Podcast appearances and mentions of israel forsakes

Old Testament: Jeremiah 2–3 Jeremiah 2–3 (Listen) Israel Forsakes the Lord 2 The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the LORD,   “I remember the devotion of your youth,    your love as a bride,  how you followed me in the wilderness,    in a land not sown.3   Israel was holy to the LORD,    the firstfruits of his harvest.  All who ate of it incurred guilt;    disaster came upon them,      declares the LORD.” 4 Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the LORD:   “What wrong did your fathers find in me    that they went far from me,  and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?6   They did not say, ‘Where is the LORD    who brought us up from the land of Egypt,  who led us in the wilderness,    in a land of deserts and pits,  in a land of drought and deep darkness,    in a land that none passes through,    where no man dwells?'7   And I brought you into a plentiful land    to enjoy its fruits and its good things.  But when you came in, you defiled my land    and made my heritage an abomination.8   The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?'    Those who handle the law did not know me;  the shepherds1 transgressed against me;    the prophets prophesied by Baal    and went after things that do not profit. 9   “Therefore I still contend with you,      declares the LORD,    and with your children's children I will contend.10   For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see,    or send to Kedar and examine with care;    see if there has been such a thing.11   Has a nation changed its gods,    even though they are no gods?  But my people have changed their glory    for that which does not profit.12   Be appalled, O heavens, at this;    be shocked, be utterly desolate,      declares the LORD,13   for my people have committed two evils:  they have forsaken me,    the fountain of living waters,  and hewed out cisterns for themselves,    broken cisterns that can hold no water. 14   “Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?    Why then has he become a prey?15   The lions have roared against him;    they have roared loudly.  They have made his land a waste;    his cities are in ruins, without inhabitant.16   Moreover, the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes    have shaved2 the crown of your head.17   Have you not brought this upon yourself    by forsaking the LORD your God,    when he led you in the way?18   And now what do you gain by going to Egypt    to drink the waters of the Nile?  Or what do you gain by going to Assyria    to drink the waters of the Euphrates?319   Your evil will chastise you,    and your apostasy will reprove you.  Know and see that it is evil and bitter    for you to forsake the LORD your God;    the fear of me is not in you,      declares the Lord GOD of hosts. 20   “For long ago I broke your yoke    and burst your bonds;    but you said, ‘I will not serve.'  Yes, on every high hill    and under every green tree    you bowed down like a whore.21   Yet I planted you a choice vine,    wholly of pure seed.  How then have you turned degenerate    and become a wild vine?22   Though you wash yourself with lye    and use much soap,    the stain of your guilt is still before me,      declares the Lord GOD.23   How can you say, ‘I am not unclean,    I have not gone after the Baals'?  Look at your way in the valley;    know what you have done—  a restless young camel running here and there,24     a wild donkey used to the wilderness,  in her heat sniffing the wind!    Who can restrain her lust?  None who seek her need weary themselves;    in her month they will find her.25   Keep your feet from going unshod    and your throat from thirst.  But you said, ‘It is hopeless,    for I have loved foreigners,    and after them I will go.' 26   “As a thief is shamed when caught,    so the house of Israel shall be shamed:  they, their kings, their officials,    their priests, and their prophets,27   who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,'    and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.'  For they have turned their back to me,    and not their face.  But in the time of their trouble they say,    ‘Arise and save us!'28   But where are your gods    that you made for yourself?  Let them arise, if they can save you,    in your time of trouble;  for as many as your cities    are your gods, O Judah. 29   “Why do you contend with me?    You have all transgressed against me,      declares the LORD.30   In vain have I struck your children;    they took no correction;  your own sword devoured your prophets    like a ravening lion.31   And you, O generation, behold the word of the LORD.  Have I been a wilderness to Israel,    or a land of thick darkness?  Why then do my people say, ‘We are free,    we will come no more to you'?32   Can a virgin forget her ornaments,    or a bride her attire?  Yet my people have forgotten me    days without number. 33   “How well you direct your course    to seek love!  So that even to wicked women    you have taught your ways.34   Also on your skirts is found    the lifeblood of the guiltless poor;  you did not find them breaking in.    Yet in spite of all these things35   you say, ‘I am innocent;    surely his anger has turned from me.'  Behold, I will bring you to judgment    for saying, ‘I have not sinned.'36   How much you go about,    changing your way!  You shall be put to shame by Egypt    as you were put to shame by Assyria.37   From it too you will come away    with your hands on your head,  for the LORD has rejected those in whom you trust,    and you will not prosper by them. 3   “If4 a man divorces his wife    and she goes from him  and becomes another man's wife,    will he return to her?  Would not that land be greatly polluted?  