaster on them and break them to pieces.


text:
 The LORD said to me, "Jeremiah, go and announce my message at the People's Gate, through which the kings of Judah enter and leave the city; then go to all the other gates of Jerusalem.


text:
 Tell the kings and all the people of Judah and everyone who lives in Jerusalem and enters these gates, to listen to what I say.


text:
 Tell them that if they love their lives, they must not carry any load on the Sabbath; they must not carry anything in through the gates of Jerusalem


text:
 or carry anything out of their houses on the Sabbath. They must not work on the Sabbath; they must observe it as a sacred day, as I commanded their ancestors.


text:
 Their ancestors did not listen to me or pay any attention. Instead, they became stubborn; they would not obey me or learn from me.


text:
 "Tell these people that they must obey all my commands. They must not carry any load in through the gates of this city on the Sabbath. They must observe the Sabbath as a sacred day and must not do any work at all.


text:
 Then their kings and princes will enter the gates of Jerusalem and have the same royal power that David had. Together with the people of Judah and of Jerusalem, they will ride in chariots and on horses, and the city of Jerusalem will always be filled with people.


text:
 People will come from the towns of Judah and from the villages around Jerusalem; they will come from the territory of Benjamin, from the foothills, from the mountains, and from southern Judah. They will bring to my Temple burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, as well as thank offerings.


text:
 But they must obey me and observe the Sabbath as a sacred day. They must not carry any load through the gates of Jerusalem on that day, for if they do, I will set the gates of Jerusalem on fire. Fire will burn down the palaces of Jerusalem, and no one will be able to put it out."


text:
 Whenever a piece of pottery turned out imperfect, he would take the clay and make it into something else.


text:
 "Don't I have the right to do with you people of Israel what the potter did with the clay? You are in my hands just like clay in the potter's hands.


text:
 Now then, tell the people of Judah and of Jerusalem that I am making plans against them and getting ready to punish them. Tell them to stop living sinful lives---to change their ways and the things they are doing.


text:
 They will answer, 'No, why should we? We will all be just as stubborn and evil as we want to be.' "


text:
 The LORD says, "Ask every nation if such a thing has ever happened before. The people of Israel have done a terrible thing!


text:
 Yet my people have forgotten me; they burn incense to idols. They have stumbled in the way they should go; they no longer follow the old ways; they walk on unmarked paths.


text:
 They have made this land a thing of horror, to be despised forever. All who pass by will be shocked at what they see; they will shake their heads in amazement.


text:
 I will scatter my people before their enemies, like dust blown by the east wind. I will turn my back on them; I will not help them when the disaster comes."


text:
 Then the people said, "Let's do something about Jeremiah! There will always be priests to instruct us, the wise to give us counsel, and prophets to proclaim God's message. Let's bring charges against him and stop listening to what he says."


text:
 Is evil the payment for good? Yet they have dug a pit for me to fall in. Remember how I came to you and spoke on their behalf, so that you would not deal with them in anger.


text:
 But now, LORD, let their children starve to death; let them be killed in war. Let the women lose their husbands and children; let the men die of disease and the young men be killed in battle.


text:
 Send a mob to plunder their homes without warning; make them cry out in terror. They have dug a pit for me to fall in and have set traps to catch me.


text:
 But, LORD, you know all their plots to kill me. Do not forgive their evil or pardon their sin. Throw them down in defeat and deal with them while you are angry."


text:
 The LORD told me to go and buy a clay jar. He also told me to take some of the elders of the people and some of the older priests,


text:
 and to go through Potsherd Gate out to Hinnom Valley. There I was to proclaim the message that he would give me.


text:
 The LORD told me to say, "Kings of Judah and people of Jerusalem, listen to what I, the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, have to say. I am going to bring such a disaster on this place that everyone who hears about it will be stunned.


text:
 I am going to do this because the people have abandoned me and defiled this place by offering sacrifices here to other gods---gods that neither they nor their ancestors nor the kings of Judah have known anything about. They have filled this place with the blood of innocent people,


text:
 and they have built altars for Baal in order to burn their children in the fire as sacrifices. I never commanded them to do this; it never even entered my mind.


text:
 So then, the time will come when this place will no longer be called Topheth or Hinnom Valley. Instead, it will be known as Slaughter Valley.


text:
 In this place I will frustrate all the plans of the people of Judah and Jerusalem. I will let their enemies triumph over them and kill them in battle. I will give their corpses to the birds and the wild animals as food.


text:
 I will bring such terrible destruction on this city that everyone who passes by will be shocked and amazed.


text:
 The enemy will surround the city and try to kill its people. The siege will be so terrible that the people inside the city will eat one another and even their own children."


text:
 and to tell them that the LORD Almighty had said, "I will break this people and this city, and it will be like this broken clay jar that cannot be put together again. People will bury their dead even in Topheth because there will be nowhere else to bury them.


text:
 The houses of Jerusalem, the houses of the kings of Judah, and indeed all the houses on whose roofs incense has been burned to the stars and where wine has been poured out as an offering to other gods---they will all be as unclean as Topheth."


text:
 Then I left Topheth, where the LORD had sent me to proclaim his message. I went and stood in the court of the Temple and told all the people


text:
 that the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, had said, "I am going to bring on this city and on every nearby town all the punishment that I said I would, because you are stubborn and will not listen to what I say."


text:
 When the priest Pashhur son of Immer, who was the chief officer of the Temple, heard me proclaim these things,


text:
 The next morning, after Pashhur had released me from the chains, I said to him, "The LORD did not name you Pashhur. The name he has given you is 'Terror Everywhere.'


text:
 The LORD himself has said, 'I am going to make you a terror to yourself and to your friends, and you will see them all killed by the swords of their enemies. I am going to put all the people of Judah under the power of the king of Babylonia; he will take some away as prisoners to his country and put others to death.


text:
 I will also let their enemies plunder all the wealth of this city and seize all its possessions and property, even the treasures of the kings of Judah, and carry everything off to Babylonia.


text:
 As for you, Pashhur, you and all your family will also be captured and taken off to Babylonia. There you will die and be buried, along with all your friends to whom you have told so many lies.' "


text:
 LORD, you have deceived me, and I was deceived. You are stronger than I am, and you have overpowered me. Everyone makes fun of me; they laugh at me all day long.


text:
 Whenever I speak, I have to cry out and shout, "Violence! Destruction!" LORD, I am ridiculed and scorned all the time because I proclaim your message.


text:
 But when I say, "I will forget the LORD and no longer speak in his name," then your message is like a fire burning deep within me. I try my best to hold it in, but can no longer keep it back.


text:
 I hear everybody whispering, "Terror is everywhere! So let's report him to the authorities!" Even my close friends wait for my downfall. "Perhaps he can be tricked," they say; "then we can catch him and get revenge."


text:
 But you, LORD, are on my side, strong and mighty, and those who persecute me will fail. They will be disgraced forever, because they cannot succeed. Their disgrace will never be forgotten.


text:
 But, Almighty LORD, you test people justly; you know what is in their hearts and minds. So let me see you take revenge on my enemies, for I have placed my cause in your hands.


text:
 May he be like those cities that the LORD destroyed without mercy. May he hear cries of pain in the morning and the battle alarm at noon,


text:
 King Zedekiah of Judah sent to me Pashhur son of Malchiah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah with this request:


text:
 "Please speak to the LORD for us, because King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia and his army are besieging the city. Maybe the LORD will perform one of his miracles for us and force Nebuchadnezzar to retreat."


text:
 to tell Zedekiah that the LORD, the God of Israel, had said, "Zedekiah, I am going to defeat your army that is fighting against the king of Babylonia and his army. I will pile up your soldiers' weapons in the center of the city.


text:
 But as for you, your officials, and the people who survive the war, the famine, and the disease---I will let all of you be captured by King Nebuchadnezzar and by your enemies, who want to kill you. Nebuchadnezzar will put you to death. He will not spare any of you or show mercy or pity to any of you. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 Then the LORD told me to say to the people, "Listen! I, the LORD, am giving you a choice between the way that leads to life and the way that leads to death.


text:
 Anyone who stays in the city will be killed in war or by starvation or disease. But those who go out and surrender to the Babylonians, who are now attacking the city, will not be killed; they will at least escape with their life.


text:
 I have made up my mind not to spare this city, but to destroy it. It will be given over to the king of Babylonia, and he will burn it to the ground. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 The LORD told me to give this message to the royal house of Judah, the descendants of David: "Listen to what I, the LORD, am saying. See that justice is done every day. Protect the person who is being cheated from the one who is cheating him. If you don't, the evil you are doing will make my anger burn like a fire that cannot be put out.


text:
 You, Jerusalem, are sitting high above the valleys, like a rock rising above the plain. But I will fight against you. You say that no one can attack you or break through your defenses.


text:
 But I will punish you for what you have done. I will set your palace on fire, and the fire will burn down everything around it. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 The LORD told me to go to the palace of the king of Judah, the descendant of David, and there tell the king, his officials, and the people of Jerusalem to listen to what the LORD had said:


text:
 "I, the LORD, command you to do what is just and right. Protect the person who is being cheated from the one who is cheating him. Do not mistreat or oppress aliens, orphans, or widows; and do not kill innocent people in this holy place.


text:
 If you really do as I have commanded, then David's descendants will continue to be kings. And they, together with their officials and their people, will continue to pass through the gates of this palace in chariots and on horses.


text:
 But if you do not obey my commands, then I swear to you that this palace will fall into ruins. I, the LORD, have spoken.


text:
 "To me, Judah's royal palace is as beautiful as the land of Gilead and as the Lebanon Mountains; but I will make it a desolate place where no one lives.


text:
 I am sending men to destroy it. They will all bring their axes, cut down its beautiful cedar pillars, and throw them into the fire.


text:
 "Afterward many foreigners will pass by and ask one another why I, the LORD, have done such a thing to this great city.


text:
 Then they will answer that it is because you have abandoned your covenant with me, your God, and have worshiped and served other gods."


text:
 People of Judah, do not weep for King Josiah; do not mourn his death. But weep bitterly for Joahaz, his son; they are taking him away, never to return, never again to see the land where he was born.


text:
 The LORD says concerning Josiah's son Joahaz, who succeeded his father as king of Judah, "He has gone away from here, never to return.


text:
 Doomed is the one who builds his house by injustice and enlarges it by dishonesty; who makes his people work for nothing and does not pay their wages.


text:
 Doomed is the one who says, "I will build myself a mansion with spacious rooms upstairs." So he puts windows in his house, panels it with cedar, and paints it red.


text:
 Does it make you a better king if you build houses of cedar, finer than those of others? Your father enjoyed a full life. He was always just and fair, and he prospered in everything he did.


text:
 But you can only see your selfish interests; you kill the innocent and violently oppress your people. The LORD has spoken.


text:
 So then, the LORD says about Josiah's son Jehoiakim, king of Judah, "No one will mourn his death or say, 'How terrible, my friend, how terrible!' No one will weep for him or cry, 'My lord! My king!'


text:
 With the funeral honors of a donkey, he will be dragged away and thrown outside Jerusalem's gates."


text:
 People of Jerusalem, go to Lebanon and shout, go to the land of Bashan and cry; call out from the mountains of Moab, because all your allies have been defeated.


text:
 The LORD spoke to you when you were prosperous, but you refused to listen. That is what you've done all your life; you never would obey the LORD.


text:
 Your leaders will be blown away by the wind, your allies taken as prisoners of war, your city disgraced and put to shame because of all the evil you have done.


text:
 You rest secure among the cedars brought from Lebanon; but how pitiful you'll be when pains strike you, pains like those of a woman in labor.


text:
 The LORD said to King Jehoiachin, son of King Jehoiakim of Judah, "As surely as I am the living God, even if you were the signet ring on my right hand, I would pull you off


text:
 and give you to people you are afraid of, people who want to kill you. I will give you to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia and his soldiers.


text:
 I am going to force you and your mother into exile. You will go to a country where neither of you was born, and both of you will die there.


text:
 I said, "Has King Jehoiachin become like a broken jar that is thrown away and that no one wants? Is that why he and his children have been taken into exile to a land they know nothing about?"


text:
 "This man is condemned to lose his children, to be a man who will never succeed. He will have no descendants who will rule in Judah as David's successors. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says about the rulers who were supposed to take care of his people: "You have not taken care of my people; you have scattered them and driven them away. Now I am going to punish you for the evil you have done.


text:
 I will gather the rest of my people from the countries where I have scattered them, and I will bring them back to their homeland. They will have many children and increase in number.


text:
 I will appoint rulers to take care of them. My people will no longer be afraid or terrified, and I will not punish them again. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 The LORD says, "The time is coming when I will choose as king a righteous descendant of David. That king will rule wisely and do what is right and just throughout the land.


text:
 When he is king, the people of Judah will be safe, and the people of Israel will live in peace. He will be called 'The LORD Our Salvation.'


text:
 "The time is coming," says the LORD, "when people will no longer swear by me as the living God who brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt.


text:
 Instead, they will swear by me as the living God who brought the people of Israel out of a northern land and out of all the other countries where I had scattered them. Then they will live in their own land."


text:
 My heart is crushed, and I am trembling. Because of the LORD, because of his holy words, I am like a man who is drunk, someone who has had too much wine.


text:
 The land is full of people unfaithful to the LORD; they live wicked lives and misuse their power. Because of the LORD's curse the land mourns and the pastures are dry.


text:
 The LORD says, "The prophets and the priests are godless; I have caught them doing evil in the Temple itself.


text:
 The paths they follow will be slippery and dark; I will make them stumble and fall. I am going to bring disaster on them; the time of their punishment is coming. I, the LORD, have spoken.


text:
 I have seen the sin of Samaria's prophets: they have spoken in the name of Baal and have led my people astray.


text:
 But I have seen the prophets in Jerusalem do even worse: they commit adultery and tell lies; they help people to do wrong, so that no one stops doing what is evil. To me they are all as bad as the people of Sodom and Gomorrah.


text:
 "So then, this is what I, the LORD Almighty, say about the prophets of Jerusalem: I will give them bitter plants to eat and poison to drink, because they have spread ungodliness throughout the land."


text:
 The LORD Almighty said to the people of Jerusalem, "Do not listen to what the prophets say; they are filling you with false hopes. They tell you what they have imagined and not what I have said.


text:
 To the people who refuse to listen to what I have said, they keep saying that all will go well with them. And they tell everyone who is stubborn that disaster will never touch them."


text:
 I said, "None of these prophets has ever known the LORD's secret thoughts. None of them has ever heard or understood his message, or ever listened or paid attention to what he said.


text:
 and it will not end until he has done everything he intends to do. In days to come his people will understand this clearly."


text:
 The LORD said, "I did not send these prophets, but even so they went. I did not give them any message, but still they spoke in my name.


text:
 If they had known my secret thoughts, then they could have proclaimed my message to my people and could have made them give up the evil lives they live and the wicked things they do.


text:
 No one can hide where I cannot see them. Do you not know that I am everywhere in heaven and on earth?


text:
 I know what those prophets have said who speak lies in my name and claim that I have given them my messages in their dreams.


text:
 They think that the dreams they tell will make my people forget me, just as their ancestors forgot me and turned to Baal.


text:
 The prophet who has had a dream should say it is only a dream, but the prophet who has heard my message should proclaim that message faithfully. What good is straw compared with wheat?


text:
 Listen to what I, the LORD, say! I am against the prophets who tell their dreams that are full of lies. They tell these dreams and lead my people astray with their lies and their boasting. I did not send them or order them to go, and they are of no help at all to the people. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 The LORD said to me, "Jeremiah, when one of my people or a prophet or a priest asks you, 'What is the LORD's message?' you are to say, 'You are a burden to the LORD, and he is going to get rid of you.'


text:
 If any of my people or a prophet or a priest even uses the words 'the LORD's burden,' I will punish them and their families.


text:
 Instead, each one of them should ask their friends and their relatives, 'What answer has the LORD given? What has the LORD said?'


text:
 So they must no longer use the words 'the LORD's burden,' because if any of them do, I will make my message a real burden to them. The people have perverted the words of their God, the living God, the LORD Almighty.


text:
 I will certainly pick them up and throw them far away from me, both them and the city that I gave to them and their ancestors.


text:
 The LORD showed me two baskets of figs placed in front of the Temple. (This was after King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia had taken away Jehoiakim's son, King Jehoiachin of Judah, as a prisoner from Jerusalem to Babylonia, together with the leaders of Judah, the craftworkers, and the skilled workers.)


text:
 The first basket contained good figs, those that ripen early; the other one contained bad figs, too bad to eat.


text:
 Then the LORD said to me, "Jeremiah, what do you see?" I answered, "Figs. The good ones are very good, and the bad ones are very bad, too bad to eat."


text:
 "I, the LORD, the God of Israel, consider that the people who were taken away to Babylonia are like these good figs, and I will treat them with kindness.


text:
 I will watch over them and bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not pull them up.


text:
 I will give them the desire to know that I am the LORD. Then they will be my people, and I will be their God, because they will return to me with all their heart.


text:
 "As for King Zedekiah of Judah, the politicians around him, and the rest of the people of Jerusalem who have stayed in this land or moved to Egypt---I, the LORD, will treat them all like these figs that are too bad to be eaten.


text:
 I will bring such a disaster on them that all the nations of the world will be terrified. People will make fun of them, make jokes about them, ridicule them, and use their name as a curse everywhere I scatter them.


text:
 I will bring war, starvation, and disease on them until there is not one of them left in the land that I gave to them and their ancestors."


text:
 In the fourth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king of Judah, I received a message from the LORD concerning all the people of Judah. (This was the first year that Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylonia.)


text:
 "For twenty-three years, from the thirteenth year that Josiah son of Amon was king of Judah until this very day, the LORD has spoken to me, and I have never failed to tell you what he said. But you have paid no attention.


text:
 You would not listen or pay attention, even though the LORD has continued to send you his servants the prophets.


text:
 They told you to turn from your wicked way of life and from the evil things you are doing, so that you could go on living in the land that the LORD gave you and your ancestors as a permanent possession.


text:
 They told you not to worship and serve other gods and not to make the LORD angry by worshiping the idols you had made. If you had obeyed the LORD, then he would not have punished you.


text:
 But the LORD himself says that you refused to listen to him. Instead, you made him angry with your idols and have brought his punishment on yourselves.


text:
 'I am going to send for all the peoples from the north and for my servant, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia. I am going to bring them to fight against Judah and its inhabitants and against all the neighboring nations. I am going to destroy this nation and its neighbors and leave them in ruins forever, a terrible and shocking sight. I, the LORD, have spoken.


text:
 I will silence their shouts of joy and gladness and the happy sounds of wedding feasts. They will have no oil for their lamps, and there will be no more grain.


text:
 This whole land will be left in ruins and will be a shocking sight, and the neighboring nations will serve the king of Babylonia for seventy years.


text:
 After that I will punish Babylonia and its king for their sin. I will destroy that country and leave it in ruins forever.


text:
 I will punish Babylonia with all the disasters that I threatened to bring on the nations when I spoke through Jeremiah---all the disasters recorded in this book.


text:
 I will pay the Babylonians back for what they have done, and many nations and great kings will make slaves of them.' "


text:
 The LORD, the God of Israel, said to me, "Here is a wine cup filled with my anger. Take it to all the nations to whom I send you, and make them drink from it.


text:
 When they drink from it, they will stagger and go out of their minds because of the war I am sending against them."


text:
 So I took the cup from the LORD's hand, gave it to all the nations to whom the LORD had sent me, and made them drink from it.


text:
 Jerusalem and all the towns of Judah, together with its kings and leaders, were made to drink from it, so that they would become a desert, a terrible and shocking sight, and so that people would use their name as a curse---as they still do.


text:
 Here is the list of all the others who had to drink from the cup: the king of Egypt, his officials and leaders; all the Egyptians and all the foreigners in Egypt; all the kings of the land of Uz; all the kings of the Philistine cities of Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and what remains of Ashdod; all the people of Edom, Moab, and Ammon; all the kings of Tyre and Sidon; all the kings of the Mediterranean lands; the cities of Dedan, Tema, and Buz; all the people who cut their hair short; all the kings of Arabia; all the kings of the desert tribes; all the kings of Zimri, Elam, and Media; all the kings of the north, far and near, one after another. Every nation on the face of the earth had to drink from it. Last of all, the king of Babylonia will drink from it.


text:
 Then the LORD said to me, "Tell the people that I, the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, am commanding them to drink until they are drunk and vomit, until they fall down and cannot get up, because of the war that I am sending against them.


text:
 And if they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink from it, then tell them that the LORD Almighty has said that they will still have to drink from it.