You have played the whore with many lovers;    and would you return to me?      declares the LORD.2   Lift up your eyes to the bare heights, and see!    Where have you not been ravished?  By the waysides you have sat awaiting lovers    like an Arab in the wilderness.  You have polluted the land    with your vile whoredom.3   Therefore the showers have been withheld,    and the spring rain has not come;  yet you have the forehead of a whore;    you refuse to be ashamed.4   Have you not just now called to me,    ‘My father, you are the friend of my youth—5   will he be angry forever,    will he be indignant to the end?'  Behold, you have spoken,    but you have done all the evil that you could.” Faithless Israel Called to Repentance 6 The LORD said to me in the days of King Josiah: “Have you seen what she did, that faithless one, Israel, how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there played the whore? 7 And I thought, ‘After she has done all this she will return to me,' but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 She saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but she too went and played the whore. 9 Because she took her whoredom lightly, she polluted the land, committing adultery with stone and tree. 10 Yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to me with her whole heart, but in pretense, declares the LORD.” 11 And the LORD said to me, “Faithless Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say,   “‘Return, faithless Israel,      declares the LORD.  I will not look on you in anger,    for I am merciful,      declares the LORD;  I will not be angry forever.13   Only acknowledge your guilt,    that you rebelled against the LORD your God  and scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree,    and that you have not obeyed my voice,      declares the LORD.14   Return, O faithless children,      declares the LORD;    for I am your master;  I will take you, one from a city and two from a family,    and I will bring you to Zion. 15 “‘And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. 16 And when you have multiplied and been fruitful in the land, in those days, declares the LORD, they shall no more say, “The ark of the covenant of the LORD.” It shall not come to mind or be remembered or missed; it shall not be made again. 17 At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the LORD, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the LORD in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart. 18 In those days the house of Judah shall join the house of Israel, and together they shall come from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers for a heritage. 19   “‘I said,    How I would set you among my sons,  and give you a pleasant land,    a heritage most beautiful of all nations.  And I thought you would call me, My Father,    and would not turn from following me.20   Surely, as a treacherous wife leaves her husband,    so have you been treacherous to me, O house of Israel,      declares the LORD.'” 21   A voice on the bare heights is heard,    the weeping and pleading of Israel's sons  because they have perverted their way;    they have forgotten the LORD their God.22   “Return, O faithless sons;    I will heal your faithlessness.”  “Behold, we come to you,    for you are the LORD our God.23   Truly the hills are a delusion,    the orgies5 on the mountains.  Truly in the LORD our God    is the salvation of Israel. 24 “But from our youth the shameful thing has devoured all for which our fathers labored, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. 25 Let us lie down in our shame, and let our dishonor cover us. For we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even to this day, and we have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.” Footnotes [1] 2:8 Or rulers [2] 2:16 Hebrew grazed [3] 2:18 Hebrew the River [4] 3:1 Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew Saying, “If [5] 3:23 Hebrew commotion (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 104 Psalm 104 (Listen) O Lord My God, You Are Very Great 104   Bless the LORD, O my soul!    O LORD my God, you are very great!  You are clothed with splendor and majesty,2     covering yourself with light as with a garment,    stretching out the heavens like a tent.3   He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters;  he makes the clouds his chariot;    he rides on the wings of the wind;4   he makes his messengers winds,    his ministers a flaming fire. 5   He set the earth on its foundations,    so that it should never be moved.6   You covered it with the deep as with a garment;    the waters stood above the mountains.7   At your rebuke they fled;    at the sound of your thunder they took to flight.8   The mountains rose, the valleys sank down    to the place that you appointed for them.9   You set a boundary that they may not pass,    so that they might not again cover the earth. 10   You make springs gush forth in the valleys;    they flow between the hills;11   they give drink to every beast of the field;    the wild donkeys quench their thirst.12   Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell;    they sing among the branches.13   From your lofty abode you water the mountains;    the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work. 14   You cause the grass to grow for the livestock    and plants for man to cultivate,  that he may bring forth food from the earth15     and wine to gladden the heart of man,  oil to make his face shine    and bread to strengthen man's heart. 16   The trees of the LORD are watered abundantly,    the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.17   In them the birds build their nests;    the stork has her home in the fir trees.18   The high mountains are for the wild goats;    the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers.

Old Testament: Jeremiah 2–3 Jeremiah 2–3 (Listen) Israel Forsakes the Lord 2 The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the LORD,   “I remember the devotion of your youth,    your love as a bride,  how you followed me in the wilderness,    in a land not sown.3   Israel was holy to the LORD,    the firstfruits of his harvest.  All who ate of it incurred guilt;    disaster came upon them,      declares the LORD.” 4 Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the LORD:   “What wrong did your fathers find in me    that they went far from me,  and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?6   They did not say, ‘Where is the LORD    who brought us up from the land of Egypt,  who led us in the wilderness,    in a land of deserts and pits,  in a land of drought and deep darkness,    in a land that none passes through,    where no man dwells?'7   And I brought you into a plentiful land    to enjoy its fruits and its good things.  But when you came in, you defiled my land    and made my heritage an abomination.8   The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?'    Those who handle the law did not know me;  the shepherds1 transgressed against me;    the prophets prophesied by Baal    and went after things that do not profit. 9   “Therefore I still contend with you,      declares the LORD,    and with your children's children I will contend.10   For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see,    or send to Kedar and examine with care;    see if there has been such a thing.11   Has a nation changed its gods,    even though they are no gods?  But my people have changed their glory    for that which does not profit.12   Be appalled, O heavens, at this;    be shocked, be utterly desolate,      declares the LORD,13   for my people have committed two evils:  they have forsaken me,    the fountain of living waters,  and hewed out cisterns for themselves,    broken cisterns that can hold no water. 14   “Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?    Why then has he become a prey?15   The lions have roared against him;    they have roared loudly.  They have made his land a waste;    his cities are in ruins, without inhabitant.16   Moreover, the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes    have shaved2 the crown of your head.17   Have you not brought this upon yourself    by forsaking the LORD your God,    when he led you in the way?18   And now what do you gain by going to Egypt    to drink the waters of the Nile?  Or what do you gain by going to Assyria    to drink the waters of the Euphrates?319   Your evil will chastise you,    and your apostasy will reprove you.  Know and see that it is evil and bitter    for you to forsake the LORD your God;    the fear of me is not in you,      declares the Lord GOD of hosts. 20   “For long ago I broke your yoke    and burst your bonds;    but you said, ‘I will not serve.'  Yes, on every high hill    and under every green tree    you bowed down like a whore.21   Yet I planted you a choice vine,    wholly of pure seed.  How then have you turned degenerate    and become a wild vine?22   Though you wash yourself with lye    and use much soap,    the stain of your guilt is still before me,      declares the Lord GOD.23   How can you say, ‘I am not unclean,    I have not gone after the Baals'?  Look at your way in the valley;    know what you have done—  a restless young camel running here and there,24     a wild donkey used to the wilderness,  in her heat sniffing the wind!    Who can restrain her lust?  None who seek her need weary themselves;    in her month they will find her.25   Keep your feet from going unshod    and your throat from thirst.  But you said, ‘It is hopeless,    for I have loved foreigners,    and after them I will go.' 26   “As a thief is shamed when caught,    so the house of Israel shall be shamed:  they, their kings, their officials,    their priests, and their prophets,27   who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,'    and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.'  For they have turned their back to me,    and not their face.  But in the time of their trouble they say,    ‘Arise and save us!'28   But where are your gods    that you made for yourself?  Let them arise, if they can save you,    in your time of trouble;  for as many as your cities    are your gods, O Judah. 29   “Why do you contend with me?    You have all transgressed against me,      declares the LORD.30   In vain have I struck your children;    they took no correction;  your own sword devoured your prophets    like a ravening lion.31   And you, O generation, behold the word of the LORD.  Have I been a wilderness to Israel,    or a land of thick darkness?  Why then do my people say, ‘We are free,    we will come no more to you'?32   Can a virgin forget her ornaments,    or a bride her attire?  Yet my people have forgotten me    days without number. 33   “How well you direct your course    to seek love!  So that even to wicked women    you have taught your ways.34   Also on your skirts is found    the lifeblood of the guiltless poor;  you did not find them breaking in.    Yet in spite of all these things35   you say, ‘I am innocent;    surely his anger has turned from me.'  