text:
 I will begin my work of destruction in my own city. Do they think they will go unpunished? No, they will be punished, for I am going to send war on all the people on earth. I, the LORD Almighty, have spoken.


text:
 "You, Jeremiah, must proclaim everything I have said. You must tell these people, 'The LORD will roar from heaven and thunder from the heights of heaven. He will roar against his people; he will shout like a man treading grapes. Everyone on earth will hear him,


text:
 and the sound will echo to the ends of the earth. The LORD has a case against the nations. He will bring all people to trial and put the wicked to death. The LORD has spoken.' "


text:
 The LORD Almighty says that disaster is coming on one nation after another, and a great storm is gathering at the far ends of the earth.


text:
 On that day the bodies of those whom the LORD has killed will lie scattered from one end of the earth to the other. No one will mourn for them, and they will not be taken away and buried. They will lie on the ground like piles of manure.


text:
 Cry, you leaders, you shepherds of my people, cry out loud! Mourn and roll in the dust. The time has come for you to be slaughtered, and you will be butchered like rams.


text:
 You moan and cry out in distress because the LORD in his anger has destroyed your nation and left your peaceful country in ruins.


text:
 The LORD has abandoned his people like a lion that leaves its cave. The horrors of war and the LORD's fierce anger have turned the country into a desert.


text:
 the LORD said to me, "Stand in the court of the Temple and proclaim all I have commanded you to say to the people who come from the towns of Judah to worship there. Do not leave out anything.


text:
 Perhaps the people will listen and give up their evil ways. If they do, then I will change my mind about the destruction I plan to bring on them for all their wicked deeds."


text:
 The LORD told me to say to the people, "I, the LORD, have said that you must obey me by following the teaching that I gave you,


text:
 and by paying attention to the words of my servants, the prophets, whom I have kept on sending to you. You have never obeyed what they said.


text:
 If you continue to disobey, then I will do to this Temple what I did to Shiloh, and all the nations of the world will use the name of this city as a curse."


text:
 and as soon as I had finished all that the LORD had commanded me to speak, they grabbed me and shouted, "You ought to be killed for this!


text:
 Why have you said in the LORD's name that this Temple will become like Shiloh and that this city will be destroyed and no one will live in it?" Then the people crowded around me.


text:
 When the leaders of Judah heard what had happened, they hurried from the royal palace to the Temple and took their places at the New Gate.


text:
 Then the priests and the prophets said to the leaders and to the people, "This man deserves to be sentenced to death because he has spoken against our city. You heard him with your own ears."


text:
 Then I said, "The LORD sent me to proclaim everything that you heard me say against this Temple and against this city.


text:
 You must change the way you are living and the things you are doing, and must obey the LORD your God. If you do, he will change his mind about the destruction that he said he would bring on you.


text:
 But be sure of this: if you kill me, you and the people of this city will be guilty of killing an innocent man, because it is the LORD who sent me to give you this warning."


text:
 Then the leaders and the people said to the priests and the prophets, "This man spoke to us in the name of the LORD our God; he should not be put to death."


text:
 "When Hezekiah was king of Judah, the prophet Micah of Moresheth told all the people that the LORD Almighty had said, 'Zion will be plowed like a field; Jerusalem will become a pile of ruins, and the Temple hill will become a forest.'


text:
 King Hezekiah and the people of Judah did not put Micah to death. Instead, Hezekiah honored the LORD and tried to win his favor. And the LORD changed his mind about the disaster that he said he would bring on them. Now we are about to bring a terrible disaster on ourselves."


text:
 (There was another man, Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath Jearim, who spoke in the name of the LORD against this city and nation just as Jeremiah did.


text:
 When King Jehoiakim and his soldiers and officials heard what Uriah had said, the king tried to have him killed. But Uriah heard about it; so he fled in terror and escaped to Egypt.


text:
 They brought him back to King Jehoiakim, who had him killed and his body thrown into the public burial ground.)


text:
 But because I had the support of Ahikam son of Shaphan, I was not handed over to the people and killed.


text:
 Then the LORD told me to send a message to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon through their ambassadors who had come to Jerusalem to see King Zedekiah.


text:
 The LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, told me to command them to tell their kings that the LORD had said:


text:
 "By my great power and strength I created the world, human beings, and all the animals that live on the earth; and I give it to anyone I choose.


text:
 I am the one who has placed all these nations under the power of my servant, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia, and I have made even the wild animals serve him.


text:
 All nations will serve him, and they will serve his son and his grandson until the time comes for his own nation to fall. Then his nation will serve powerful nations and great kings.


text:
 "But if any nation or kingdom will not submit to his rule, then I will punish that nation by war, starvation, and disease until I have let Nebuchadnezzar destroy it completely.


text:
 Do not listen to your prophets or to those who claim they can predict the future, either by dreams or by calling up the spirits of the dead or by magic. They all tell you not to submit to the king of Babylonia.


text:
 They are deceiving you and will cause you to be taken far away from your country. I will drive you out, and you will be destroyed.


text:
 But if any nation submits to the king of Babylonia and serves him, then I will let it stay on in its own land, to farm it and live there. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 I said the same thing to King Zedekiah of Judah, "Submit to the king of Babylonia. Serve him and his people, and you will live.


text:
 Why should you and your people die in war or of starvation or disease? That is what the LORD has said will happen to any nation that does not submit to the king of Babylonia.


text:
 The LORD himself has said that he did not send them and that they are lying to you in his name. And so he will drive you out, and you will be killed, you and the prophets who are telling you these lies."


text:
 Then I told the priests and the people that the LORD had said: "Do not listen to the prophets who say that the Temple treasures will soon be brought back from Babylonia. They are lying to you.


text:
 Don't listen to them! Submit to the king of Babylonia and you will live! Why should this city become a pile of ruins?


text:
 If they are really prophets and if they have my message, let them ask me, the LORD Almighty, not to allow the treasures that remain in the Temple and in the royal palace to be taken to Babylonia."


text:
 (When King Nebuchadnezzar took away to Babylonia the king of Judah, Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim, and the leading men of Judah and Jerusalem, he left the columns, the bronze tank, the carts, and some of the other Temple treasures.)


text:
 "Listen to what I, the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, say about the treasures that are left in the Temple and in the royal palace in Jerusalem:


text:
 They will be taken to Babylonia and will remain there until I turn my attention to them. Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 That same year, in the fifth month of the fourth year that Zedekiah was king, Hananiah son of Azzur, a prophet from the town of Gibeon, spoke to me in the Temple. In the presence of the priests and of the people he told me


text:
 that the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, had said: "I have broken the power of the king of Babylonia.


text:
 Within two years I will bring back to this place all the Temple treasures that King Nebuchadnezzar took to Babylonia.


text:
 I will also bring back the king of Judah, Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim, along with all of the people of Judah who went into exile in Babylonia. Yes, I will break the power of the king of Babylonia. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 Then in the presence of the priests and of all the people who were standing in the Temple, I said to Hananiah,


text:
 "Wonderful! I hope the LORD will do this! I certainly hope he will make your prophecy come true and will bring back from Babylonia all the Temple treasures and all the people who were taken away as prisoners.


text:
 The prophets who spoke long ago, before my time and yours, predicted that war, starvation, and disease would come to many nations and powerful kingdoms.


text:
 But a prophet who predicts peace can only be recognized as a prophet whom the LORD has truly sent when that prophet's predictions come true."


text:
 and said in the presence of all the people, "The LORD has said that this is how he will break the yoke that King Nebuchadnezzar has put on the neck of all the nations; and he will do this within two years." Then I left.


text:
 to go and tell Hananiah: "The LORD has said that you may be able to break a wooden yoke, but he will replace it with an iron yoke.


text:
 The LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, has said that he will put an iron yoke on all these nations and that they will serve King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia. The LORD has said that he will make even the wild animals serve Nebuchadnezzar."


text:
 Then I told Hananiah this, and added, "Listen, Hananiah! The LORD did not send you, and you are making these people believe a lie.


text:
 And so the LORD himself says that he is going to get rid of you. Before this year is over you will die because you have told the people to rebel against the LORD."


text:
 I wrote a letter to the priests, the prophets, the leaders of the people, and to all the others whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken away as prisoners from Jerusalem to Babylonia.


text:
 I wrote it after King Jehoiachin, his mother, the palace officials, the leaders of Judah and of Jerusalem, the engravers, and the skilled workers had been taken into exile.


text:
 I gave the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom King Zedekiah of Judah was sending to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia. It said:


text:
 "The LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those people whom he allowed Nebuchadnezzar to take away as prisoners from Jerusalem to Babylonia:


text:
 Marry and have children. Then let your children get married, so that they also may have children. You must increase in numbers and not decrease.


text:
 Work for the good of the cities where I have made you go as prisoners. Pray to me on their behalf, because if they are prosperous, you will be prosperous too.


text:
 I, the LORD, the God of Israel, warn you not to let yourselves be deceived by the prophets who live among you or by any others who claim they can predict the future. Do not pay any attention to their dreams.


text:
 "The LORD says, 'When Babylonia's seventy years are over, I will show my concern for you and keep my promise to bring you back home.


text:
 I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for.


text:
 Yes, I say, you will find me, and I will restore you to your land. I will gather you from every country and from every place to which I have scattered you, and I will bring you back to the land from which I had sent you away into exile. I, the LORD, have spoken.'


text:
 Listen to what the LORD says about the king who rules the kingdom that David ruled and about the people of this city, that is, your relatives who were not taken away as prisoners with you.


text:
 The LORD Almighty says, 'I am bringing war, starvation, and disease on them, and I will make them like figs that are too rotten to be eaten.


text:
 I will pursue them with war, starvation, and disease, and all the nations of the world will be horrified at what they see. Everywhere I scatter them, people will be shocked and terrified at what has happened to them. People will make fun of them and use their name as a curse.


text:
 This will happen to them because they did not obey the message that I kept on sending to them through my servants the prophets. They refused to listen.


text:
 "The LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, has spoken about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are telling you lies in his name. He has said that he will hand them over to the power of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia, who will put them to death before your eyes.


text:
 When the people who were taken away as prisoners from Jerusalem to Babylonia want to bring a curse on someone, they will say, 'May the LORD treat you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylonia roasted alive!'


text:
 This will be their fate because they are guilty of terrible sins---they have committed adultery and have told lies in the LORD's name. This was against the LORD's will; he knows what they have done, and he is a witness against them. The LORD has spoken."


text:
 The LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, gave me a message for Shemaiah of Nehelam, who had sent a letter in his own name to all the people of Jerusalem and to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah and to all the other priests. In this letter Shemaiah wrote to Zephaniah:


text:
 "The LORD made you a priest in place of Jehoiada, and you are now the chief officer in the Temple. It is your duty to see that every crazy person who pretends to be a prophet is placed in chains with an iron collar around the neck.


text:
 Why haven't you done this to Jeremiah of Anathoth, who has been speaking as a prophet to the people?


text:
 He must be stopped because he told the people in Babylonia that they would be prisoners there a long time and should build houses, settle down, plant gardens, and eat what they grow."


text:
 to send to all the prisoners in Babylon this message about Shemaiah: "I, the LORD, will punish Shemaiah and all of his descendants. I did not send him, but he spoke to you as if he were a prophet, and he made you believe lies. He will have no descendants among you. He will not live to see the good things that I am going to do for my people, because he told them to rebel against me. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 because the time is coming when I will restore my people, Israel and Judah. I will bring them back to the land that I gave their ancestors, and they will take possession of it again. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 Now stop and think! Can a man give birth to a child? Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor? Why is everyone so pale?


text:
 A terrible day is coming; no other day can compare with it--- a time of distress for my people, but they will survive."


text:
 The LORD Almighty says, "When that day comes, I will break the yoke that is around their neck and remove their chains, and they will no longer be the slaves of foreigners.


text:
 Instead, they will serve me, the LORD their God, and a descendant of David, whom I will enthrone as king.


text:
 "My people, do not be afraid; people of Israel, do not be terrified. I will rescue you from that faraway land, from the land where you are prisoners. You will come back home and live in peace; you will be secure, and no one will make you afraid.


text:
 I will come to you and save you. I will destroy all the nations where I have scattered you, but I will not destroy you. I will not let you go unpunished; but when I punish you, I will be fair. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 All your lovers have forgotten you; they no longer care about you. I have attacked you like an enemy; your punishment has been harsh because your sins are many and your wickedness is great.


text:
 Complain no more about your injuries; there is no cure for you. I punished you like this because your sins are many and your wickedness is great.


text:
 But now, all who devour you will be devoured, and all your enemies will be taken away as prisoners. All who oppress you will be oppressed, and all who plunder you will be plundered.


text:
 I will make you well again; I will heal your wounds, though your enemies say, 'Zion is an outcast; no one cares about her.' I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 The LORD says, "I will restore my people to their land and have mercy on every family; Jerusalem will be rebuilt, and its palace restored.


text:
 The people who live there will sing praise; they will shout for joy. By my blessing they will increase in numbers; my blessing will bring them honor.


text:
 I will restore the nation's ancient power and establish it firmly again; I will punish all who oppress them.


text:
 Their ruler will come from their own nation, their prince from their own people. He will approach me when I invite him, for who would dare come uninvited? They will be my people, and I will be their God. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 The LORD's anger is a storm, a furious wind that will rage over the heads of the wicked. It will not end until he has done all that he intends to do. In days to come his people will understand this clearly.


text:
 The LORD says, "The time is coming when I will be the God of all the tribes of Israel, and they will be my people.


text:
 In the desert I showed mercy to those people who had escaped death. When the people of Israel longed for rest,


text:
 I appeared to them from far away. People of Israel, I have always loved you, so I continue to show you my constant love.


text:
 Once again you will plant vineyards on the hills of Samaria, and those who plant them will eat what the vineyards produce.


text:
 Yes, the time is coming when sentries will call out on the hills of Ephraim, 'Let's go up to Zion, to the LORD our God.' "


text:
 The LORD says, "Sing with joy for Israel, the greatest of the nations. Sing your song of praise, 'The LORD has saved his people; he has rescued all who are left.'


text:
 I will bring them from the north and gather them from the ends of the earth. The blind and the lame will come with them, pregnant women and those about to give birth. They will come back a great nation.


text:
 My people will return weeping, praying as I lead them back. I will guide them to streams of water, on a smooth road where they will not stumble. I am like a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my oldest son."


text:
 The LORD says, "Nations, listen to me and proclaim my words on the far-off shores. I scattered my people, but I will gather them and guard them as a shepherd guards his flock.


text:
 They will come and sing for joy on Mount Zion and be delighted with my gifts--- gifts of grain and wine and olive oil, gifts of sheep and cattle. They will be like a well-watered garden; they will have everything they need.


text:
 Then the young women will dance and be happy, and men, young and old, will rejoice. I will comfort them and turn their mourning into joy, their sorrow into gladness.


text:
 I will fill the priests with the richest food and satisfy all the needs of my people. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 The LORD says, "A sound is heard in Ramah, the sound of bitter weeping. Rachel is crying for her children; they are gone, and she refuses to be comforted.


text:
 Stop your crying and wipe away your tears. All that you have done for your children will not go unrewarded; they will return from the enemy's land.


text:
 "I hear the people of Israel say in grief, ' LORD, we were like an untamed animal, but you taught us to obey. Bring us back; we are ready to return to you, the LORD our God.


text:
 We turned away from you, but soon we wanted to return. After you had punished us, we hung our heads in grief. We were ashamed and disgraced because we sinned when we were young.'


text:
 "Israel, you are my dearest child, the one I love best. Whenever I mention your name, I think of you with love. My heart goes out to you; I will be merciful.


text:
 Set up signs and mark the road; find again the way by which you left. Come back, people of Israel, come home to the towns you left.


text:
 How long will you hesitate, faithless people? I have created something new and different, as different as a woman protecting a man."


text:
 The LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says, "When I restore the people to their land, they will once again say in the land of Judah and in its towns, 'May the LORD bless the sacred hill of Jerusalem, the holy place where he lives.'


text:
 People will live in Judah and in all its towns, and there will be farmers, and shepherds with their flocks.


text:
 "I, the LORD, say that the time is coming when I will fill the land of Israel and Judah with people and animals.


text:
 And just as I took care to uproot, to pull down, to overthrow, to destroy, and to demolish them, so I will take care to plant them and to build them up.


text:
 When that time comes, people will no longer say, 'The parents ate the sour grapes, But the children got the sour taste.'


text:
 Instead, those who eat sour grapes will have their own teeth set on edge; and everyone will die because of their own sin."


text:
 The LORD says, "The time is coming when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah.


text:
 It will not be like the old covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of Egypt. Although I was like a husband to them, they did not keep that covenant.


text:
 The new covenant that I will make with the people of Israel will be this: I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.


text:
 None of them will have to teach a neighbor to know the LORD, because all will know me, from the least to the greatest. I will forgive their sins and I will no longer remember their wrongs. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 The LORD provides the sun for light by day, the moon and the stars to shine at night. He stirs up the sea and makes it roar; his name is the LORD Almighty.


text:
 If one day the sky could be measured and the foundations of the earth explored, only then would he reject the people of Israel because of all they have done. The LORD has spoken.


text:
 "The time is coming," says the LORD, "when all of Jerusalem will be rebuilt as my city, from Hananel Tower west to the Corner Gate.


text:
 And the boundary line will continue from there on the west to the hill of Gareb and then around to Goah.


text:
 The entire valley, where the dead are buried and garbage is dumped, and all the fields above Kidron Brook as far as the Horse Gate to the east, will be sacred to me. The city will never again be torn down or destroyed."


text:
 The LORD spoke to me in the tenth year that Zedekiah was king of Judah, which was also the eighteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia.


text:
 At that time the army of the king of Babylonia was attacking Jerusalem, and I was locked up in the courtyard of the royal palace.


text:
 King Zedekiah had imprisoned me there and had accused me of announcing that the LORD had said, "I am going to let the king of Babylonia capture this city,


text:
 and King Zedekiah will not escape. He will be handed over to the king of Babylonia; he will see him face-to-face and will speak to him in person.


text:
 Zedekiah will be taken to Babylonia, and he will remain there until I deal with him. Even if he fights the Babylonians, he will not be successful. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 that Hanamel, my uncle Shallum's son, would come to me with the request to buy his field at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin, because I was his nearest relative and had the right to buy it for myself.


text:
 Then, just as the LORD had said, Hanamel came to me there in the courtyard and asked me to buy the field. So I knew that the LORD had really spoken to me.


text:
 I bought the field from Hanamel and weighed out the money to him; the price came to seventeen pieces of silver.


text:
 Then I took both copies of the deed of purchase---the sealed copy containing the contract and its conditions, and the open copy---


text:
 and gave them to Baruch, the son of Neriah and grandson of Mahseiah. I gave them to him in the presence of Hanamel and of the witnesses who had signed the deed of purchase and of the people who were sitting in the courtyard.


text:
 "The LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, has ordered you to take these deeds, both the sealed deed of purchase and the open copy, and to place them in a clay jar, so that they may be preserved for years to come.


text:
 The LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, has said that houses, fields, and vineyards will again be bought in this land."


text:
 "Sovereign LORD, you made the earth and the sky by your great power and might; nothing is too difficult for you.


text:
 You have shown constant love to thousands, but you also punish people for the sins of their parents. You are a great and powerful God; you are the LORD Almighty.


text:
 You make wise plans and do mighty things; you see everything that people do, and you reward them according to their actions.


text:
 Long ago you performed miracles and wonders in Egypt, and you have continued to perform them to this day, both in Israel and among all the other nations, so that you are now known everywhere.


text:
 By means of miracles and wonders that terrified our enemies, you used your power and might to bring your people Israel out of Egypt.


text:
 But when they came into this land and took possession of it, they did not obey your commands or live according to your teaching; they did nothing that you had ordered them to do. And so you brought all this destruction on them.


text:
 "The Babylonians have built siege mounds around the city to capture it, and they are attacking. War, starvation, and disease will make the city fall into their hands. You can see that all you have said has come true.


text:
 Yet, Sovereign LORD, you are the one who ordered me to buy the field in the presence of witnesses, even though the city is about to be captured by the Babylonians."


text:
 I am going to give this city over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia and his army; they will capture it


text:
 and set it on fire. They will burn it down, together with the houses where people have made me angry by burning incense to Baal on the rooftops and by pouring out wine offerings to other gods.


text:
 From the very beginning of their history the people of Israel and the people of Judah have displeased me and made me angry by what they have done.


text:
 The people of this city have made me angry and furious from the day it was built. I have decided to destroy it


text:
 because of all the evil that has been done by the people of Judah and Jerusalem, together with their kings and leaders, their priests and prophets.


text:
 They turned their backs on me; and though I kept on teaching them, they would not listen and learn.


text:
 They even placed their disgusting idols in the Temple built for my worship, and they have defiled it.


text:
 They have built altars to Baal in Hinnom Valley, to sacrifice their sons and daughters to the god Molech. I did not command them to do this, and it did not even enter my mind that they would do such a thing and make the people of Judah sin."


text:
 The LORD, the God of Israel, said to me, "Jeremiah, the people are saying that war, starvation, and disease will make this city fall into the hands of the king of Babylonia. Now listen to what else I have to say.


text:
 I am going to gather the people from all the countries where I have scattered them in my anger and fury, and I am going to bring them back to this place and let them live here in safety.


text:
 I will give them a single purpose in life: to honor me for all time, for their own good and the good of their descendants.


text:
 I will make an eternal covenant with them. I will never stop doing good things for them, and I will make them fear me with all their heart, so that they will never turn away from me.


text:
 I will take pleasure in doing good things for them, and I will establish them permanently in this land.


text:
 "Just as I have brought this disaster on these people, so I am going to give them all the good things that I have promised.


text:
 The people are saying that this land will be like a desert where neither people nor animals live, and that it will be given over to the Babylonians. But fields will once again be bought in this land.


text:
 People will buy them, and the deeds will be signed, sealed, and witnessed. This will take place in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem, in the towns of Judah, and in the towns in the hill country, in the foothills, and in southern Judah. I will restore the people to their land. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 The LORD, who made the earth, who formed it and set it in place, spoke to me. He whose name is the LORD said,


text:
 "Call to me, and I will answer you; I will tell you wonderful and marvelous things that you know nothing about.


text:
 I, the LORD, the God of Israel, say that the houses of Jerusalem and the royal palace of Judah will be torn down as a result of the siege and the attack.


text:
 Some will fight against the Babylonians, who will fill the houses with the corpses of those whom I am going to strike down in my anger and fury. I have turned away from this city because of the evil things that its people have done.


text:
 But I will heal this city and its people and restore them to health. I will show them abundant peace and security.


text:
 I will purify them from the sins that they have committed against me, and I will forgive their sins and their rebellion.


text:
 Jerusalem will be a source of joy, honor, and pride to me; and every nation in the world will fear and tremble when they hear about the good things that I do for the people of Jerusalem and about the prosperity that I bring to the city."


text:
 The LORD said, "People are saying that this place is like a desert, that it has no people or animals living in it. And they are right; the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem are empty; no people or animals live there. But in these places you will hear again


text:
 the shouts of gladness and joy and the happy sounds of wedding feasts. You will hear people sing as they bring thank offerings to my Temple; they will say, 'Give thanks to the LORD Almighty, because he is good and his love is eternal.' I will make this land as prosperous as it was before. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 The LORD Almighty said, "In this land that is like a desert and where no people or animals live, there will once again be pastures where shepherds can take their sheep.


text:
 In the towns in the hill country, in the foothills, and in southern Judah, in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem, and in the towns of Judah, shepherds will once again count their sheep. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 The LORD said, "The time is coming when I will fulfill the promise that I made to the people of Israel and Judah.


text:
 At that time I will choose as king a righteous descendant of David. That king will do what is right and just throughout the land.


text:
 The people of Judah and of Jerusalem will be rescued and will live in safety. The city will be called 'The LORD Our Salvation.'


text:
 and that there will always be priests from the tribe of Levi to serve me and to offer burnt offerings, grain offerings, and sacrifices."


text:
 "I have made a covenant with the day and with the night, so that they always come at their proper times; and that covenant can never be broken.


text:
 In the same way I have made a covenant with my servant David that he would always have a descendant to be king, and I have made a covenant with the priests from the tribe of Levi that they would always serve me; and those covenants can never be broken.


text:
 I will increase the number of descendants of my servant David and the number of priests from the tribe of Levi, so that it will be as impossible to count them as it is to count the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the seashore."


text:
 "Have you noticed how people are saying that I have rejected Israel and Judah, the two families that I chose? And so they look with contempt on my people and no longer consider them a nation.


text:
 But I, the LORD, have a covenant with day and night, and I have made the laws that control earth and sky.


text:
 And just as surely as I have done this, so I will maintain my covenant with Jacob's descendants and with my servant David. I will choose one of David's descendants to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will be merciful to my people and make them prosperous again."


text:
 The LORD spoke to me when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia and his army, supported by troops from all the nations and races that were subject to him, were attacking Jerusalem and its nearby towns.


text:
 The LORD, the God of Israel, told me to go and say to King Zedekiah of Judah, "I, the LORD, will hand this city over to the king of Babylonia, and he will burn it down.


text:
 You will not escape; you will be captured and handed over to him. You will see him face-to-face and talk to him in person; then you will go to Babylonia.


text:
 You will die in peace, and as people burned incense when they buried your ancestors, who were kings before you, in the same way they will burn incense for you. They will mourn over you and say, 'Our king is dead!' I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 while the army of the king of Babylonia was attacking the city. The army was also attacking Lachish and Azekah, the only other fortified cities left in Judah.


text:
 All the people and their leaders agreed to free their slaves and never to enslave them again. They did set them free,


text:
 the God of Israel, told me to say to the people: "I made a covenant with your ancestors when I rescued them from Egypt and set them free from slavery. I told them that


text:
 every seven years they were to set free any Hebrew slave who had served them for six years. But your ancestors would not pay any attention to me or listen to what I said.


text:
 Just a few days ago you changed your minds and did what pleased me. All of you agreed to set all Israelites free, and you made a covenant in my presence, in the Temple where I am worshiped.


text:
 But then you changed your minds again and dishonored me. All of you took back the slaves whom you had set free as they desired, and you forced them into slavery again.


text:
 So now, I, the LORD, say that you have disobeyed me; you have not given all Israelites their freedom. Very well, then, I will give you freedom: the freedom to die by war, disease, and starvation. I will make every nation in the world horrified at what I do to you.


text:
 The officials of Judah and of Jerusalem, together with the palace officials, the priests, and all the leaders, made a covenant with me by walking between the two halves of a bull that they had cut in two. But they broke the covenant and did not keep its terms. So I will do to these people what they did to the bull.


text:
 I will hand them over to their enemies, who want to kill them, and their corpses will be eaten by birds and wild animals.


text:
 I will also hand over King Zedekiah of Judah and his officials to those who want to kill them. I will hand them over to the Babylonian army, which has stopped its attack against you.


text:
 I will give the order, and they will return to this city. They will attack it, capture it, and burn it down. I will make the towns of Judah like a desert where no one lives. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 "Go to the members of the Rechabite clan and talk to them. Then bring them into one of the rooms in the Temple and offer them some wine."


text:
 So I took the entire Rechabite clan---Jaazaniah (the son of another Jeremiah, who was Habazziniah's son) and all his brothers and sons---


text:
 and brought them to the Temple. I took them into the room of the disciples of the prophet Hanan son of Igdaliah. This room was above the room of Maaseiah son of Shallum, an important official in the Temple, and near the rooms of the other officials.


text:
 Then I placed cups and bowls full of wine before the Rechabites, and I said to them, "Have some wine."


text:
 But they answered, "We do not drink wine. Our ancestor Jonadab son of Rechab told us that neither we nor our descendants were ever to drink any wine.


text:
 He also told us not to build houses or farm the land and not to plant vineyards or buy them. He commanded us always to live in tents, so that we might remain in this land where we live like strangers.


text:
 We have obeyed all the instructions that Jonadab gave us. We ourselves never drink wine, and neither do our wives, our sons, or our daughters.


text:
 We do not build houses for homes---we live in tents---and we own no vineyards, fields, or grain. We have fully obeyed everything that our ancestor Jonadab commanded us.


text:
 But when King Nebuchadnezzar invaded the country, we decided to come to Jerusalem to get away from the Babylonian and Syrian armies. That is why we are living in Jerusalem."


text:
 Then the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, told me to go and say to the people of Judah and Jerusalem, "I, the LORD, ask you why you refuse to listen to me and to obey my instructions.


text:
 Jonadab's descendants have obeyed his command not to drink wine, and to this very day none of them drink any. But I have kept on speaking to you, and you have not obeyed me.


text:
 I have continued to send you all my servants the prophets, and they have told you to give up your evil ways and to do what is right. They warned you not to worship and serve other gods, so that you could go on living in the land that I gave you and your ancestors. But you would not listen to me or pay any attention to me.


text:
 Jonadab's descendants have obeyed the command that their ancestor gave them, but you people have not obeyed me.


text:
 So now, I, the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, will bring on you people of Judah and of Jerusalem all the destruction that I promised. I will do this because you would not listen when I spoke to you, and you would not answer when I called you."


text:
 Then I told the Rechabite clan that the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, had said, "You have obeyed the command that your ancestor Jonadab gave you; you have followed all his instructions, and you have done everything he commanded you.


text:
 So I, the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, promise that Jonadab son of Rechab will always have a male descendant to serve me."


text:
 "Get a scroll and write on it everything that I have told you about Israel and Judah and all the nations. Write everything that I have told you from the time I first spoke to you, when Josiah was king, up to the present.


text:
 Perhaps when the people of Judah hear about all the destruction that I intend to bring on them, they will turn from their evil ways. Then I will forgive their wickedness and their sins."


text:
 So I called Baruch son of Neriah and dictated to him everything that the LORD had said to me. And Baruch wrote it all down on a scroll.


text:
 But I want you to go there the next time the people are fasting. You are to read the scroll aloud, so that they will hear everything that the LORD has said to me and that I have dictated to you. Do this where everyone can hear you, including the people of Judah who have come in from their towns.


text:
 Perhaps they will pray to the LORD and turn from their evil ways, because the LORD has threatened this people with his terrible anger and fury."


text:
 In the ninth month of the fifth year that Jehoiakim was king of Judah, the people fasted to gain the LORD's favor. The fast was kept by all who lived in Jerusalem and by all who came there from the towns of Judah.


text:
 Then, while all the people were listening, Baruch read from the scroll everything that I had said. He did this in the Temple, from the room of Gemariah son of Shaphan, the court secretary. His room was in the upper court near the entrance of the New Gate of the Temple.


text:
 Micaiah, the son of Gemariah and grandson of Shaphan, heard Baruch read from the scroll what the LORD had said.


text:
 Then he went to the royal palace, to the room of the court secretary, where all the officials were in session. Elishama, the court secretary, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Achbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the other officials were there.


text:
 Then the officials sent Jehudi (the son of Nethaniah, grandson of Shelemiah, and great-grandson of Cushi) to tell Baruch to bring the scroll that he had read to the people. Baruch brought them the scroll.


text:
 After he had read it, they turned to one another in alarm and said to Baruch, "We must report this to the king."


text:
 Then they asked him, "Tell us, now, how did you come to write all this? Did Jeremiah dictate it to you?"


text:
 Baruch answered, "Jeremiah dictated every word of it to me, and I wrote it down in ink on this scroll."


text:
 The officials put the scroll in the room of Elishama, the court secretary, and went to the king's court, where they reported everything to the king.


text:
 Then the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll. He took it from the room of Elishama and read it to the king and all the officials who were standing around him.


text:
 As soon as Jehudi finished reading three or four columns, the king cut them off with a small knife and threw them into the fire. He kept doing this until the entire scroll was burned up.


text:
 But neither the king nor any of his officials who heard all this was afraid or showed any sign of sorrow.


text:
 Although Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah begged the king not to burn the scroll, he paid no attention to them.


text:
 Then he ordered Prince Jerahmeel, together with Seraiah son of Azriel and Shelemiah son of Abdeel, to arrest me and my secretary Baruch. But the LORD had hidden us.


text:
 The LORD told me to say to the king, "You have burned the scroll, and you have asked Jeremiah why he wrote that the king of Babylonia would come and destroy this land and kill its people and its animals.


text:
 So now, I, the LORD, say to you, King Jehoiakim, that no descendant of yours will ever rule over David's kingdom. Your corpse will be thrown out where it will be exposed to the sun during the day and to the frost at night.


text:
 I will punish you, your descendants, and your officials because of the sins all of you commit. Neither you nor the people of Jerusalem and of Judah have paid any attention to my warnings, and so I will bring on all of you the disaster that I have threatened."


text:
 Then I took another scroll and gave it to my secretary Baruch, and he wrote down everything that I dictated. He wrote everything that had been on the first scroll and similar messages that I dictated to him.


text:
 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia made Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah in the place of Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim.


text:
 But neither Zedekiah nor his officials nor the people obeyed the message which the LORD had given me.


text:
 King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah to ask me to pray to the LORD our God on behalf of our nation.


text:
 The Babylonian army had been besieging Jerusalem, but when they heard that the Egyptian army had crossed the Egyptian border, they retreated.


text:
 I, the LORD, warn you not to deceive yourselves into thinking that the Babylonians will not come back, because they will.


text:
 Even if you defeat the whole Babylonian army, so that only wounded men are left, lying in their tents, they would still get up and burn this city to the ground."


text:
 So I started to leave Jerusalem and go to the territory of Benjamin to take possession of my share of the family property.


text:
 But when I reached the Benjamin Gate, the officer in charge of the soldiers on duty there, a man by the name of Irijah, the son of Shelemiah and grandson of Hananiah, stopped me and said, "You are deserting to the Babylonians!"


text:
 I answered, "That's not so! I'm not deserting." But Irijah would not listen to me. Instead, he arrested me and took me to the officials.


text:
 They were furious with me and had me beaten and locked up in the house of Jonathan, the court secretary, whose house had been made into a prison.


text:
 Later on King Zedekiah sent for me, and there in the palace he asked me privately, "Is there any message from the LORD?" "There is," I answered, and added, "You will be handed over to the king of Babylonia."


text:
 Then I asked, "What crime have I committed against you or your officials or this people, to make you put me in prison?


text:
 What happened to your prophets who told you that the king of Babylonia would not attack you or the country?


text:
 And now, Your Majesty, I beg you to listen to me and do what I ask. Please do not send me back to the prison in Jonathan's house. If you do, I will surely die there."


text:
 So King Zedekiah ordered me to be locked up in the palace courtyard. I stayed there, and each day I was given a loaf of bread from the bakeries until all the bread in the city was gone.


text:
 Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jehucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchiah heard that I was telling the people that


text:
 the LORD had said, "Whoever stays on in the city will die in war or of starvation or disease. But those who go out and surrender to the Babylonians will not be killed; they will at least escape with their life."


text:
 I was also telling them that the LORD had said, "I am going to give the city to the Babylonian army, and they will capture it."


text:
 Then the officials went to the king and said, "This man must be put to death. By talking like this he is making the soldiers in the city lose their courage, and he is doing the same thing to everyone else left in the city. He is not trying to help the people; he only wants to hurt them."


text:
 So they took me and let me down by ropes into Prince Malchiah's well, which was in the palace courtyard. There was no water in the well, only mud, and I sank down in it.


text:
 However, Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, a eunuch who worked in the royal palace, heard that they had put me in the well. At that time the king was holding court at the Benjamin Gate.


text:
 "Your Majesty, what these men have done is wrong. They have put Jeremiah in the well, where he is sure to die of starvation, since there is no more food in the city."


text:
 Then the king ordered Ebedmelech to take with him three men and to pull me out of the well before I died.


text:
 So Ebedmelech went with the men to the palace storeroom and got some worn-out clothing which he let down to me by ropes.


text:
 On another occasion King Zedekiah had me brought to him at the third entrance to the Temple, and he said, "I am going to ask you a question, and I want you to tell me the whole truth."


text:
 I answered, "If I tell you the truth, you will put me to death, and if I give you advice, you won't pay any attention."


text:
 So King Zedekiah promised me in secret, "I swear by the living God, the God who gave us life, that I will not put you to death or hand you over to the men who want to kill you."


text:
 Then I told Zedekiah that the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, had said, "If you surrender to the king of Babylonia's officers, your life will be spared, and this city will not be burned down. Both you and your family will be spared.


text:
 But if you do not surrender, then this city will be handed over to the Babylonians, who will burn it down, and you will not escape from them."


text:
 But the king answered, "I am afraid of our own people who have deserted to the Babylonians. I may be handed over to them and tortured."


text:
 I said, "You will not be handed over to them. I beg you to obey the LORD's message; then all will go well with you, and your life will be spared.


text:
 In it I saw all the women left in Judah's royal palace being led out to the king of Babylonia's officers. Listen to what they were saying as they went: 'The king's best friends misled him, they overruled him. And now that his feet have sunk in the mud, his friends have left him.' "


text:
 Then I added, "All your women and children will be taken out to the Babylonians, and you yourself will not escape from them. You will be taken prisoner by the king of Babylonia, and this city will be burned to the ground."


text:
 Zedekiah replied, "Don't let anyone know about this conversation, and your life will not be in danger.


text:
 If the officials hear that I have talked with you, they will come and ask you what we said. They will promise not to put you to death if you tell them everything.


text:
 Then all the officials came and questioned me, and I told them exactly what the king had told me to say. There was nothing else they could do, because no one had overheard the conversation.


text:
 In the tenth month of the ninth year that Zedekiah was king of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia came with his whole army and attacked Jerusalem.


text:
 On the ninth day of the fourth month of Zedekiah's eleventh year as king, the city walls were broken through.


text:
 (When Jerusalem was captured, all the high officials of the king of Babylonia came and took their places at the Middle Gate, including Nergal Sharezer, Samgar Nebo, Sarsechim, and another Nergal Sharezer. )


text:
 When King Zedekiah and all his soldiers saw what was happening, they tried to escape from the city during the night. They left by way of the royal garden, went through the gateway connecting the two walls, and escaped in the direction of the Jordan Valley.


text:
 But the Babylonian army pursued them and captured Zedekiah in the plains near Jericho. Then they took him to King Nebuchadnezzar, who was in the city of Riblah in the territory of Hamath, and there Nebuchadnezzar passed sentence on him.


text:
 At Riblah he put Zedekiah's sons to death while Zedekiah was looking on, and he also had the officials of Judah executed.


text:
 Meanwhile, the Babylonians burned down the royal palace and the houses of the people and tore down the walls of Jerusalem.


text:
 Finally Nebuzaradan, the commanding officer, took away as prisoners to Babylonia the people who were left in the city, together with those who had deserted to him.


text:
 He left in the land of Judah some of the poorest people, who owned no property, and he gave them vineyards and fields.


text:
 But King Nebuchadnezzar commanded Nebuzaradan, the commanding officer, to give the following order:


text:
 "Go and find Jeremiah and take good care of him. Do not harm him, but do for him whatever he wants."


text:
 So Nebuzaradan, together with the high officials Nebushazban and Nergal Sharezer and all the other officers of the king of Babylonia,


text:
 had me brought from the palace courtyard. They put me under the care of Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan, who was to see that I got home safely. And so I stayed there among the people.


text:
 to tell Ebedmelech the Ethiopian that the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, had said, "Just as I said I would, I am going to bring upon this city destruction and not prosperity. And when this happens, you will be there to see it.


text:
 But I, the LORD, will protect you, and you will not be handed over to the people you are afraid of.


text:
 I will keep you safe, and you will not be put to death. You will escape with your life because you have put your trust in me. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 The LORD spoke to me after Nebuzaradan, the commanding officer, had set me free at Ramah. I had been taken there in chains, along with all the other people from Jerusalem and Judah who were being taken away as prisoners to Babylonia.


text:
 The commanding officer took me aside and said, "The LORD your God threatened this land with destruction,


text:
 and now he has done what he said he would. All this happened because your people sinned against the LORD and disobeyed him.


text:
 Now, I am taking the chains off your wrists and setting you free. If you want to go to Babylonia with me, you may do so, and I will take care of you. But if you don't want to go, you don't have to. You have the whole country to choose from, and you may go wherever you wish."


text:
 When I did not answer, Nebuzaradan said, "Go back to Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylonia has made governor of the towns of Judah. You may stay with him and live among the people, or you may go anywhere you think you should." Then he gave me a present and some food to take with me, and let me go on my way.


text:
 Some of the Judean officers and soldiers had not surrendered. They heard that the king of Babylonia had made Gedaliah governor of the land and had placed him in charge of all those who had not been taken away to Babylonia---the poorest people in the land.


text:
 So Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai from Netophah, and Jezaniah from Maacah went with their men to Gedaliah at Mizpah.


text:
 Gedaliah said to them, "I give you my word that there is no need for you to be afraid to surrender to the Babylonians. Settle in this land, serve the king of Babylonia, and all will go well with you.


text:
 I myself will stay in Mizpah and be your representative when the Babylonians come here. But you can gather and store up wine, fruit, and olive oil, and live in the villages you occupy."