Behold, I will bring you to judgment    for saying, ‘I have not sinned.'36   How much you go about,    changing your way!  You shall be put to shame by Egypt    as you were put to shame by Assyria.37   From it too you will come away    with your hands on your head,  for the LORD has rejected those in whom you trust,    and you will not prosper by them. 3   “If4 a man divorces his wife    and she goes from him  and becomes another man's wife,    will he return to her?  Would not that land be greatly polluted?  You have played the whore with many lovers;    and would you return to me?      declares the LORD.2   Lift up your eyes to the bare heights, and see!    Where have you not been ravished?  By the waysides you have sat awaiting lovers    like an Arab in the wilderness.  You have polluted the land    with your vile whoredom.3   Therefore the showers have been withheld,    and the spring rain has not come;  yet you have the forehead of a whore;    you refuse to be ashamed.4   Have you not just now called to me,    ‘My father, you are the friend of my youth—5   will he be angry forever,    will he be indignant to the end?'  Behold, you have spoken,    but you have done all the evil that you could.” Faithless Israel Called to Repentance 6 The LORD said to me in the days of King Josiah: “Have you seen what she did, that faithless one, Israel, how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there played the whore? 7 And I thought, ‘After she has done all this she will return to me,' but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 She saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but she too went and played the whore. 9 Because she took her whoredom lightly, she polluted the land, committing adultery with stone and tree. 10 Yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to me with her whole heart, but in pretense, declares the LORD.” 11 And the LORD said to me, “Faithless Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say,   “‘Return, faithless Israel,      declares the LORD.  I will not look on you in anger,    for I am merciful,      declares the LORD;  I will not be angry forever.13   Only acknowledge your guilt,    that you rebelled against the LORD your God  and scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree,    and that you have not obeyed my voice,      declares the LORD.14   Return, O faithless children,      declares the LORD;    for I am your master;  I will take you, one from a city and two from a family,    and I will bring you to Zion. 15 “‘And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. 16 And when you have multiplied and been fruitful in the land, in those days, declares the LORD, they shall no more say, “The ark of the covenant of the LORD.” It shall not come to mind or be remembered or missed; it shall not be made again. 17 At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the LORD, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the LORD in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart. 18 In those days the house of Judah shall join the house of Israel, and together they shall come from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers for a heritage. 19   “‘I said,    How I would set you among my sons,  and give you a pleasant land,    a heritage most beautiful of all nations.  And I thought you would call me, My Father,    and would not turn from following me.20   Surely, as a treacherous wife leaves her husband,    so have you been treacherous to me, O house of Israel,      declares the LORD.'” 21   A voice on the bare heights is heard,    the weeping and pleading of Israel's sons  because they have perverted their way;    they have forgotten the LORD their God.22   “Return, O faithless sons;    I will heal your faithlessness.”  “Behold, we come to you,    for you are the LORD our God.23   Truly the hills are a delusion,    the orgies5 on the mountains.  Truly in the LORD our God    is the salvation of Israel. 24 “But from our youth the shameful thing has devoured all for which our fathers labored, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. 25 Let us lie down in our shame, and let our dishonor cover us. For we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even to this day, and we have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.” Footnotes [1] 2:8 Or rulers [2] 2:16 Hebrew grazed [3] 2:18 Hebrew the River [4] 3:1 Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew Saying, “If [5] 3:23 Hebrew commotion (ESV) New Testament: 1 Peter 2:11–3:12 1 Peter 2:11–3:12 (Listen) 11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. Submission to Authority 13 Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution,1 whether it be to the emperor2 as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants3 of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. 18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. Wives and Husbands 3 Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they see your respectful and pure conduct. 3 Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. 5 For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening. 7 Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you4 of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. Suffering for Righteousness' Sake 8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. 10 For   “Whoever desires to love life    and see good days,  let him keep his tongue from evil    and his lips from speaking deceit;11   let him turn away from evil and do good;    let him seek peace and pursue it.12   For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,    and his ears are open to their pra