text:
 Meanwhile, all the Israelites who were in Moab, Ammon, Edom, and other countries, heard that the king of Babylonia had allowed some Israelites to stay on in Judah and that he had made Gedaliah their governor.


text:
 So they left the places where they had been scattered, and returned to Judah. They came to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and there they gathered in large amounts of wine and fruit.


text:
 After this, Johanan and the leaders of the soldiers who had not surrendered came to Gedaliah at Mizpah


text:
 and said to him, "Don't you know that King Baalis of Ammon has sent Ishmael to murder you?" But Gedaliah did not believe it.


text:
 Then Johanan said privately to him, "Let me go and kill Ishmael, and no one will know who did it. Why should he be allowed to murder you? That would cause all the Jews who have gathered around you to be scattered, and it would bring disaster on all the people who are left in Judah."


text:
 In the seventh month of that year, Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah and grandson of Elishama, a member of the royal family and one of the king's chief officers, went to Mizpah with ten men to see Governor Gedaliah. While they were all eating a meal together,


text:
 Ishmael also killed all the Israelites who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah and the Babylonian soldiers who happened to be there.


text:
 eighty men arrived from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria. They had shaved off their beards, torn their clothes, and gashed themselves. They were taking grain and incense to offer in the Temple.


text:
 So Ishmael went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he went. When he came to them, he said, "Please come in to see Gedaliah."


text:
 As soon as they were inside the city, Ishmael and his men killed them and threw their bodies in a well.


text:
 But there were ten men in the group who said to Ishmael, "Please don't kill us! We have wheat, barley, olive oil, and honey hidden in the fields." So he spared them.


text:
 The well into which Ishmael threw the bodies of the men he had killed was the large one that King Asa had dug when he was being attacked by King Baasha of Israel. Ishmael filled the well with the bodies.


text:
 Then he made prisoners of the king's daughters and all the rest of the people in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the commanding officer had placed under the care of Gedaliah. Ishmael took them prisoner and started off in the direction of the territory of Ammon.


text:
 Then Johanan and the leaders of the forces with him took charge of the people whom Ishmael had taken away as prisoners from Mizpah after murdering Gedaliah---soldiers, women, children, and eunuchs.


text:
 They were afraid of the Babylonians because Ishmael had murdered Gedaliah, whom the king of Babylonia had made governor of the land. So they set out for Egypt, in order to get away from the Babylonians. On the way they stopped at Chimham near Bethlehem.


text:
 Then all the army leaders, including Johanan son of Kareah and Azariah son of Hoshaiah, came with people of every class


text:
 and said to me, "Please do what we ask you! Pray to the LORD our God for us. Pray for all of us who have survived. Once there were many of us; but now only a few of us are left, as you can see.


text:
 I answered, "Very well, then. I will pray to the LORD our God, just as you have asked, and whatever he says, I will tell you. I will not keep back anything from you."


text:
 Then they said to me, "May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not obey all the commands that the LORD our God gives you for us.


text:
 Whether it pleases us or not, we will obey the LORD our God, to whom we are asking you to pray. All will go well with us if we obey him."


text:
 'If you are willing to go on living in this land, then I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not pull you up. The destruction I brought on you has caused me great sorrow.


text:
 Because I am merciful, I will make him have mercy on you and let you go back home. I, the LORD, have spoken.'


text:
 "But you people who are left in Judah must not disobey the LORD your God and refuse to live in this land. You must not say, 'No, we will go and live in Egypt, where we won't face war any more or hear the call to battle or go hungry.' If you say this, then the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says, 'If you are determined to go and live in Egypt,


text:
 then the war that you fear will overtake you, and the hunger you dread will follow you, and you will die there in Egypt.


text:
 All the people who are determined to go and live in Egypt will die either in war or of starvation or disease. Not one of them will survive, not one will escape the disaster that I am going to bring on them.'


text:
 "The LORD, the God of Israel, says, 'Just as my anger and fury were poured out on the people of Jerusalem, so my fury will be poured out on you if you go to Egypt. You will be a horrifying sight; people will make fun of you and use your name as a curse. You will never see this place again.' "


text:
 Then I continued, "The LORD has told you people who are left in Judah not to go to Egypt. And so I warn you now


text:
 that you are making a fatal mistake. You asked me to pray to the LORD our God for you, and you promised that you would do everything that he commands.


text:
 And now I have told you, but you are disobeying everything that the LORD our God sent me to tell you.


text:
 So then, remember this: you will die in war or of starvation or disease in the land where you want to go and live."


text:
 Then Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah and all the other arrogant men said to me, "You are lying. The LORD our God did not send you to tell us not to go and live in Egypt.


text:
 Baruch son of Neriah has stirred you up against us, so that the Babylonians will gain power over us and can either kill us or take us away to Babylonia."


text:
 So neither Johanan nor any of the army officers nor any of the people would obey the LORD's command to remain in the land of Judah.


text:
 Then Johanan and all the army officers took everybody left in Judah away to Egypt, together with all the people who had returned from the nations where they had been scattered:


text:
 the men, the women, the children, and the king's daughters. They took everyone whom Nebuzaradan the commanding officer had left under the care of Gedaliah, including Baruch and me.


text:
 "Get some large stones and bury them in the mortar of the pavement in front of the entrance to the government building here in the city, and let some of the Israelites see you do it.


text:
 Then tell them that I, the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, am going to bring my servant King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia to this place, and he will put his throne over these stones that you buried, and will spread the royal tent over them.


text:
 Nebuchadnezzar will come and defeat Egypt. Those people who are doomed to die of disease will die of disease, those doomed to be taken away as prisoners will be taken away as prisoners, and those doomed to be killed in war will be killed in war.


text:
 I will set fire to the temples of Egypt's gods, and the king of Babylonia will either burn their gods or carry them off. As shepherds pick their clothes clean of lice, so the king of Babylonia will pick the land of Egypt clean and then leave victorious.


text:
 He will destroy the sacred stone monuments at Heliopolis in Egypt and will burn down the temples of the Egyptian gods."


text:
 The LORD spoke to me concerning all the Israelites living in Egypt, in the cities of Migdol, Tahpanhes, and Memphis, and in the southern part of the country.


text:
 The LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, said, "You yourselves have seen the destruction I brought on Jerusalem and all the other cities of Judah. Even now they are still in ruins, and no one lives in them


text:
 because their people had done evil and had made me angry. They offered sacrifices to other gods and served gods that neither they nor you nor your ancestors ever worshiped.


text:
 I kept sending you my servants the prophets, who told you not to do this terrible thing that I hate.


text:
 But you would not listen or pay any attention. You would not give up your evil practice of sacrificing to other gods.


text:
 So I poured out my anger and fury on the towns of Judah and on the streets of Jerusalem, and I set them on fire. They were left in ruins and became a horrifying sight, as they are today.


text:
 "And so I, the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, now ask why you are doing such an evil thing to yourselves. Do you want to bring destruction on men and women, children and babies, so that none of your people will be left?


text:
 Why do you make me angry by worshiping idols and by sacrificing to other gods here in Egypt, where you have come to live? Are you doing this just to destroy yourselves, so that every nation on earth will make fun of you and use your name as a curse?


text:
 Have you forgotten all the wicked things that have been done in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem by your ancestors, by the kings of Judah and their wives, and by you and your wives?


text:
 But to this day you have not humbled yourselves. You have not honored me or lived according to all the laws that I gave you and your ancestors.


text:
 As for the people of Judah who are left and are determined to go and live in Egypt, I will see to it that all of them are destroyed. All of them, great and small, will die in Egypt, either in war or of starvation. They will be a horrifying sight; people will make fun of them and use their name as a curse.


text:
 I will punish those who live in Egypt, just as I punished Jerusalem---with war, starvation, and disease.


text:
 None of the people of Judah who are left and have come to Egypt to live will escape or survive. Not one of them will return to Judah, where they long to live once again. No one will return except a few refugees."


text:
 Then all the men who knew that their wives offered sacrifices to other gods, and all the women who were standing there, including the Israelites who lived in southern Egypt---a large crowd in all---said to me,


text:
 We will do everything that we said we would. We will offer sacrifices to our goddess, the Queen of Heaven, and we will pour out wine offerings to her, just as we and our ancestors, our king and our leaders, used to do in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. Then we had plenty of food, we were prosperous, and had no troubles.


text:
 But ever since we stopped sacrificing to the Queen of Heaven and stopped pouring out wine offerings to her, we have had nothing, and our people have died in war and of starvation."


text:
 And the women added, "When we baked cakes shaped like the Queen of Heaven, offered sacrifices to her, and poured out wine offerings to her, our husbands approved of what we were doing."


text:
 "As for the sacrifices which you and your ancestors, your kings and your leaders, and the people of the land offered in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem---do you think that the LORD did not know about them or that he forgot them?


text:
 This very day your land lies in ruins and no one lives in it. It has become a horrifying sight, and people use its name as a curse because the LORD could no longer endure your wicked and evil practices.


text:
 This present disaster has come on you because you offered sacrifices to other gods and sinned against the LORD by not obeying all his commands."


text:
 I told all the people, especially the women, what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, was saying to the people of Judah living in Egypt: "Both you and your wives have made solemn promises to the Queen of Heaven. You promised that you would offer sacrifices to her and pour out wine offerings to her, and you have kept your promises. Very well, then! Keep your promises! Carry out your vows!


text:
 But now listen to the vow that I, the LORD, have made in my mighty name to all you Israelites in Egypt: Never again will I let any of you use my name to make a vow by saying, 'I swear by the living Sovereign LORD!'


text:
 I will see to it that you will not prosper, but will be destroyed. All of you will die, either in war or of disease, until not one of you is left.


text:
 But a few of you will escape death and return from Egypt to Judah. Then the survivors will know whose words have come true, mine or theirs.


text:
 I, the LORD, will give you proof that I will punish you in this place and that my promise to bring destruction on you will come true.


text:
 I will hand over King Hophra of Egypt to his enemies who want to kill him, just as I handed over King Zedekiah of Judah to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia, who was his enemy and wanted to kill him."


text:
 In the fourth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king of Judah, Baruch wrote down what I had dictated to him. Then I told him


text:
 you are saying, 'I give up! The LORD has added sorrow to my troubles. I am worn out from groaning, and I can't find any rest!'


text:
 "But I, the LORD, am tearing down what I have built and pulling up what I have planted. I will do this to the entire earth.


text:
 Are you looking for special treatment for yourself ? Don't do it. I am bringing disaster on all people, but you will at least escape with your life, wherever you go. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 beginning with Egypt. This is what he said about the army of King Neco of Egypt, which King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia defeated at Carchemish near the Euphrates River in the fourth year that Jehoiakim was king of Judah:


text:
 Harness your horses and mount them! Fall in line and put on your helmets! Sharpen your spears! Put on your armor!'


text:
 "But what do I see?" asks the LORD. "They are turning back in terror. Their soldiers are beaten back; overcome with fear, they run as fast as they can and do not look back.


text:
 Those who run fast cannot get away; the soldiers cannot escape. In the north, by the Euphrates, they stumble and fall.


text:
 It is Egypt, rising like the Nile, like a river flooding its banks. Egypt said, 'I will rise and cover the world; I will destroy cities and the people who live there.


text:
 Command the horses to go and the chariots to roll! Send out the soldiers: men from Ethiopia and Libya, carrying shields, and skilled archers from Lydia.' "


text:
 This is the day of the Sovereign LORD Almighty: today he will take revenge; today he will punish his enemies. His sword will eat them until it is full, and drink their blood until it is satisfied. Today the Almighty sacrifices his victims in the north, by the Euphrates.


text:
 People of Egypt, go to Gilead and look for medicine! All your medicine has proved useless; nothing can heal you.


text:
 Nations have heard of your shame; everyone has heard you cry. One soldier trips over another, and both of them fall to the ground.


text:
 "Proclaim it in the towns of Egypt, in Migdol, Memphis, and Tahpanhes: 'Get ready to defend yourselves; all you have will be destroyed in war!


text:
 Your soldiers have stumbled and fallen; each one says to the other, 'Hurry! Let's go home to our people and escape the enemy's sword!'


text:
 I, the LORD Almighty, am king. I am the living God. As Mount Tabor towers above the mountains and Mount Carmel stands high above the sea, so will be the strength of the one who attacks you.


text:
 Get ready to be taken prisoner, you people of Egypt! Memphis will be made a desert, a ruin where no one lives.


text:
 Even her hired soldiers are helpless as calves. They did not stand and fight; all of them turned and ran. The day of their doom had arrived, the time of their destruction.


text:
 Egypt runs away, hissing like a snake, as the enemy's army approaches. They attack her with axes, like people cutting down trees


text:
 The people of Egypt are put to shame; they are conquered by the people of the north. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 The LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says, "I am going to punish Amon, the god of Thebes, together with Egypt and its gods and kings. I am going to take the king of Egypt and all who put their trust in him,


text:
 and hand them over to those who want to kill them, to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia and his army. But later on, people will live in Egypt again, as they did in times past. I, the LORD, have spoken.


text:
 "My people, do not be afraid, people of Israel, do not be terrified. I will rescue you from that faraway land, from the land where you are prisoners. You will come back home and live in peace; you will be secure, and no one will make you afraid.


text:
 He said: "Look! Waters are rising in the north and will rush like a river in flood. They will cover the land and everything on it, cities and the people who live there. People will call out for help; everyone on earth will cry bitterly.


text:
 They will hear the hoofbeats of horses, the clatter of chariots, the rumble of wheels. Parents will not turn back for their children; their hands will hang limp at their sides.


text:
 The time has come to destroy Philistia, to cut off from Tyre and Sidon all the help that remains. I, the LORD, will destroy the Philistines, all who came from the shores of Crete.


text:
 Great sorrow has come to the people of Gaza, and Ashkelon's people are silent. How long will the rest of Philistia mourn?


text:
 You cry out, 'Sword of the LORD! How long will you go on slashing? Go back to your scabbard, stay there and rest!'


text:
 But how can it rest, when I have given it work to do? I have commanded it to attack Ashkelon and the people who live on the coast."


text:
 This is what the LORD Almighty said about Moab: "Pity the people of Nebo--- their town is destroyed! Kiriathaim is captured, its mighty fortress torn down, and its people put to shame;


text:
 the splendor of Moab is gone. The enemy have captured Heshbon and plot to destroy the nation of Moab. The town of Madmen will be silenced; armies will march against it.


text:
 Hear the sound of their sobs along the road up to Luhith, the cries of distress on the way down to Horonaim.


text:
 "Moab, you trusted in your strength and your wealth, but now even you will be conquered; your god Chemosh will go into exile, along with his princes and priests.


text:
 Not a town will escape the destruction; both valley and plain will be ruined. I, the LORD, have spoken.


text:
 Set up a tombstone for Moab; it will soon be destroyed. Its towns will be left in ruins, and no one will live there again."


text:
 (Curse those who do not do the LORD's work with all their heart! Curse those who do not slash and kill!)


text:
 The LORD said, "Moab has always lived secure and has never been taken into exile. Moab is like wine left to settle undisturbed and never poured from jar to jar. Its flavor has never been ruined, and it tastes as good as ever.


text:
 "So now, the time is coming when I will send people to pour Moab out like wine. They will empty its wine jars and break them in pieces.


text:
 Then the Moabites will be disillusioned with their god Chemosh, just as the Israelites were disillusioned with Bethel, a god in whom they trusted.


text:
 Moab and its cities are destroyed; its finest young men have been slaughtered. I am the king, the LORD Almighty, and I have spoken.


text:
 "Mourn for that nation, you that live nearby, all of you that know its fame. Say, 'Its powerful rule has been broken; its glory and might are no more.'


text:
 You that live in Dibon, come down from your place of honor and sit on the ground in the dust; Moab's destroyer is here and has left its forts in ruins.


text:
 You that live in Aroer, stand by the road and wait; ask those who are running away, find out from them what has happened.


text:
 'Moab has fallen,' they will answer, 'weep for it; it is disgraced. Announce along the Arnon River that Moab is destroyed!'


text:
 The LORD said, "Make Moab drunk, because it has rebelled against me. Moab will roll in its own vomit, and people will laugh.


text:
 Moab, remember how you made fun of the people of Israel? You treated them as though they had been caught with a gang of robbers.


text:
 "You people who live in Moab, leave your towns! Go and live on the cliffs! Be like the dove that makes its nest in the sides of a ravine.


text:
 Moab is very proud! I have heard how proud, arrogant, and conceited the people are, how much they think of themselves.


text:
 I, the LORD, know of their arrogance. Their boasts amount to nothing, and the things they do will not last.


text:
 I will cry for the people of Sibmah, even more than for the people of Jazer. City of Sibmah, you are like a vine whose branches reach across the Dead Sea and go as far as Jazer. But now your summer fruits and your grapes have been destroyed.


text:
 Happiness and joy have been taken away from the fertile land of Moab. I have made the wine stop flowing from the wine presses; there is no one to make the wine and shout for joy.


text:
 "The people of Heshbon and Elealeh cry out, and their cry can be heard as far as Jahaz; it can be heard by the people in Zoar, and it is heard as far as Horonaim and Eglath Shelishiyah. Even Nimrim Brook has dried up.


text:
 I will stop the people of Moab from making burnt offerings at their places of worship and from offering sacrifices to their gods. I, the LORD, have spoken.


text:
 "So my heart mourns for Moab and for the people of Kir Heres, like someone playing a funeral song on a flute, because everything they owned is gone.


text:
 All of them have shaved their heads and cut off their beards. They have all made gashes on their hands, and everyone is wearing sackcloth.


text:
 On all the housetops of Moab and in all its public squares there is nothing but mourning, because I have broken Moab like a jar that no one wants.


text:
 Moab has been shattered! Cry out! Moab has been disgraced. It is in ruins, and all the surrounding nations make fun of it. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 The LORD has promised that a nation will swoop down on Moab like an eagle with its outspread wings,


text:
 and the towns and fortresses will be captured. On that day Moab's soldiers will be as frightened as a woman in labor.


text:
 Whoever tries to escape the terror will fall into the pits, and whoever climbs out of the pits will be caught in the traps, because the LORD has set the time for Moab's destruction.


text:
 Helpless refugees try to find protection in Heshbon, the city that King Sihon once ruled, but it is in flames. Fire has burned up the frontiers and the mountain heights of the war-loving people of Moab.


text:
 Pity the people of Moab! The people who worshiped Chemosh have been destroyed, and their sons and daughters have been taken away as prisoners.


text:
 But in days to come the LORD will make Moab prosperous again. All of this is what the LORD has said will happen to Moab.


text:
 This is what the LORD said about Ammon: "Where are the men of Israel? Is there no one to defend their land? Why have they let the people who worship Molech take the territory of the tribe of Gad and settle there?


text:
 But the time is coming when I will make the people of the capital city of Rabbah hear the noise of battle, and it will be left in ruins and its villages burned to the ground. Then Israel will take its land back from those who took it from them.


text:
 People of Heshbon, cry out! Ai is destroyed! Women of Rabbah, go into mourning! Put on sackcloth and mourn. Run about in confusion. Your god Molech will be taken into exile, together with his priests and princes.


text:
 Why do you unfaithful people boast? Your strength is failing. Why do you trust in your power and say that no one would dare attack you?


text:
 I will bring terror on you from every side. You will all run away. Each one will run for his life, and there will be no one to bring your troops together again.


text:
 This is what the LORD Almighty said about Edom: "Have the people of Edom lost their good judgment? Can their advisers no longer tell them what to do? Has all their wisdom disappeared?


text:
 People of Dedan, turn and run! Hide! I am going to destroy Esau's descendants because the time has come for me to punish them.


text:
 When people pick grapes, they leave a few on the vines, and when robbers come at night, they take only what they want.


text:
 But I have stripped Esau's descendants completely and uncovered their hiding places, so that they can no longer hide. All the people of Edom are destroyed. Not one of them is left.


text:
 "If even those who did not deserve to be punished had to drink from the cup of punishment, do you think that you will go unpunished? No, you must drink from the cup!


text:
 I myself have sworn that the city of Bozrah will become a horrifying sight and a desert; people will make fun of it and use its name as a curse. All the nearby villages will be in ruins forever. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 I said, "Edom, I have received a message from the LORD. He has sent a messenger to tell the nations to assemble their armies and to get ready to attack you.


text:
 Your pride has deceived you. No one fears you as much as you think they do. You live on the rocky cliffs, high on top of the mountain; but even though you live as high up as an eagle, the LORD will bring you down. The LORD has spoken."


text:
 The LORD said, "The destruction that will come on Edom will be so terrible that everyone who passes by will be shocked and terrified.


text:
 The same thing will happen to Edom that happened to Sodom and Gomorrah, when they and the nearby towns were destroyed. No one will ever live there again. I, the LORD, have spoken.


text:
 Like a lion coming out of the thick woods along the Jordan River up to the green pasture land, I will come and make the Edomites run away suddenly from their country. Then the leader I choose will rule the nation. Who can be compared to me? Who would dare challenge me? What ruler could oppose me?


text:
 So listen to the plan that I have made against the people of Edom, and to what I intend to do to the people of the city of Teman. Even their children will be dragged off, and everyone will be horrified.


text:
 When Edom falls, there will be such a noise that the entire earth will shake, and the cries of alarm will be heard as far away as the Gulf of Aqaba.


text:
 The enemy will attack Bozrah like an eagle swooping down with outspread wings. On that day Edom's soldiers will be as frightened as a woman in labor."


text:
 This is what the LORD said about Damascus: "The people in the cities of Hamath and Arpad are worried and troubled because they have heard bad news. Anxiety rolls over them like a sea, and they cannot rest.


text:
 The people of Damascus are weak and have fled in terror. They are in pain and misery like a woman in labor.


text:
 I will set the walls of Damascus on fire and will burn down King Benhadad's palaces. I, the LORD Almighty, have spoken."


text:
 This is what the LORD said about the tribe of Kedar and the districts controlled by Hazor, which were conquered by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia: "Attack the people of Kedar and destroy that tribe of eastern people!


text:
 Seize their tents and their flocks, their tent curtains and everything in their tents. Take their camels and tell the people, 'Terror is all around you!'


text:
 "People of Hazor, I, the LORD, warn you to run far away and hide. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia has plotted against you, and this is what he says,


text:
 'Come on! We'll attack those people that feel safe and secure! Their city has no gates or locks and is completely unprotected.'


text:
 "Take their camels and all their livestock! I will scatter in every direction those people who cut their hair short, and I will bring disaster on them from every side.


text:
 Hazor will be made a desert forever, a place where only jackals live. No one will ever live there again. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 I will make winds blow against Elam from all directions, and I will scatter her people everywhere, until there is no country where her refugees have not gone.


text:
 I will make the people of Elam afraid of their enemies, who want to kill them. In my great anger I will destroy the people of Elam and send armies against them until I have wiped them out.


text:
 "Tell the news to the nations! Proclaim it! Give the signal and announce the news! Do not keep it a secret! Babylon has fallen! Her god Marduk has been shattered! Babylon's idols are put to shame; her disgusting images are crushed!


text:
 "A nation from the north has come to attack Babylonia and will make it a desert. People and animals will run away, and no one will live there."


text:
 The LORD says, "When that time comes, the people of both Israel and Judah will come weeping, looking for me, their God.


text:
 They will ask the way to Zion and then go in that direction. They will make an eternal covenant with me and never break it.


text:
 "My people are like sheep whose shepherds have let them get lost in the mountains. They have wandered like sheep from one mountain to another, and they have forgotten where their home is.


text:
 They are attacked by all who find them. Their enemies say, 'They sinned against the LORD, and so what we have done is not wrong. Their ancestors trusted in the LORD, and they themselves should have remained faithful to him.'


text:
 I am going to stir up a group of strong nations in the north and make them attack Babylonia. They will line up in battle against the country and conquer it. They are skillful hunters, shooting arrows that never miss the mark.


text:
 Babylonia will be looted, and those who loot it will take everything they want. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 The LORD says, "People of Babylonia, you plundered my nation. You are happy and glad, going about like a cow threshing grain or like a neighing horse,


text:
 but your own great city will be humiliated and disgraced. Babylonia will be the least important nation of all; it will become a dry and waterless desert.


text:
 Because of my anger no one will live in Babylon; it will be left in ruins, and all who pass by will be shocked and amazed.


text:
 "Archers, line up for battle against Babylon and surround it. Shoot all your arrows at Babylon, because it has sinned against me, the LORD.


text:
 Raise the war cry all around the city! Now Babylon has surrendered. Its walls have been broken through and torn down. I am taking my revenge on the Babylonians. So take your revenge on them, and treat them as they have treated others.


text:
 Do not let seeds be planted in that country nor let a harvest be gathered. Every foreigner living there will be afraid of the attacking army and will go back home."


text:
 The LORD says, "The people of Israel are like sheep, chased and scattered by lions. First, they were attacked by the emperor of Assyria, and then King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia gnawed on their bones.


text:
 Because of this, I, the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, will punish King Nebuchadnezzar and his country, just as I punished the emperor of Assyria.


text:
 I will restore the people of Israel to their land. They will eat the food that grows on Mount Carmel and in the region of Bashan, and they will eat all they want of the crops that grow in the territories of Ephraim and Gilead.


text:
 When that time comes, no sin will be found in Israel and no wickedness in Judah, because I will forgive those people whose lives I have spared. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 The LORD says, "Attack the people of Merathaim and of Pekod. Kill and destroy them. Do everything I command you. I, the LORD, have spoken.


text:
 Babylonia hammered the whole world to pieces, and now that hammer is shattered! All the nations are shocked at what has happened to that country.


text:
 Babylonia, you fought against me, and you have been caught in the trap I set for you, even though you did not know it.


text:
 I have opened the place where my weapons are stored, and in my anger I have taken them out, because I, the Sovereign LORD Almighty, have work to do in Babylonia.


text:
 Attack it from every side and break open the places where its grain is stored! Pile up the loot like piles of grain! Destroy the country! Leave nothing at all!


text:
 Kill all their soldiers! Slaughter them! The people of Babylonia are doomed! The time has come for them to be punished!"


text:
 (Refugees escape from Babylonia and come to Jerusalem, and they tell how the LORD our God took revenge for what the Babylonians had done to his Temple.)


text:
 "Tell the archers to attack Babylon. Send out everyone who knows how to use the bow and arrow. Surround the city and don't let anyone escape. Pay it back for all it has done, and treat it as it has treated others, because it acted with pride against me, the Holy One of Israel.


text:
 So its young men will be killed in the city streets, and all its soldiers will be destroyed on that day. I, the LORD, have spoken.


text:
 "Babylonia, you are filled with pride, so I, the Sovereign LORD Almighty, am against you! The time has come for me to punish you.


text:
 Your proud nation will stumble and fall, and no one will help you up. I will set your cities on fire, and everything around will be destroyed."


text:
 The LORD Almighty says, "The people of Israel and of Judah are oppressed. All who captured them are guarding them closely and will not let them go.


text:
 But the one who will rescue them is strong---his name is the LORD Almighty. He himself will take up their cause and will bring peace to the earth, but trouble to the people of Babylonia."


text:
 Death to its lying prophets--- what fools they are! Death to its soldiers--- how terrified they are!


text:
 Destroy its horses and chariots! Death to its hired soldiers--- how weak they are! Destroy its treasures; plunder and loot.


text:
 Bring a drought on its land and dry up its rivers. Babylonia is a land of terrifying idols that have made fools of the people.


text:
 "And so Babylon will be haunted by demons and evil spirits, and by unclean birds. Never again will people live there, not for all time to come.


text:
 The same thing will happen to Babylon that happened to Sodom and Gomorrah, when I destroyed them and the nearby towns. No one will ever live there again. I, the LORD, have spoken.


text:
 "People are coming from a country in the north, a mighty nation far away; many kings are preparing for war.


text:
 They have taken their bows and swords; they are cruel and merciless. They sound like the roaring sea, as they ride their horses. They are ready for battle against Babylonia.


text:
 The king of Babylonia hears the news, and his hands hang limp. He is seized by anguish, by pain like a woman in labor.


text:
 "Like a lion coming out of the thick woods along the Jordan up to the green pasture land, I, the LORD, will come and make the Babylonians run away suddenly from their city. Then the leader I choose will rule the nation. Who can be compared to me? Who would dare challenge me? What ruler could oppose me?


text:
 So listen to the plan that I have made against the city of Babylon and to what I intend to do to its people. Even their children will be dragged off, and everyone will be horrified.


text:
 When Babylon falls, there will be such a noise that the entire earth will shake, and the cries of alarm will be heard by the other nations."


text:
 I will send foreigners to destroy Babylonia like a wind that blows straw away. When that day of destruction comes, they will attack from every side and leave the land bare.


text:
 Don't give its soldiers time to shoot their arrows or to put on their armor. Do not spare the young men! Destroy the whole army!


text:
 I, the LORD God Almighty, have not abandoned Israel and Judah, even though they have sinned against me, the Holy One of Israel.


text:
 Run away from Babylonia! Run for your lives! Do not be killed because of Babylonia's sin. I am now taking my revenge and punishing it as it deserves.


text:
 Babylonia was like a gold cup in my hand, making the whole world drunk. The nations drank its wine and went out of their minds.


text:
 Babylonia has suddenly fallen and is destroyed! Mourn over it! Get medicine for its wounds, and maybe it can be healed.


text:
 Foreigners living there said, 'We tried to help Babylonia, but it was too late. Let's leave now and go back home. God has punished Babylonia with all his might and has destroyed it completely.' "


text:
 The LORD says, "My people shout, 'The LORD has shown that we are in the right. Let's go and tell the people in Jerusalem what the LORD our God has done.' "


text:
 The LORD has stirred up the kings of Media, because he intends to destroy Babylonia. That is how he will take revenge for the destruction of his Temple. The attacking officers command, "Sharpen your arrows! Get your shields ready!


text:
 Give the signal to attack Babylon's walls. Strengthen the guard! Post the sentries! Place troops in ambush!" The LORD has done what he said he would do to the people of Babylonia.


text:
 That country has many rivers and rich treasures, but its time is up, and its thread of life is cut.


text:
 The LORD Almighty has sworn by his own life that he will bring many men to attack Babylonia like a swarm of locusts, and they will shout with victory.


text:
 At the sight of this, people feel stupid and senseless; those who make idols are disillusioned because the gods they make are false and lifeless.


text:
 The LORD says, "Babylonia, you are my hammer, my weapon of war. I used you to crush nations and kingdoms,


text:
 to slaughter shepherds and their flocks, to slaughter farmers and their plow horses, to crush rulers and high officials."


text:
 The LORD says, "You will see me repay Babylonia and its people for all the evil they did to Jerusalem.


text:
 Babylonia, you are like a mountain that destroys the whole world, but I, the LORD, am your enemy. I will take hold of you, level you to the ground, and leave you in ashes.


text:
 None of the stones from your ruins will ever be used again for building. You will be like a desert forever. I, the LORD, have spoken.


text:
 "Give the signal to attack! Blow the trumpet so that the nations can hear! Prepare the nations for war against Babylonia! Tell the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz to attack. Appoint an officer to lead the attack. Bring up the horses like a swarm of locusts.


text:
 Prepare the nations for war against Babylonia. Send for the kings of Media, their leaders and officials, and the armies of all the countries they control.


text:
 The earth trembles and shakes because the LORD is carrying out his plan to make Babylonia a desert, where no one lives.


text:
 The Babylonian soldiers have stopped fighting and remain in their forts. They have lost their courage and have become helpless. The city gates are broken down, and the houses are on fire.


text:
 Messenger after messenger runs to tell the king of Babylonia that his city has been broken into from every side.


text:
 The enemy have captured the river crossing and have set the fortresses on fire. The Babylonian soldiers have panicked.


text:
 Soon the enemy will cut them down and trample them like grain on a threshing place. I, the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, have spoken."


text:
 The king of Babylonia cut Jerusalem up and ate it. He emptied the city like a jar; like a monster he swallowed it. He took what he wanted and threw the rest away.


text:
 Let the people of Zion say, "May Babylonia be held responsible for the violence done to us!" Let the people of Jerusalem say, "May Babylonia be held responsible for what we have suffered!"


text:
 And so the LORD said to the people of Jerusalem, "I will take up your cause and will make your enemies pay for what they did to you. I will dry up the source of Babylonia's water and make its rivers go dry.


text:
 That country will become a pile of ruins where wild animals live. It will be a horrible sight; no one will live there, and all who see it will be terrified.


text:
 Are they greedy? I will prepare them a feast and make them drunk and happy. They will go to sleep and never wake up.


text:
 The LORD says about Babylon: "The city that the whole world praised has been captured! What a horrifying sight Babylon has become to the nations!


text:
 The towns have become a horrifying sight and are like a waterless desert, where no one lives or even travels.


text:
 I will punish Bel, the god of Babylonia, and make him give up his stolen goods; the nations will not worship him any more. "Babylon's walls have fallen.


text:
 Do not lose courage or be afraid because of the rumors you hear. Every year a different rumor spreads---rumors of violence in the land and of one king fighting another.


text:
 And so the time is coming when I will deal with Babylonia's idols. The whole country will be put to shame, and all its people will be killed.


text:
 Everything on earth and in the sky will shout for joy when Babylonia falls to the people who come from the north to destroy it.


text:
 Babylonia caused the death of people all over the world, and now Babylonia will fall because it caused the death of so many Israelites. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 The LORD says to his people in Babylonia: "You have escaped death! Now go! Don't wait! Though you are far from home, think about me, your LORD, and remember Jerusalem.


text:
 You say, 'We've been disgraced and made ashamed; we feel completely helpless because foreigners have taken over the holy places in the Temple.'


text:
 So then, I say that the time is coming when I will deal with Babylon's idols, and the wounded will groan throughout the country.


text:
 Even if Babylon could climb to the sky and build a strong fortress there, I would still send people to destroy it. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 The LORD says, "Listen to the sound of crying in Babylon, of mourning for the destruction in the land.


text:
 I am destroying Babylon and putting it to silence. The armies rush in like roaring waves and attack with noisy shouts.


text:
 They have come to destroy Babylon; its soldiers are captured, and their bows are broken. I am a God who punishes evil, and I will treat Babylon as it deserves.


text:
 I will make its rulers drunk--- men of wisdom, leaders, and soldiers. They will go to sleep and never wake up. I, the king, have spoken; I am the LORD Almighty.


text:
 The walls of mighty Babylon will be thrown to the ground, and its towering gates burned down. The work of the nations is all for nothing; their efforts go up in flames. I, the LORD Almighty, have spoken."


text:
 King Zedekiah's personal attendant was Seraiah, the son of Neriah and grandson of Mahseiah. In the fourth year that Zedekiah was king of Judah, Seraiah was going to Babylonia with him, and I gave him some instructions.


text:
 I wrote in a book an account of all the destruction that would come on Babylonia, as well as all these other things about Babylonia.


text:
 I told Seraiah, "When you get to Babylon, be sure to read aloud to the people everything that is written here.


text:
 Then pray, ' LORD, you have said that you would destroy this place, so that there would be no living creatures in it, neither people nor animals, and it would be like a desert forever.'


text:
 Seraiah, when you finish reading this book to the people, then tie it to a rock and throw it into the Euphrates River


text:
 and say, 'This is what will happen to Babylonia---it will sink and never rise again because of the destruction that the LORD is going to bring on it.' " The words of Jeremiah end here.


text:
 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother's name was Hamutal, the daughter of the Jeremiah who lived in the city of Libnah.


text:
 The LORD became so angry with the people of Jerusalem and Judah that he banished them from his sight. Zedekiah rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia,


text:
 and so Nebuchadnezzar came with all his army and attacked Jerusalem on the tenth day of the tenth month of the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign. They set up camp outside the city, built siege walls around it,


text:
 Zedekiah was taken to King Nebuchadnezzar, who was in the city of Riblah in the territory of Hamath, and there Nebuchadnezzar passed sentence on him.


text:
 At Riblah he put Zedekiah's sons to death while Zedekiah was looking on and he also had the officials of Judah executed.


text:
 After that, he had Zedekiah's eyes put out and had him placed in chains and taken to Babylon. Zedekiah remained in prison in Babylon until the day he died.


text:
 On the tenth day of the fifth month of the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia, Nebuzaradan, adviser to the king and commander of his army, entered Jerusalem.


text:
 But he left in Judah some of the poorest people, who owned no property, and he put them to work in the vineyards and fields.


text:
 They took away everything that was made of gold or silver: the small bowls, the pans used for carrying live coals, the bowls for holding the blood from the sacrifices, the ash containers, the lampstands, the bowls used for incense, and the bowls used for pouring out wine offerings.


text:
 The bronze objects that King Solomon had made for the Temple---the two columns, the carts, the large tank, and the twelve bulls that supported it---were too heavy to weigh.


text:
 The two columns were identical: each one was 27 feet high and 18 feet around. They were hollow, and the metal was 3 inches thick. On top of each column was a bronze capital 7 1/2 feet high, and all around it was a grillwork decorated with pomegranates, all of which was also made of bronze.


text:
 On the grillwork of each column there were a hundred pomegranates in all, and ninety-six of these were visible from the ground.


text:
 From the city he took the officer who had been in command of the troops, seven of the king's personal advisers who were still in the city, the commander's assistant, who was in charge of military records, and sixty other important men.


text:
 This is the record of the people that Nebuchadnezzar took away as prisoners: in his seventh year as king he carried away 3,023;


text:
 and in his twenty-third year, 745---taken away by Nebuzaradan. In all, 4,600 people were taken away.


text:
 In the year that Evil-merodach became king of Babylonia, he showed kindness to King Jehoiachin of Judah by releasing him from prison. This happened on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year after Jehoiachin had been taken away as a prisoner.


text:
 Evil-merodach treated him kindly and gave him a position of greater honor than he gave the other kings who were exiles with him in Babylonia.


text:
 How lonely lies Jerusalem, once so full of people! Once honored by the world, she is now like a widow; The noblest of cities has fallen into slavery.


text:
 All night long she cries; tears run down her cheeks. Of all her former friends, not one is left to comfort her. Her allies have betrayed her and are all against her now.


text:
 Judah's people are helpless slaves, forced away from home. They live in other lands, with no place to call their own--- Surrounded by enemies, with no way to escape.


text:
 No one comes to the Temple now to worship on the holy days. The young women who sang there suffer, and the priests can only groan. The city gates stand empty, and Zion is in agony.


text:
 Her enemies succeeded; they hold her in their power. The LORD has made her suffer for all her many sins; Her children have been captured and taken away.


text:
 The splendor of Jerusalem is a thing of the past. Her leaders are like deer that are weak from hunger, Whose strength is almost gone as they flee from the hunters.


text:
 A lonely ruin now, Jerusalem recalls her ancient splendor. When she fell to the enemy, there was no one to help her; Her conquerors laughed at her downfall.


text:
 Her honor is gone; she is naked and held in contempt. She groans and hides her face in shame. Jerusalem made herself filthy with terrible sin.


text:
 Her uncleanness was easily seen, but she showed no concern for her fate. Her downfall was terrible; no one can comfort her. Her enemies have won, and she cries to the LORD for mercy.


text:
 The enemies robbed her of all her treasures. She saw them enter the Temple itself, Where the LORD had forbidden Gentiles to go.


text:
 Her people groan as they look for something to eat; They exchange their treasures for food to keep themselves alive. "Look at me, LORD," the city cries; "see me in my misery."


text:
 "Look at me!" she cries to everyone who passes by. "No one has ever had pain like mine, Pain that the LORD brought on me in the time of his anger.


text:
 "He sent fire from above, a fire that burned inside me. He set a trap for me and brought me to the ground. Then he abandoned me and left me in constant pain.


text:
 "He took note of all my sins and tied them all together; He hung them around my neck, and I grew weak beneath the weight. The Lord gave me to my foes, and I was helpless against them.


text:
 "The Lord laughed at all my strongest soldiers; He sent an army to destroy my young men. He crushed my people like grapes in a wine press.


text:
 "That is why my eyes are overflowing with tears. No one can comfort me; no one can give me courage. The enemy has conquered me; my people have nothing left.


text:
 "I stretch out my hands, but no one will help me. The LORD has called enemies against me from every side; They treat me like some filthy thing.


text:
 "But the LORD is just, for I have disobeyed him. Listen to me, people everywhere; look at me in my pain. My young men and women have been taken away captive.


text:
 "I called to my allies, but they refused to help me. The priests and the leaders died in the city streets, Looking for food to keep themselves alive.


text:
 "Look, O LORD, at my agony, at the anguish of my soul! My heart is broken in sorrow for my sins. There is murder in the streets; even indoors there is death.


text:
 "Listen to my groans; there is no one to comfort me. My enemies are glad that you brought disaster on me. Bring the day you promised; make my enemies suffer as I do.


text:
 "Condemn them for all their wickedness; Punish them as you punished me for my sins. I groan in misery, and I am sick at heart."


text:
 The Lord in his anger has covered Zion with darkness. Its heavenly splendor he has turned into ruins. On the day of his anger he abandoned even his Temple.