Morning: Jeremiah 1–2 Jeremiah 1–2 (Listen) 1 The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, and until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month. The Call of Jeremiah 4 Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 5   “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,  and before you were born I consecrated you;  I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” 6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” 7 But the LORD said to me,   “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth';  for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,  and whatever I command you, you shall speak.8   Do not be afraid of them,  for I am with you to deliver you,      declares the LORD.” 9 Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the LORD said to me,   “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.10   See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms,  to pluck up and to break down,  to destroy and to overthrow,  to build and to plant.” 11 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond1 branch.” 12 Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.” 13 The word of the LORD came to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north.” 14 Then the LORD said to me, “Out of the north disaster2 shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the land. 15 For behold, I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, declares the LORD, and they shall come, and every one shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its walls all around and against all the cities of Judah. 16 And I will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil in forsaking me. They have made offerings to other gods and worshiped the works of their own hands. 17 But you, dress yourself for work;3 arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. 18 And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. 19 They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the LORD, to deliver you.” Israel Forsakes the Lord 2 The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the LORD,   “I remember the devotion of your youth,    your love as a bride,  how you followed me in the wilderness,    in a land not sown.3   Israel was holy to the LORD,    the firstfruits of his harvest.  All who ate of it incurred guilt;    disaster came upon them,      declares the LORD.” 4 Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the LORD:   “What wrong did your fathers find in me    that they went far from me,  and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?6   They did not say, ‘Where is the LORD    who brought us up from the land of Egypt,  who led us in the wilderness,    in a land of deserts and pits,  in a land of drought and deep darkness,    in a land that none passes through,    where no man dwells?'7   And I brought you into a plentiful land    to enjoy its fruits and its good things.  But when you came in, you defiled my land    and made my heritage an abomination.8   The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?'    Those who handle the law did not know me;  the shepherds4 transgressed against me;    the prophets prophesied by Baal    and went after things that do not profit. 9   “Therefore I still contend with you,      declares the LORD,    and with your children's children I will contend.10   For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see,    or send to Kedar and examine with care;    see if there has been such a thing.11   Has a nation changed its gods,    even though they are no gods?  But my people have changed their glory    for that which does not profit.12   Be appalled, O heavens, at this;    be shocked, be utterly desolate,      declares the LORD,13   for my people have committed two evils:  they have forsaken me,    the fountain of living waters,  and hewed out cisterns for themselves,    broken cisterns that can hold no water. 14   “Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?    Why then has he become a prey?15   The lions have roared against him;    they have roared loudly.  They have made his land a waste;    his cities are in ruins, without inhabitant.16   Moreover, the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes    have shaved5 the crown of your head.17   Have you not brought this upon yourself    by forsaking the LORD your God,    when he led you in the way?18   And now what do you gain by going to Egypt    to drink the waters of the Nile?  Or what do you gain by going to Assyria    to drink the waters of the Euphrates?619   Your evil will chastise you,    and your apostasy will reprove you.  Know and see that it is evil and bitter    for you to forsake the LORD your God;    the fear of me is not in you,      declares the Lord GOD of hosts. 20   “For long ago I broke your yoke    and burst your bonds;    but you said, ‘I will not serve.'  