text:
 The Lord destroyed without mercy every village in Judah And tore down the forts that defended the land. He brought disgrace on the kingdom and its rulers.


text:
 In his fury he shattered the strength of Israel; He refused to help us when the enemy came. He raged against us like fire, destroying everything.


text:
 He aimed his arrows at us like an enemy; He killed all those who were our joy and delight. Here in Jerusalem we felt his burning anger.


text:
 Like an enemy, the Lord has destroyed Israel; He has left her forts and palaces in ruins. He has brought on the people of Judah unending sorrow.


text:
 He smashed to pieces the Temple where we worshiped him; He has put an end to holy days and Sabbaths. King and priest alike have felt the force of his anger.


text:
 The Lord rejected his altar and deserted his holy Temple; He allowed the enemy to tear down its walls. They shouted in victory where once we had worshiped in joy.


text:
 The LORD was determined that the walls of Zion should fall; He measured them off to make sure of total destruction. The towers and walls now lie in ruins together.


text:
 The gates lie buried in rubble, their bars smashed to pieces. The king and the noblemen now are in exile. The Law is no longer taught, and the prophets have no visions from the LORD.


text:
 Jerusalem's old men sit on the ground in silence, With dust on their heads and sackcloth on their bodies. Young women bow their heads to the ground.


text:
 My eyes are worn out with weeping; my soul is in anguish. I am exhausted with grief at the destruction of my people. Children and babies are fainting in the streets of the city.


text:
 Hungry and thirsty, they cry to their mothers; They fall in the streets as though they were wounded, And slowly die in their mothers' arms.


text:
 O Jerusalem, beloved Jerusalem, what can I say? How can I comfort you? No one has ever suffered like this. Your disaster is boundless as the ocean; there is no possible hope.


text:
 Your prophets had nothing to tell you but lies; Their preaching deceived you by never exposing your sin. They made you think you did not need to repent.


text:
 People passing by the city look at you in scorn. They shake their heads and laugh at Jerusalem's ruins: "Is this that lovely city? Is this the pride of the world?"


text:
 All your enemies mock you and glare at you with hate. They curl their lips and sneer, "We have destroyed it! This is the day we have waited for!"


text:
 The LORD has finally done what he threatened to do: He has destroyed us without mercy, as he warned us long ago. He gave our enemies victory, gave them joy at our downfall.


text:
 O Jerusalem, let your very walls cry out to the Lord! Let your tears flow like rivers night and day; Wear yourself out with weeping and grief !


text:
 All through the night get up again and again to cry out to the Lord; Pour out your heart and beg him for mercy on your children--- Children starving to death on every street corner!


text:
 Look, O LORD! Why are you punishing us like this? Women are eating the bodies of the children they loved! Priests and prophets are being killed in the Temple itself !


text:
 Young and old alike lie dead in the streets, Young men and women, killed by enemy swords. You slaughtered them without mercy on the day of your anger.


text:
 You invited my enemies to hold a carnival of terror all around me, And no one could escape on that day of your anger. They murdered my children, whom I had raised and loved.


text:
 Zion's young people were as precious to us as gold, but now they are treated like common clay pots.


text:
 They let their babies die of hunger and thirst; children are begging for food that no one will give them.


text:
 People who once ate the finest foods die starving in the streets; those raised in luxury are pawing through garbage for food.


text:
 My people have been punished even more than the inhabitants of Sodom, which met a sudden downfall at the hands of God.


text:
 Now they lie unknown in the streets, their faces blackened in death; their skin, dry as wood, has shriveled on their bones.


text:
 Those who died in the war were better off than those who died later, who starved slowly to death, with no food to keep them alive.


text:
 The disaster that came to my people brought horror; loving mothers boiled their own children for food.


text:
 The LORD turned loose the full force of his fury; he lit a fire in Zion that burned it to the ground.


text:
 No one anywhere, not even rulers of foreign nations, believed that any invader could enter Jerusalem's gates.


text:
 But it happened, because her prophets sinned and her priests were guilty of causing the death of innocent people.


text:
 Her leaders wandered through the streets as though blind, so stained with blood that no one would touch them.


text:
 "Get away!" people shouted. "You're defiled! Don't touch me!" So they wandered from nation to nation, welcomed by no one.


text:
 The LORD had no more concern for them; he scattered them himself. He showed no regard for our priests and leaders.


text:
 For help that never came, we looked until we could look no longer. We kept waiting for help from a nation that had none to give.


text:
 The enemy was watching for us; we could not even walk in the streets. Our days were over; the end had come.


text:
 Swifter than eagles swooping from the sky, they chased us down. They tracked us down in the hills; they took us by surprise in the desert.


text:
 They captured the source of our life, the king the LORD had chosen, the one we had trusted to protect us from every invader.


text:
 Laugh on, people of Edom and Uz; be glad while you can. Your disaster is coming too; you too will stagger naked in shame.


text:
 Zion has paid for her sin; the LORD will not keep us in exile any longer. But Edom, the LORD will punish you; he will expose your guilty acts.


text:
 Our wives have been raped on Mount Zion itself; in every Judean village our daughters have been forced to submit.


text:
 On the fifth day of the fourth month of the thirtieth year, I, Ezekiel the priest, son of Buzi, was living with the Jewish exiles by the Chebar River in Babylonia. The sky opened, and I saw a vision of God.


text:
 I looked up and saw a windstorm coming from the north. Lightning was flashing from a huge cloud, and the sky around it was glowing. Where the lightning was flashing, something shone like bronze.


text:
 Their legs were straight, and they had hoofs like those of a bull. They shone like polished bronze.


text:
 In addition to their four faces and four wings, they each had four human hands, one under each wing.


text:
 Two wings of each creature were spread out so that the creatures formed a square, with their wing tips touching. When they moved, they moved as a group without turning their bodies.


text:
 Each living creature had four different faces: a human face in front, a lion's face at the right, a bull's face at the left, and an eagle's face at the back.


text:
 Two wings of each creature were raised so that they touched the tips of the wings of the creatures next to it, and their other two wings were folded against their bodies.


text:
 Each creature faced all four directions, and so the group could go wherever they wished, without having to turn.


text:
 Among the creatures there was something that looked like a blazing torch, constantly moving. The fire would blaze up and shoot out flashes of lightning.


text:
 As I was looking at the four creatures I saw four wheels touching the ground, one beside each of them.


text:
 All four wheels were alike; each one shone like a precious stone, and each had another wheel intersecting it at right angles,


text:
 Whenever the creatures moved, the wheels moved with them, and if the creatures rose up from the earth, so did the wheels.


text:
 The creatures went wherever they wished, and the wheels did exactly what the creatures did, because the creatures controlled them.


text:
 Above the heads of the creatures there was something that looked like a dome made of dazzling crystal.


text:
 There under the dome stood the creatures, each stretching out two wings toward the ones next to it and covering its body with the other two wings.


text:
 I heard the noise their wings made in flight; it sounded like the roar of the sea, like the noise of a huge army, like the voice of Almighty God. When they stopped flying, they folded their wings,


text:
 Above the dome there was something that looked like a throne made of sapphire, and sitting on the throne was a figure that looked like a human being.


text:
 The figure seemed to be shining like bronze in the middle of a fire. It shone all over with a bright light


text:
 that had in it all the colors of the rainbow. This was the dazzling light which shows the presence of the LORD. When I saw this, I fell face downward on the ground. Then I heard a voice


text:
 While the voice was speaking, God's spirit entered me and raised me to my feet, and I heard the voice continue,


text:
 "Mortal man, I am sending you to the people of Israel. They have rebelled and turned against me and are still rebels, just as their ancestors were.


text:
 They are stubborn and do not respect me, so I am sending you to tell them what I, the Sovereign LORD, am saying to them.


text:
 "But you, mortal man, must not be afraid of them or of anything they say. They will defy and despise you; it will be like living among scorpions. Still, don't be afraid of those rebels or of anything they say.


text:
 You will tell them whatever I tell you to say, whether they listen or not. Remember what rebels they are.


text:
 "Mortal man, listen to what I tell you. Don't be rebellious like them. Open your mouth and eat what I am going to give you."


text:
 The hand unrolled the scroll, and I saw that there was writing on both sides---cries of grief were written there, and wails and groans.


text:
 He said, "Mortal man, eat this scroll that I give you; fill your stomach with it." I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey.


text:
 If I sent you to great nations that spoke difficult languages you didn't understand, they would listen to you.


text:
 But none of the people of Israel will be willing to listen; they will not even listen to me. All of them are stubborn and defiant.


text:
 Then go to the people of your nation who are in exile and tell them what I, the Sovereign LORD, am saying to them, whether they pay attention to you or not."


text:
 Then God's spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the loud roar of a voice that said, "Praise the glory of the LORD in heaven above!"


text:
 I heard the wings of the creatures beating together in the air, and the noise of the wheels, as loud as an earthquake.


text:
 The power of the LORD came on me with great force, and as his spirit carried me off, I felt bitter and angry.


text:
 So I came to Tel Abib beside the Chebar River, where the exiles were living, and for seven days I stayed there, overcome by what I had seen and heard.


text:
 "Mortal man," he said, "I am making you a lookout for the nation of Israel. You will pass on to them the warnings I give you.


text:
 If I announce that someone evil is going to die but you do not warn him to change his ways so that he can save his life, he will die, still a sinner, but I will hold you responsible for his death.


text:
 If you do warn an evil man and he doesn't stop sinning, he will die, still a sinner, but your life will be spared.


text:
 "If someone truly good starts doing evil and I put him in a dangerous situation, he will die if you do not warn him. He will die because of his sins---I will not remember the good he did---and I will hold you responsible for his death.


text:
 If you do warn a good man not to sin and he listens to you and doesn't sin, he will stay alive, and your life will also be spared."


text:
 I felt the powerful presence of the LORD and heard him say to me, "Get up and go out into the valley. I will talk to you there."


text:
 So I went out into the valley, and there I saw the glory of the LORD, just as I had seen it beside the Chebar River. I fell face downward on the ground,


text:
 but God's spirit entered me and raised me to my feet. The LORD said to me, "Go home and shut yourself up in the house.


text:
 Then, when I speak to you again and give you back the power of speech, you will tell them what I, the Sovereign LORD, am saying. Some of them will listen, but some will ignore you, for they are a nation of rebels."


text:
 God said, "Mortal man, get a brick, put it in front of you, and scratch lines on it to represent the city of Jerusalem.


text:
 Take an iron pan and set it up like a wall between you and the city. Face the city. It is under siege, and you are the one besieging it. This will be a sign to the nation of Israel.


text:
 "Then lie down on your left side, and I will place on you the guilt of the nation of Israel. For 390 days you will stay there and suffer because of their guilt. I have sentenced you to one day for each year their punishment will last.


text:
 When you finish that, turn over on your right side and suffer for the guilt of Judah for forty days---one day for each year of their punishment.


text:
 "Now take some wheat, barley, beans, peas, millet, and spelt. Mix them all together and make bread. That is what you are to eat during the 390 days you are lying on your left side.


text:
 You are to build a fire out of dried human excrement, bake bread on the fire, and eat it where everyone can see you."


text:
 The LORD said, "This represents the way the Israelites will have to eat food which the Law forbids, when I scatter them to foreign countries."


text:
 But I replied, "No, Sovereign LORD! I have never defiled myself. From childhood on I have never eaten meat from any animal that died a natural death or was killed by wild animals. I have never eaten any food considered unclean."


text:
 So God said, "Very well. I will let you use cow dung instead, and you can bake your bread on that."


text:
 And he added, "Mortal man, I am going to cut off the supply of bread for Jerusalem. The people there will be distressed and anxious as they measure out the food they eat and the water they drink.


text:
 They will run out of bread and water; they will be in despair, and they will waste away because of their sins."


text:
 The LORD said, "Mortal man, take a sharp sword and use it to shave off your beard and all your hair. Then weigh the hair on scales and divide it into three parts.


text:
 Burn up a third of it in the city when the siege is over. Take another third and chop it up with your sword as you move around outside the city. Scatter the remaining third to the winds, and I will pursue it with my sword.


text:
 Then take a few of them out again, throw them in the fire, and let them burn up. From them fire will spread to the whole nation of Israel."


text:
 The Sovereign LORD said, "Look at Jerusalem. I put her at the center of the world, with other countries all around her.


text:
 But Jerusalem rebelled against my commands and showed that she was more wicked than the other nations, more disobedient than the countries around her. Jerusalem rejected my commands and refused to keep my laws.


text:
 Now listen, Jerusalem, to what I, the Sovereign LORD, am saying. By not obeying my laws or keeping my commands, you have caused more trouble than the nations around you. You have followed the customs of other nations.


text:
 And so I, the Sovereign LORD, am telling you that I am your enemy. I will pass judgment on you where all the nations can see it.


text:
 Because of all the things you do that I hate, I will punish Jerusalem as I have never done before and will never do again.


text:
 As a result, parents in Jerusalem will eat their children, and children will eat their parents. I will punish you and scatter in every direction any who are left alive.


text:
 "Therefore, as I am the living God---this is the word of the Sovereign LORD ---because you defiled my Temple with all the evil, disgusting things you did, I will cut you down without mercy.


text:
 A third of your people will die from sickness and hunger in the city; a third will be cut down by swords outside the city; and I will scatter the last third to the winds and pursue them with a sword.


text:
 "You will feel all the force of my anger and rage until I am satisfied. When all this happens, you will be convinced that I, the LORD, have spoken to you because I am outraged at your unfaithfulness.


text:
 "When I am angry and furious with you and punish you, all the nations around you will be terrified. They will look at you with disgust and make fun of you.


text:
 I will cut off your supply of food and let you starve. You will feel the pains of hunger like sharp arrows sent to destroy you.


text:
 I will send hunger and wild animals to kill your children, and will send sickness, violence, and war to kill you. I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 Tell the mountains of Israel to hear the Sovereign LORD's word---to hear what I, the Sovereign LORD, am telling the mountains, the hills, the gorges, and the valleys: I will send a sword to destroy the places where people worship idols.


text:
 The altars will be torn down and the incense altars broken. All the people there will be killed in front of their idols.


text:
 I will scatter the corpses of the people of Israel; I will scatter their bones all around the altars.


text:
 All the cities of Israel will be destroyed, so that all their altars and their idols will be smashed to pieces, their incense altars will be shattered, and everything they made will disappear.


text:
 where they will live in exile. There they will remember me and know that I have punished them and disgraced them, because their faithless hearts deserted me and they preferred idols to me. And they will be disgusted with themselves because of the evil and degrading things they have done.


text:
 The Sovereign LORD said, "Wring your hands! Stamp your feet! Cry in sorrow because of all the evil, disgusting things the Israelites have done. They are going to die in war or of starvation or disease.


text:
 Those far away will get sick and die; those nearby will be killed in war; those who survive will starve to death. They will feel all the force of my anger.


text:
 Corpses will be scattered among the idols and around the altars, scattered on every high hill, on the top of every mountain, under every green tree and every large oak, in every place where they burned sacrifices to their idols. Then everyone will know that I am the LORD.


text:
 Yes, I will reach out and destroy their country. I will make it a wasteland from the southern desert to the city of Riblah in the north, not sparing any place where the Israelites live. Then everyone will know that I am the LORD."


text:
 "Mortal man," he said, "this is what I, the Sovereign LORD, am saying to the land of Israel: This is the end for the whole land!


text:
 "Israel, the end has come. You will feel my anger, because I am judging you for what you have done. I will pay you back for all your disgusting conduct.


text:
 I will not spare you or show you any mercy. I am going to punish you for the disgusting things you have done, so that you will know that I am the LORD."


text:
 The end is coming for you people who live in the land. The time is near when there will be no more celebrations at the mountain shrines, only confusion.


text:
 "Very soon now you will feel all the force of my anger. I am judging you for what you have done, and I will pay you back for all your disgusting conduct.


text:
 I will not spare you or show you any mercy. I am going to punish you for the disgusting things you have done, so that you will know that I am the LORD and that I am the one who punishes you."


text:
 Violence produces more wickedness. Nothing of theirs will remain, nothing of their wealth, their splendor, or their glory.


text:
 The time is coming. The day is near when buying and selling will have no more meaning, because God's punishment will fall on everyone alike.


text:
 No merchants will live long enough to get back what they have lost, because God's anger is on everyone. Those who are evil cannot survive.


text:
 The trumpet blows, and everyone gets ready. But no one goes off to war, for God's anger will fall on everyone alike.


text:
 There is fighting in the streets, and sickness and hunger in the houses. Anyone who is out in the country will die in the fighting, and anyone in the city will be a victim of sickness and hunger.


text:
 Some will escape to the mountains like doves frightened from the valleys. All of them will moan over their sins.


text:
 They will put on sackcloth and they will tremble all over. Their heads will be shaved, and they will all be disgraced.


text:
 They will throw their gold and silver away in the streets like garbage, because neither silver nor gold can save them when the LORD pours out his fury. They cannot use it to satisfy their desires or fill their stomachs. Gold and silver led them into sin.


text:
 Once they were proud of their beautiful jewels, but they used them to make disgusting idols. That is why the LORD has made their wealth repulsive to them.


text:
 "I will let foreigners rob them," says the LORD, "and lawbreakers will take all their wealth and defile it.


text:
 I will not interfere when my treasured Temple is profaned, when robbers break into it and defile it.


text:
 I will bring the most evil nations here and let them have your homes. Your strongest men will lose their confidence when I let the nations profane the places where you worship.


text:
 One disaster will follow another, and a steady stream of bad news will pour in. You will beg the prophets to reveal what they foresee. The priests will have nothing to teach the people, and the elders will have no advice to give.


text:
 The king will mourn, the prince will give up hope, and the people will shake with fear. I will punish you for all you have done, and will judge you in the same way as you have judged others. This will show you that I am the LORD."


text:
 On the fifth day of the sixth month of the sixth year of our exile, the leaders of the exiles from Judah were sitting in my house with me. Suddenly the power of the Sovereign LORD came on me.


text:
 I looked up and saw a vision of a fiery human form. From the waist down his body looked like fire, and from the waist up he was shining like polished bronze.


text:
 He reached out what seemed to be a hand and grabbed me by the hair. Then in this vision God's spirit lifted me high in the air and took me to Jerusalem. He took me to the inner entrance of the north gate of the Temple, where there was an idol that was an outrage to God.


text:
 There I saw the dazzling light that shows the presence of Israel's God, just as I had seen it when I was by the Chebar River.


text:
 God said to me, "Mortal man, look toward the north." I looked, and there near the altar by the entrance of the gateway I saw the idol that was an outrage to God.


text:
 God said to me, "Mortal man, do you see what is happening? Look at the disgusting things the people of Israel are doing here, driving me farther and farther away from my holy place. You will see even more disgraceful things than this."


text:
 So I went in and looked. The walls were covered with drawings of snakes and other unclean animals, and of the other things which the Israelites were worshiping.


text:
 Seventy Israelite leaders were there, including Jaazaniah son of Shaphan. Each one was holding an incense burner, and smoke was rising from the incense.


text:
 God asked me, "Mortal man, do you see what the Israelite leaders are doing in secret? They are all worshiping in a room full of images. Their excuse is: 'The LORD doesn't see us! He has abandoned the country.' "


text:
 So he took me to the north gate of the Temple and showed me women weeping over the death of the god Tammuz.


text:
 So he took me to the inner courtyard of the Temple. There near the entrance of the sanctuary, between the altar and the porch, were about twenty-five men. They had turned their backs to the sanctuary and were bowing low toward the east, worshiping the rising sun.


text:
 The LORD said to me, "Mortal man, do you see that? These people of Judah are not satisfied with merely doing all the disgusting things you have seen here and with spreading violence throughout the country. No, they must come and do them right here in the Temple and make me even more angry. Look how they insult me in the most offensive way possible!


text:
 They will feel all the force of my anger. I will not spare them or show them any mercy. They will shout prayers to me as loud as they can, but I will not listen to them."


text:
 Then I heard God shout, "Come here, you men who are going to punish the city. Bring your weapons with you."


text:
 At once six men came from the outer north gate of the Temple, each one carrying a weapon. With them was a man dressed in linen clothes, carrying something to write with. They all came and stood by the bronze altar.


text:
 Then the dazzling light of the presence of the God of Israel rose up from the winged creatures where it had been, and moved to the entrance of the Temple. The LORD called to the man dressed in linen,


text:
 "Go through the whole city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the forehead of everyone who is distressed and troubled because of all the disgusting things being done in the city."


text:
 And I heard God say to the other men, "Follow him through the city and kill. Spare no one; have mercy on no one.


text:
 Kill the old men, young men, young women, mothers, and children. But don't touch anyone who has the mark on his forehead. Start here at my Temple." So they began with the leaders who were standing there at the Temple.


text:
 God said to them, "Defile the Temple. Fill its courtyards with corpses. Get to work!" So they began to kill the people in the city.


text:
 While the killing was going on, I was there alone. I threw myself face downward on the ground and shouted, "Sovereign LORD, are you so angry with Jerusalem that you are going to kill everyone left in Israel?"


text:
 God answered, "The people of Israel and Judah are guilty of terrible sins. They have committed murder all over the land and have filled Jerusalem with crime. They say that I, the LORD, have abandoned their country and that I don't see them.


text:
 Then the man wearing linen clothes returned and reported to the LORD, "I have carried out your orders."


text:
 I looked at the dome over the heads of the living creatures and above them was something that seemed to be a throne made of sapphire.


text:
 God said to the man wearing linen clothes, "Go between the wheels under the creatures and fill your hands with burning coals. Then scatter the coals over the city." I watched him go.


text:
 The creatures were standing to the south of the Temple when he went in, and a cloud filled the inner courtyard.


text:
 The dazzling light of the LORD's presence rose up from the creatures and moved to the entrance of the Temple. Then the cloud filled the Temple, and the courtyard was blazing with the light.


text:
 The noise made by the creatures' wings was heard even in the outer courtyard. It sounded like the voice of Almighty God.


text:
 When the LORD commanded the man wearing linen clothes to take some fire from between the wheels that were under the creatures, the man went in and stood by one of the wheels.


text:
 One of the creatures reached his hand into the fire that was there among them, picked up some coals, and put them in the hands of the man in linen. The man took the coals and left.


text:
 I also saw that there were four wheels, all alike, one beside each creature. The wheels shone like precious stones, and each one had another wheel which intersected it at right angles.


text:
 When the creatures moved, they could go in any direction without turning. They all moved together in the direction they wanted to go, without having to turn around.


text:
 Each creature had four faces. The first was the face of a bull, the second a human face, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.


text:
 (They were the same creatures that I had seen by the Chebar River.) When the creatures rose in the air


text:
 and moved, the wheels went with them. Whenever they spread their wings to fly, the wheels still went with them.


text:
 When the creatures stopped, the wheels stopped; and when the creatures flew, the wheels went with them, because the creatures controlled them.


text:
 Then the dazzling light of the LORD's presence left the entrance of the Temple and moved to a place above the creatures.


text:
 They spread their wings and flew up from the earth while I was watching, and the wheels went with them. They paused at the east gate of the Temple, and the dazzling light was over them.


text:
 I recognized them as the same creatures which I had seen beneath the God of Israel at the Chebar River.


text:
 Their faces looked exactly like the faces I had seen by the Chebar River. Each creature moved straight ahead.


text:
 God's spirit lifted me up and took me to the east gate of the Temple. There near the gate I saw twenty-five men, including Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, two leaders of the nation.


text:
 They say, 'We will soon be building houses again. The city is like a cooking pot, and we are like the meat in it, but at least it protects us from the fire.'


text:
 The spirit of the LORD took control of me, and the LORD told me to give the people this message: "People of Israel, I know what you are saying and what you are planning.


text:
 "So this is what I, the Sovereign LORD, am saying to you. This city is a cooking pot all right, but what is the meat? The corpses of those you have killed! You will not be here---I will throw you out of the city!


text:
 This city will not protect you the way a pot protects the meat in it. I will punish you wherever you may be in the land of Israel.


text:
 You will know that I am the LORD and that while you were keeping the laws of the neighboring nations, you were breaking <i>my</i> laws and disobeying <i>my</i> commands."


text:
 While I was prophesying, Pelatiah dropped dead. I threw myself face downward on the ground and shouted, "No, Sovereign LORD! Are you going to kill everyone left in Israel?"


text:
 "Mortal man," he said, "the people who live in Jerusalem are talking about you and those of your nation who are in exile. They say, 'The exiles are too far away to worship the LORD. He has given us possession of the land.'


text:
 "Now tell your fellow exiles what I am saying. I am the one who sent them to live in far-off nations and scattered them in other countries. Yet, for the time being I will be present with them in the lands where they have gone.


text:
 "So tell them what I, the Sovereign LORD, am saying. I will gather them out of the countries where I scattered them, and will give the land of Israel back to them.


text:
 I will give them a new heart and a new mind. I will take away their stubborn heart of stone and will give them an obedient heart.


text:
 Then they will keep my laws and faithfully obey all my commands. They will be my people, and I will be their God.


text:
 But I will punish the people who love to worship filthy, disgusting idols. I will punish them for what they have done." The Sovereign LORD has spoken.


text:
 The living creatures began to fly, and the wheels went with them. The dazzling light of the presence of the God of Israel was over them.


text:
 In the vision the spirit of God lifted me up and brought me back to the exiles in Babylonia. Then the vision faded,


text:
 "Mortal man," he said, "you are living among rebellious people. They have eyes, but they see nothing; they have ears, but they hear nothing, because they are rebellious.


text:
 "Now, mortal man, pack a bundle just as a refugee would and start out before nightfall. Let everyone see you leaving and going to another place. Maybe those rebels will notice you.


text:
 While it is still daylight, pack your bundle for exile, so that they can see you, and then let them watch you leave in the evening as if you were going into exile.


text:
 While they are watching, break a hole through the wall of your house and take your pack out through it.


text:
 Let them watch you putting your pack on your shoulder and going out into the dark with your eyes covered, so that you can't see where you are going. What you do will be a warning to the Israelites."


text:
 I did what the LORD told me to do. That day I packed a bundle as a refugee would, and that evening as it was getting dark I dug a hole in the wall with my hands and went out. While everyone watched, I put the pack on my shoulder and left.


text:
 tell them what I, the Sovereign LORD, am saying to them. This message is for the prince ruling in Jerusalem and for all the people who live there.


text:
 Tell them that what you have done is a sign of what will happen to them---they will be refugees and captives.


text:
 The prince who is ruling them will shoulder his pack in the dark and escape through a hole that they dig for him in the wall. He will cover his eyes and not see where he is going.


text:
 But I will spread out my net and trap him in it. Then I will take him to the city of Babylon, where he will die without having seen it.


text:
 I will scatter in every direction all the members of his court and his advisers and bodyguards, and people will search for them to kill them.


text:
 "When I scatter them among the other nations and in foreign countries, they will know that I am the LORD.


text:
 I will let a few of them survive the war, the famine, and the diseases, so that there among the nations they will realize how disgusting their actions have been and will acknowledge that I am the LORD."


text:
 Tell the whole nation that this is the message of the Sovereign LORD to the people of Jerusalem who are still living in their land: They will tremble when they eat and shake with fear when they drink. Their land will be stripped bare, because everyone who lives there is lawless.


text:
 Cities that are now full of people will be destroyed, and the country will be made a wilderness. Then they will know that I am the LORD."


text:
 "Mortal man," he said, "why do the people of Israel repeat this proverb: 'Time goes by, and predictions come to nothing'?


text:
 Now tell them what I, the Sovereign LORD, have to say about that. I will put an end to that proverb. It won't be repeated in Israel any more. Tell them instead: The time has come, and the predictions are coming true!


text:
 I, the LORD, will speak to them, and what I say will be done. There will be no more delay. In your own lifetime, you rebels, I will do what I have warned you I would do. I have spoken," says the Sovereign LORD.


text:
 So tell them that I, the Sovereign LORD, am saying: There will be no more delay. What I have said will be done. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!"


text:
 "Mortal man," he said, "denounce the prophets of Israel who make up their own prophecies. Tell them to listen to the word of the LORD."


text:
 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "These foolish prophets are doomed! They provide their own inspiration and invent their own visions.


text:
 They don't guard the places where the walls have crumbled, nor do they rebuild the walls, and so Israel cannot be defended when war comes on the day of the LORD.


text:
 Their visions are false, and their predictions are lies. They claim that they are speaking my message, but I have not sent them. Yet they expect their words to come true!


text:
 I tell them: Those visions you see are false, and the predictions you make are lies. You say that they are my words, but I haven't spoken to you!"


text:
 So the Sovereign LORD says to them, "Your words are false, and your visions are lies. I am against you.


text:
 I am about to punish you prophets who have false visions and make misleading predictions. You will not be there when my people gather to make decisions; your names will not be included in the list of the citizens of Israel; you will never return to your land. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.


text:
 "The prophets mislead my people by saying that all is well. All is certainly not well! My people have put up a wall of loose stones, and then the prophets have come and covered it with whitewash.


text:
 Tell the prophets that their wall is going to fall down. I will send a pouring rain. Hailstones will fall on it, and a strong wind will blow against it.


text:
 Now this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "In my anger I will send a strong wind, pouring rain, and hailstones to destroy the wall.


text:
 I intend to break down the wall they whitewashed, to shatter it, and to leave the foundation stones bare. It will collapse and kill you all. Then everyone will know that I am the LORD.


text:
 "The wall and those who covered it with whitewash will feel the force of my anger. Then I will tell you that the wall is gone and so are those who whitewashed it---


text:
 those prophets who assured Jerusalem that all was well, when all was not well!" The Sovereign LORD has spoken.


text:
 The LORD said, "Now, mortal man, look at the women among your people who make up predictions. Denounce them


text:
 and tell them what the Sovereign LORD is saying to them: "You women are doomed! You sew magic wristbands for everyone and make magic scarves for everyone to wear on their heads, so that they can have power over other people's lives. You want to possess the power of life and death over my people and to use it for your own benefit.


text:
 You dishonor me in front of my people in order to get a few handfuls of barley and a few pieces of bread. You kill people who don't deserve to die, and you keep people alive who don't deserve to live. So you tell lies to my people, and they believe you."


text:
 Now this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "I hate the wristbands that you use in your attempt to control life and death. I will rip them off your arms and set free the people that you were controlling.


text:
 I will rip off your scarves and let my people escape from your power once and for all. Then you will know that I am the LORD.


text:
 "By your lies you discourage good people, whom I do not wish to hurt. You prevent evil people from giving up evil and saving their lives.


text:
 So now your false visions and misleading predictions are over. I am rescuing my people from your power, so that you will know that I am the LORD."


text:
 "Mortal man," he said, "these men have given their hearts to idols and are letting idols lead them into sin. Do they think I will give them an answer?


text:
 "Now speak to them and tell them what I, the Sovereign LORD, am saying to them: Each of you Israelites who have given your heart to idols and let them lead you into sin and who then come to consult a prophet, will get an answer from me---the answer that your many idols deserve!


text:
 All those idols have turned the Israelites away from me, but by my answer I hope to win back their loyalty.


text:
 "Now then, tell the Israelites what I, the Sovereign LORD, am saying: Turn back and leave your disgusting idols.


text:
 "Whenever one of you Israelites or one of you foreigners who live in the Israelite community turn away from me and worship idols, and then go to consult a prophet, I, the LORD, will give you your answer!


text:
 I will oppose you. I will make an example of you. I will remove you from the community of my people, so that all of you will know that I am the LORD.


text:
 "If any prophets are deceived into giving a false answer, it is because I, the LORD, have deceived them. I will remove them from the people of Israel.


text:
 I will do this to keep the Israelites from deserting me and defiling themselves by their sins. They are to be my people, and I will be their God." The Sovereign LORD has spoken.


text:
 "Mortal man," he said, "if a country sins and is unfaithful to me, I will reach out and destroy its supply of food. I will send a famine and kill people and animals alike.


text:
 Even if those three men, Noah, Danel, and Job, were living there, their goodness would save only their own lives." The Sovereign LORD has spoken.


text:
 "Or I might send wild animals to kill the people, making the land so dangerous that no one could travel through it,


text:
 and even if those three men lived there---as surely as I, the Sovereign LORD, am the living God---they would not be able to save even their own children. They would save only their own lives, and the land would become a wilderness.


text:
 "Or I might bring war on that country and send destructive weapons to wipe out people and animals alike,


text:
 and even if those three men lived there---as surely as I, the Sovereign LORD, am the living God---they would not be able to save even their children, but only their own lives.


text:
 "If I send an epidemic on that country and in my anger take many lives, killing people and animals,


text:
 even if Noah, Danel, and Job lived there---as surely as I, the Sovereign LORD, am the living God---they would not be able to save even their own children. Their goodness would save only their own lives."


text:
 This is what the Sovereign LORD is saying: "I will send my four worst punishments on Jerusalem---war, famine, wild animals, and disease---to destroy people and animals alike.


text:
 If some survive and save their children, look at them when they come to you. See how evil they are, and be convinced that the punishment I am bringing on Jerusalem is justified;


text:
 then you will know that there was good reason for everything I did." The Sovereign LORD has spoken.


text:
 "Mortal man," he said, "how does a vine compare with a tree? What good is a branch of a grapevine compared with the trees of the forest?


text:
 It is only good for building a fire. And when the ends are burned up and the middle is charred, can you make anything out of it?


text:
 It was useless even before it was burned. Now that the fire has burned it and charred it, it is even more useless."


text:
 Now this is what the Sovereign LORD is saying: "Just as a vine is taken from the forest and burned, so I will take the people who live in Jerusalem


text:
 and will punish them. They have escaped one fire, but now fire will burn them up. When I punish them, you will know that I am the LORD.


text:
 They have been unfaithful to me, and so I will make the country a wilderness." The Sovereign LORD has spoken.


text:
 Tell Jerusalem what the Sovereign LORD is saying to her: "You were born in the land of Canaan. Your father was an Amorite, and your mother was a Hittite.


text:
 When you were born, no one cut your umbilical cord or washed you or rubbed you with salt or wrapped you in cloths.


text:
 No one took enough pity on you to do any of these things for you. When you were born, no one loved you. You were thrown out in an open field.


text:
 "Then I passed by and saw you squirming in your own blood. You were covered with blood, but I wouldn't let you die.


text:
 I made you grow like a healthy plant. You grew strong and tall and became a young woman. Your breasts were well-formed, and your hair had grown, but you were naked.


text:
 "As I passed by again, I saw that the time had come for you to fall in love. I covered your naked body with my coat and promised to love you. Yes, I made a marriage covenant with you, and you became mine." This is what the Sovereign LORD says.


text:
 I dressed you in embroidered gowns and gave you shoes of the best leather, a linen headband, and a silk cloak.


text:
 You had ornaments of gold and silver, and you always wore clothes of embroidered linen and silk. You ate bread made from the best flour, and had honey and olive oil to eat. Your beauty was dazzling, and you became a queen.


text:
 You became famous in every nation for your perfect beauty, because I was the one who made you so lovely." This is what the Sovereign LORD says.


text:
 You used some of your clothes to decorate your places of worship, and just like a prostitute, you gave yourself to everyone.


text:
 You took the silver and gold jewelry that I had given you, used it to make male images, and committed adultery with them.


text:
 You took the embroidered clothes I gave you and put them on the images, and you offered to the images the olive oil and incense I had given you.


text:
 I gave you food---the best flour, olive oil, and honey---but you offered it as a sacrifice to win the favor of idols." This is what the Sovereign LORD says.


text:
 "Then you took the sons and the daughters you had borne me and offered them as sacrifices to idols. Wasn't it bad enough to be unfaithful to me,


text:
 During your disgusting life as a prostitute you never once remembered your childhood---when you were naked, squirming in your own blood."


text:
 You dragged your beauty through the mud. You offered yourself to everyone who came by, and you were more of a prostitute every day.


text:
 You let your lustful neighbors, the Egyptians, go to bed with you, and you used your prostitution to make me angry.


text:
 "Now I have raised my hand to punish you and to take away your share of my blessing. I have handed you over to the Philistines, who hate you and are disgusted with your immoral actions.


text:
 "Because you were not satisfied by the others, you went running after the Assyrians. You were their prostitute, but they didn't satisfy you either.


text:
 You were also a prostitute for the Babylonians, that nation of merchants, but they didn't satisfy you either."


text:
 On every street you built places to worship idols and practice prostitution. But you are not out for money like a common prostitute.


text:
 A prostitute is paid, but you gave presents to all your lovers and bribed them to come from everywhere to sleep with you.


text:
 You are a special kind of prostitute. No one forced you to become one. You didn't get paid; you paid them! Yes, you are different."


text:
 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "You stripped off your clothes, and like a prostitute, you gave yourself to your lovers and to all your disgusting idols, and you killed your children as sacrifices to idols.


text:
 Because of this I will bring all your former lovers together---the ones you liked and the ones you hated. I will bring them around you in a circle, and then I will strip off your clothes and let them see you naked.


text:
 I will put you in their power, and they will tear down the places where you engage in prostitution and worship idols. They will take away your clothes and jewels and leave you completely naked.


text:
 They will burn your houses down and let crowds of women see your punishment. I will make you stop being a prostitute and make you stop giving gifts to your lovers.


text:
 You have forgotten how I treated you when you were young, and you have made me angry by all the things you did. That is why I have made you pay for them all. Why did you add sexual immorality to all the other disgusting things you did?" The Sovereign LORD has spoken.


text:
 You really are your mother's daughter. She detested her husband and her children. You are like your sisters, who hated their husbands and their children. You and your sister cities had a Hittite mother and an Amorite father.


text:
 "Your older sister, with her villages, is Samaria, in the north. Your younger sister, with her villages, is Sodom, in the south.


text:
 Were you satisfied to follow in their footsteps and copy their disgusting actions? No, in only a little while you were acting worse than they were in everything you did.


text:
 "As surely as I am the living God," the Sovereign LORD says, "your sister Sodom and her villages never did the evil that you and your villages have done.


text:
 She and her daughters were proud because they had plenty to eat and lived in peace and quiet, but they did not take care of the poor and the underprivileged.


text:
 They were proud and stubborn and did the things that I hate, so I destroyed them, as you well know.


text:
 "Samaria did not sin half as much as you have. You have acted more disgustingly than she ever did. Your corruption makes your sisters look innocent by comparison.


text:
 And now you will have to endure your disgrace. Your sins are so much worse than those of your sisters that they look innocent beside you. Now blush and bear your shame, because you make your sisters look pure."


text:
 The LORD said to Jerusalem, "I will make them prosperous again---Sodom and her villages and Samaria and her villages. Yes, I will make you prosperous too.


text:
 and before the evil you did had been exposed? Now you are just like her---a joke to the Edomites, the Philistines, and your other neighbors who hate you.


text:
 The Sovereign LORD says, "I will treat you the way you deserve, because you ignored your promises and broke the covenant.


text:
 But I will honor the covenant I made with you when you were young, and I will make a covenant with you that will last forever.


text:
 You will remember how you have acted, and be ashamed of it when you get your older sister and your younger sister back. I will let them be like daughters to you, even though this was not part of my covenant with you.


text:
 I will forgive all the wrongs you have done, but you will remember them and be too ashamed to open your mouth." The Sovereign LORD has spoken.


text:
 to let them know what I, the Sovereign LORD, am saying to them: There was a giant eagle with beautiful feathers and huge wings, spread wide. He flew to the Lebanon Mountains and broke off the top of a cedar tree,


text:
 Then he took a young plant from the land of Israel and planted it in a fertile field, where there was always water to make it grow.


text:
 The plant sprouted and became a low, wide-spreading grapevine. The branches grew upward toward the eagle, and the roots grew deep. The vine was covered with branches and leaves.


text:
 "There was another giant eagle with huge wings and thick plumage. And now the vine sent its roots toward him and turned its leaves toward him, in the hope that he would give it more water than there was in the garden where it was growing.


text:
 But the vine had already been planted in a fertile, well-watered field so that it could grow leaves and bear grapes and be a magnificent vine.


text:
 "So I, the Sovereign LORD, ask: Will this vine live and grow? Won't the first eagle pull it up by its roots, pull off the grapes, and break off the branches and let them wither? It will not take much strength or a mighty nation to pull it up.


text:
 Yes, it is planted, but will it live and grow? Won't it wither when the east wind strikes it? Won't it wither there where it is growing?"


text:
 "Ask these rebels if they know what the parable means. Tell them that the king of Babylonia came to Jerusalem and took the king and his officials back with him to Babylonia.


text:
 He took one of the king's family, made a treaty with him, and made him swear to be loyal. He took important men as hostages


text:
 But the king of Judah rebelled and sent agents to Egypt to get horses and a large army. Will he succeed? Can he get away with that? He cannot break the treaty and go unpunished!


text:
 "As surely as I am the living God," says the Sovereign LORD, "this king will die in Babylonia because he broke his oath and the treaty he had made with the king of Babylonia, who put him on the throne.


text:
 Even the powerful army of the king of Egypt will not be able to help him fight when the Babylonians build earthworks and dig trenches in order to kill many people.


text:
 He broke his oath and the treaty he had made. He did all these things, and now he will not escape."


text:
 The Sovereign LORD says, "As surely as I am the living God, I will punish him for breaking the treaty which he swore in my name to keep.


text:
 I will spread out a hunter's net and catch him in it. I will take him to Babylonia and punish him there, because he was unfaithful to me.


text:
 His best soldiers will be killed in battle, and the survivors will be scattered in every direction. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken."


text:
 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "I will take the top of a tall cedar and break off a tender sprout; I will plant it on a high mountain,


text:
 on Israel's highest mountain. It will grow branches and bear seed and become a magnificent cedar. Birds of every kind will live there and find shelter in its shade.


text:
 All the trees in the land will know that I am the LORD. I cut down the tall trees and make small trees grow tall. I wither up the green trees and make the dry trees become green. I, the LORD, have spoken. I will do what I have said I would do."


text:
 and said, "What is this proverb people keep repeating in the land of Israel? 'The parents ate the sour grapes, But the children got the sour taste.'


text:
 "As surely as I am the living God," says the Sovereign LORD, "you will not repeat this proverb in Israel any more.


text:
 The life of every person belongs to me, the life of the parent as well as that of the child. The person who sins is the one who will die.


text:
 He doesn't worship the idols of the Israelites or eat the sacrifices offered at forbidden shrines. He doesn't seduce another man's wife or have intercourse with a woman during her period.


text:
 He doesn't cheat or rob anyone. He returns what a borrower gives him as security; he feeds the hungry and gives clothing to the naked.


text:
 He doesn't lend money for profit. He refuses to do evil and gives an honest decision in any dispute.


text:
 Such a man obeys my commands and carefully keeps my laws. He is righteous, and he will live," says the Sovereign LORD.


text:
 that the father never did. He eats sacrifices offered at forbidden shrines and seduces other men's wives.


text:
 He cheats the poor, he robs, he keeps what a borrower gives him as security. He goes to pagan shrines, worships disgusting idols,


text:
 and lends money for profit. Will he live? No, he will not. He has done all these disgusting things, and so he will die. He will be to blame for his own death.


text:
 "Now suppose this second man has a son. He sees all the sins his father practiced, but does not follow his example.


text:
 He doesn't worship the idols of the Israelites or eat the sacrifices offered at forbidden shrines. He doesn't seduce another man's wife


text:
 or oppress anyone or rob anyone. He returns what a borrower gives him as security. He feeds the hungry and gives clothing to the naked.


text:
 He refuses to do evil and doesn't lend money for profit. He keeps my laws and obeys my commands. He will not die because of his father's sins, but he will certainly live.


text:
 His father, on the other hand, cheated and robbed and always did evil to everyone. And so he died because of the sins he himself had committed.


text:
 "But you ask, 'Why shouldn't the son suffer because of his father's sins?' The answer is that the son did what was right and good. He kept my laws and followed them carefully, and so he will certainly live.


text:
 It is the one who sins who will die. A son is not to suffer because of his father's sins, nor a father because of the sins of his son. Good people will be rewarded for doing good, and evil people will suffer for the evil they do.


text:
 "If someone evil stops sinning and keeps my laws, if he does what is right and good, he will not die; he will certainly live.


text:
 Do you think I enjoy seeing evil people die?" asks the Sovereign LORD. "No, I would rather see them repent and live.


text:
 "But if a righteous person stops doing good and starts doing all the evil, disgusting things that evil people do, will he go on living? No! None of the good he did will be remembered. He will die because of his unfaithfulness and his sins.


text:
 "But you say, 'What the Lord does isn't right.' Listen to me, you Israelites. Do you think my way of doing things isn't right? It is your way that isn't right.


text:
 When a righteous person stops doing good and starts doing evil and then dies, he dies because of the evil he has done.


text:
 And you Israelites say, 'What the Lord does isn't right.' You think my way isn't right, do you? It is your way that isn't right.


text:
 "Now I, the Sovereign LORD, am telling you Israelites that I will judge each of you by what you have done. Turn away from all the evil you are doing, and don't let your sin destroy you.


text:
 Give up all the evil you have been doing, and get yourselves new minds and hearts. Why do you Israelites want to die?


text:
 She waited until she saw all hope was gone. Then she raised another of her cubs, and he grew into a fierce lion.


text:
 The nations gathered to fight him; people came from everywhere. They spread their hunting nets and caught him in their trap.


text:
 They put him in a cage and took him to the king of Babylonia. They kept him under guard, so that his roar would never be heard again on the hills of Israel.


text:
 Your mother was like a grapevine planted near a stream. Because there was plenty of water, the vine was covered with leaves and fruit.


text:
 Its branches were strong and grew to be royal scepters. The vine grew tall enough to reach the clouds; everyone saw how leafy and tall it was.


text:
 But angry hands pulled it up by the roots and threw it to the ground. The east wind dried up its fruit. Its branches were broken off; they dried up and were burned.


text:
 The stem of the vine caught fire; fire burned up its branches and fruit. The branches will never again be strong, will never be royal scepters. This is a song of sorrow; it has been sung again and again.


text:
 It was the tenth day of the fifth month of the seventh year of our exile. Some of the leaders of the Israelite community came to consult me about the LORD's will, and they sat down in front of me.


text:
 "Mortal man," he said, "speak to these leaders and tell them that the Sovereign LORD is saying: You have come to ask my will, have you? As surely as I am the living God, I will not let you ask me anything. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken.


text:
 "Are you ready to pass sentence on them, mortal man? Then do so. Remind them of the disgusting things their ancestors did.


text:
 Tell them what I am saying. When I chose Israel, I made them a promise. I revealed myself to them in Egypt and told them: I am the LORD your God.


text:
 It was then that I promised to take them out of Egypt and lead them to a land I had chosen for them, a rich and fertile land, the finest land of all.


text:
 I told them to throw away the disgusting idols they loved and not to make themselves unclean with the false gods of Egypt, because I am the LORD their God.


text:
 But they defied me and refused to listen. They did not throw away their disgusting idols or give up the Egyptian gods. I was ready to let them feel the full force of my anger there in Egypt.


text:
 But I did not, since that would have brought dishonor to my name, for in the presence of the people among whom they were living I had announced to Israel that I was going to lead them out of Egypt.


text:
 I made the keeping of the Sabbath a sign of the agreement between us, to remind them that I, the LORD, make them holy.


text:
 But even in the desert they defied me. They broke my laws and rejected my commands, which bring life to anyone who obeys them. They completely profaned the Sabbath. I was ready to let them feel the force of my anger there in the desert and to destroy them.


text:
 But I did not, since that would have brought dishonor to my name among the nations which had seen me lead Israel out of Egypt.


text:
 So I made a vow in the desert that I would not take them to the land I had given them, a rich and fertile land, the finest land of all.


text:
 I made the vow because they had rejected my commands, broken my laws, and profaned the Sabbath---they preferred to worship their idols.


text:
 Instead, I warned the young people among them: Do not keep the laws your ancestors made; do not follow their customs or defile yourselves with their idols.


text:
 Make the Sabbath a holy day, so that it will be a sign of the covenant we made, and will remind you that I am the LORD your God.


text:
 "But that generation also defied me. They broke my laws and did not keep my commands, which bring life to anyone who obeys them. They profaned the Sabbath. I was ready to let them feel the force of my anger there in the desert and to kill them all.


text:
 But I did not, since that would have brought dishonor to my name among the nations which had seen me bring Israel out of Egypt.


text:
 I did this because they had rejected my commands, broken my laws, profaned the Sabbath, and worshiped the same idols their ancestors had served.


text:
 I let them defile themselves with their own offerings, and I let them sacrifice their first-born sons. This was to punish them and show them that I am the LORD.


text:
 "Now then, mortal man, tell the Israelites what I, the Sovereign LORD, am saying to them. This is another way their ancestors insulted me by their unfaithfulness.


text:
 I brought them to the land I had promised to give them. When they saw the high hills and green trees, they offered sacrifices at all of them. They made me angry by the sacrifices they burned and by the wine they brought as offerings.


text:
 I asked them: What are these high places where you go? So they have been called 'High Places' ever since.


text:
 Now tell the Israelites what I am saying: Why must you commit the same sins your ancestors did and go running after their idols?


text:
 Even today you offer the same gifts and defile yourselves with the same idols by sacrificing your children to them in the fire. And then you Israelites still come to ask what my will is! As surely as I, the Sovereign LORD, am the living God, I will not let you ask me anything.


text:
 You have made up your minds that you want to be like the other nations, like the people who live in other countries and worship trees and rocks. But that will never be.


text:
 "As surely as I, the Sovereign LORD, am the living God, I warn you that in my anger I will rule over you with a strong hand, with all my power.


text:
 I will show you my power and my anger when I gather you together and bring you back from all the countries where you have been scattered.


text:
 I will now condemn you just as I condemned your ancestors in the Sinai Desert," says the Sovereign LORD.


text:
 I will take away from among you those who are rebellious and sinful. I will take them out of the lands where they are living now, but I will not let them return to the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD."


text:
 The Sovereign LORD says, "And now, all you Israelites, suit yourselves! Go on and serve your idols! But I warn you that after this you will have to obey me and stop dishonoring my holy name by offering gifts to your idols.


text:
 There in the land, on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, all you people of Israel will worship me. I will be pleased with you and will expect you to bring me your sacrifices, your best offerings, and your holy gifts.


text:
 After I bring you out of the countries where you have been scattered and gather you together, I will accept the sacrifices that you burn, and the nations will see that I am holy.


text:
 When I bring you back to Israel, the land that I promised I would give to your ancestors, then you will know that I am the LORD.


text:
 Then you will remember all the disgraceful things you did and how you defiled yourselves. You will be disgusted with yourselves because of all the evil things you did.


text:
 When I act to protect my honor, you Israelites will know that I am the LORD, because I do not deal with you as your wicked, evil actions deserve." The Sovereign LORD has spoken.


text:
 "Mortal man," he said, "look toward the south. Speak against the south and prophesy against the forest of the south.


text:
 Tell the southern forest to hear what the Sovereign LORD is saying: Look! I am starting a fire, and it will burn up every tree in you, whether green or dry. Nothing will be able to put it out. It will spread from south to north, and everyone will feel the heat of the flames.


text:
 But I protested, "Sovereign LORD, don't make me do it! Everyone is already complaining that I always speak in riddles."


text:
 "Mortal man," he said, "denounce Jerusalem. Denounce the places where people worship. Warn the land of Israel


text:
 that I, the LORD, am saying: I am your enemy. I will draw my sword and kill all of you, good and evil alike.


text:
 "Mortal man, groan as if your heart is breaking with despair. Groan in sorrow where everyone can watch you.


text:
 When they ask you why you are groaning, tell them it is because of the news that is coming. When it comes, their hearts will be filled with fear, their hands will hang limp, their courage will fail, and their knees will tremble. The time has come; it is here." The Sovereign LORD has spoken.


text:
 "Mortal man, prophesy. Tell the people what I, the Lord, am saying: A sword, a sword is sharpened and polished.


text:
 It is sharpened to kill, polished to flash like lightning. There can be no rejoicing, for my people have disregarded every warning and punishment.


text:
 The sword is being polished, to make it ready for use. It is sharpened and polished, to be put in the hands of a killer.


text:
 Howl in grief, mortal man; this sword is meant for my people and for all the leaders of Israel. They are going to be killed with all the rest of my people. Beat your breast in despair!


text:
 "Now, mortal man, prophesy. Clap your hands, and the sword will strike again and again. It is a sword that kills, a sword that terrifies and slaughters.


text:
 It makes my people lose courage and stumble. I am threatening their city with a sword that flashes like lightning and is ready to kill.


text:
 "Mortal man," he said, "mark out two roads by which the king of Babylonia can come with his sword. Both of them are to start in the same country. Put up a signpost where the roads fork.


text:
 One will show the king the way to the Ammonite city of Rabbah, and the other the way to Judah, to the fortified city, Jerusalem.


text:
 The king of Babylonia stands by the signpost at the fork of the road. To discover which way to go, he shakes the arrows; he consults his idols; he examines the liver of a sacrificed animal.


text:
 Now! His right hand holds the arrow marked 'Jerusalem'! It tells him to go and set up battering rams, to shout the battle cry, to place battering rams against the gates, to throw up earthworks, and to dig trenches.


text:
 The people of Jerusalem won't believe this because of the treaties they have made. But this prediction is to remind them of their sins and to warn them that they will be captured.


text:
 This then is what I, the Sovereign LORD, am saying: Your sins are exposed. Everyone knows how guilty you are. You show your sins in your every action. You stand condemned, and I will hand you over to your enemies.


text:
 I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken. Take off your crown and your turban. Nothing will be the same again. Raise the poor to power! Bring down those who are ruling!


text:
 Ruin, ruin! Yes, I will make the city a ruin. But this will not happen until the one comes whom I have chosen to punish the city. To him I will give it.


text:
 "Mortal man, prophesy. Announce what I, the Sovereign LORD, am saying to the Ammonites, who are insulting Israel. Say to them: 'A sword is ready to destroy; It is polished to kill, to flash like lightning.


text:
 The visions that you see are false, and the predictions you make are lies. You are wicked and evil, and your day is coming, the day of your final punishment. The sword is going to fall on your necks.


text:
 " 'Put up the sword! I will judge you in the place where you were created, in the land where you were born.


text:
 You will feel my anger when I turn it loose on you like a blazing fire. And I will hand you over to brutal men, experts at destruction.


text:
 You will be destroyed by fire. Your blood will be shed in your own country, and no one will remember you any more.' " The LORD has spoken.


text:
 "Mortal man," he said, "are you ready to judge the city that is full of murderers? Make clear to her all the disgusting things she has done.


text:
 Tell the city what I, the Sovereign LORD, am saying: Because you have murdered so many of your own people and have defiled yourself by worshiping idols, your time is coming.


text:
 You are guilty of those murders and are defiled by the idols you made, and so your day is coming, your time is up! That is why I have let the nations make fun of you and all the countries sneer at you.


text:
 None of you in the city honor your parents. You cheat foreigners and take advantage of widows and orphans.


text:
 Some of your people tell lies about others in order to have them put to death. Some of them eat sacrifices offered to idols. Some are always satisfying their lusts.


text:
 Some of them sleep with their father's wife. Some force women to have intercourse with them during their period.


text:
 Some of your people murder for pay. Some charge interest on the loans they make to other Israelites and get rich by taking advantage of them. They have forgotten me." The Sovereign LORD has spoken.


text:
 Do you think you will have any courage left or have strength enough to lift your hand when I am finished with you? I, the LORD, have spoken, and I keep my word.


text:
 "Mortal man, the Israelites are of no use to me. They are like waste metal---copper, tin, iron, and lead---left over after silver has been refined in a furnace.


text:
 So now I, the Sovereign LORD, am telling them that they are just as useless as that. I will bring them all together in Jerusalem


text:
 in the same way that the ore of silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin is put in a refining furnace. My anger and rage will melt them the way fire melts ore.


text:
 They will be melted in Jerusalem the way silver is melted in a furnace, and then they will know that they are feeling the anger of the LORD."


text:
 "Mortal man," he said, "tell the Israelites that their land is unholy, and so I am punishing it in my anger.


text:
 The leaders are like lions roaring over the animals they have killed. They kill the people, take all the money and property they can get, and by their murders leave many widows.


text:
 The priests break my law and have no respect for what is holy. They make no distinction between what is holy and what is not. They do not teach the difference between clean and unclean things, and they ignore the Sabbath. As a result the people of Israel do not respect me.


text:
 The government officials are like wolves tearing apart the animals they have killed. They commit murder in order to get rich.


text:
 The prophets have hidden these sins like workers covering a wall with whitewash. They see false visions and make false predictions. They claim to speak the word of the Sovereign LORD, but I, the LORD, have not spoken to them.


text:
 I looked for someone who could build a wall, who could stand in the places where the walls have crumbled and defend the land when my anger is about to destroy it, but I could find no one.


text:
 So I will turn my anger loose on them, and like a fire I will destroy them for what they have done." The Sovereign LORD has spoken.


text:
 The older one was named Oholah (she represents Samaria), and the younger one was named Oholibah (she represents Jerusalem). I married both of them, and they bore me children.


text:
 Although she was mine, Oholah continued to be a prostitute and was full of lust for her lovers from Assyria.


text:
 They were soldiers in uniforms of purple, noblemen and high-ranking officers; all of them were handsome young cavalry officers.


text:
 She was the whore for all the Assyrian officers, and her lust led her to defile herself by worshiping Assyrian idols.


text:
 She continued what she had begun as a prostitute in Egypt, where she lost her virginity. From the time she was a young woman, men slept with her and treated her like a prostitute.


text:
 They stripped her naked, seized her sons and daughters, and then killed her with a sword. Women everywhere gossiped about her fate.


text:
 "Even though her sister Oholibah saw this, she was wilder and more of a prostitute than Oholah had ever been.


text:
 She too was full of lust for the Assyrian noblemen and officers---soldiers in bright uniforms---and for the cavalry officers, all of those handsome young men.


text:
 "She sank deeper and deeper in her immorality. She was attracted by the images of high Babylonian officials carved into the wall and painted bright red, with sashes around their waists and fancy turbans on their heads.


text:
 The Babylonians came to have sex with her. They used her and defiled her so much that finally she became disgusted with them.


text:
 She exposed herself publicly and let everyone know she was a whore. I was as disgusted with her as I had been with her sister.


text:
 She became more of a prostitute than ever, acting the way she did as a young woman, when she was a prostitute in Egypt.


text:
 (Oholibah, you wanted to repeat the immorality you were guilty of as a young woman in Egypt, where men played with your breasts and you lost your virginity.)


text:
 "Now then, Oholibah, this is what I, the Sovereign LORD, am saying to you. You are tired of those lovers, but I will make them angry with you and bring them to surround you.


text:
 I will bring all the Babylonians and Chaldeans, men from Pekod, Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians. I will gather all those handsome young noblemen and officers, all those important officials and high-ranking cavalry officers.


text:
 They will attack you from the north, bringing a large army with chariots and supply wagons. Protected by shields and helmets, they will surround you. I will hand you over to them, and they will judge you by their own laws.


text:
 Because I am angry with you, I will let them deal with you in their anger. They will cut off your nose and your ears and kill your children. Yes, they will take your sons and daughters from you and burn them alive.


text:
 I will put a stop to your lust and to the obscenities you have committed ever since you were in Egypt. You won't look at any more idols or think about Egypt any more."


text:
 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "I will hand you over to people you hate and are disgusted with.


text:
 And because they hate you, they will take away everything you have worked for and leave you stripped naked, exposed like a prostitute. Your lust and your prostitution


text:
 have brought this on you. You were a prostitute for the nations and defiled yourself with their idols.


text:
 You followed in your sister's footsteps, and so I will give you the same cup of punishment to drink."


text:
 The Sovereign LORD says, "You will drink from your sister's cup; it is large and deep. Everyone will scorn and mock you; the cup is full.


text:
 You will drink and drain it dry, and with its broken pieces tear your breast. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken."


text:
 Now this is what the Sovereign LORD is saying: "Because you forgot me and turned your back on me, you will suffer for your lust and your prostitution."


text:
 The LORD said to me, "Mortal man, are you ready to judge Oholah and Oholibah? Accuse them of the disgusting things they have done.


text:
 They have committed adultery and murder---adultery with idols and murder of the children they bore me. They sacrificed my children to their idols.


text:
 And that is not all they did. They profaned my Temple and broke the Sabbath, which I had established.


text:
 The very day that they killed my children as sacrifices to idols, they came to my Temple and profaned it!


text:
 "Again and again they sent messengers to invite men to come from a great distance, and the men came. The two sisters would bathe and put on eye shadow and jewelry.


text:
 They would sit on a beautiful couch, and in front of them they would have a table covered with good things, including the incense and the olive oil that I had given them.


text:
 The sound of a carefree crowd could be heard, a group of men brought in from the desert. They put bracelets on the women's arms and beautiful crowns on their heads.


text:
 They went back to these prostitutes again and again. They went back to Oholah and Oholibah, those immoral women.


text:
 Righteous men will condemn them on the charge of adultery and murder, because they practice adultery and their hands are stained with blood."


text:
 Let the mob stone them and attack them with swords, kill their children, and burn down their houses.


text:
 Throughout the land I will put a stop to immorality, as a warning to every woman not to commit adultery as they did.


text:
 And you two sisters---I will punish you for your immorality and your sin of worshiping idols. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD."


text:
 "Mortal man," he said, "write down today's date, because this is the day that the king of Babylonia is beginning the siege of Jerusalem.