Yes, on every high hill    and under every green tree    you bowed down like a whore.21   Yet I planted you a choice vine,    wholly of pure seed.  How then have you turned degenerate    and become a wild vine?22   Though you wash yourself with lye    and use much soap,    the stain of your guilt is still before me,      declares the Lord GOD.23   How can you say, ‘I am not unclean,    I have not gone after the Baals'?  Look at your way in the valley;    know what you have done—  a restless young camel running here and there,24     a wild donkey used to the wilderness,  in her heat sniffing the wind!    Who can restrain her lust?  None who seek her need weary themselves;    in her month they will find her.25   Keep your feet from going unshod    and your throat from thirst.  But you said, ‘It is hopeless,    for I have loved foreigners,    and after them I will go.' 26   “As a thief is shamed when caught,    so the house of Israel shall be shamed:  they, their kings, their officials,    their priests, and their prophets,27   who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,'    and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.'  For they have turned their back to me,    and not their face.  But in the time of their trouble they say,    ‘Arise and save us!'28   But where are your gods    that you made for yourself?  Let them arise, if they can save you,    in your time of trouble;  for as many as your cities    are your gods, O Judah. 29   “Why do you contend with me?    You have all transgressed against me,      declares the LORD.30   In vain have I struck your children;    they took no correction;  your own sword devoured your prophets    like a ravening lion.31   And you, O generation, behold the word of the LORD.  Have I been a wilderness to Israel,    or a land of thick darkness?  Why then do my people say, ‘We are free,    we will come no more to you'?32   Can a virgin forget her ornaments,    or a bride her attire?  Yet my people have forgotten me    days without number. 33   “How well you direct your course    to seek love!  So that even to wicked women    you have taught your ways.34   Also on your skirts is found    the lifeblood of the guiltless poor;  you did not find them breaking in.    Yet in spite of all these things35   you say, ‘I am innocent;    surely his anger has turned from me.'  Behold, I will bring you to judgment    for saying, ‘I have not sinned.'36   How much you go about,    changing your way!  You shall be put to shame by Egypt    as you were put to shame by Assyria.37   From it too you will come away    with your hands on your head,  for the LORD has rejected those in whom you trust,    and you will not prosper by them. Footnotes [1] 1:11 Almond sounds like the Hebrew for watching (compare verse 12) [2] 1:14 The Hebrew word can mean evil, harm, or disaster, depending on the context; so throughout Jeremiah [3] 1:17 Hebrew gird up your loins [4] 2:8 Or rulers [5] 2:16 Hebrew grazed [6] 2:18 Hebrew the River (ESV) Evening: 2 Thessalonians 2 2 Thessalonians 2 (Listen) The Man of Lawlessness 2 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,1 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness2 is revealed, the son of destruction,3 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. Stand Firm 13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits4 to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. 14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter. 16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. Footnotes [1] 2:1 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 13, 15 [2] 2:3 Some manuscripts sin [3] 2:3 Greek the son of perdition (a Hebrew idiom) [4] 2:13 Some manuscripts chose you from the beginning (ESV)

Jeremiah 1–3 Jeremiah 1–3 (Listen) 1 The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, and until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month. The Call of Jeremiah 4 Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 5   “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,  and before you were born I consecrated you;  I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” 6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” 7 But the LORD said to me,   “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth';  for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,  and whatever I command you, you shall speak.8   Do not be afraid of them,  for I am with you to deliver you,      declares the LORD.” 9 Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the LORD said to me,   “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.10   See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms,  to pluck up and to break down,  to destroy and to overthrow,  to build and to plant.” 11 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond1 branch.” 12 Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.” 13 The word of the LORD came to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north.” 14 Then the LORD said to me, “Out of the north disaster2 shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the land. 15 For behold, I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, declares the LORD, and they shall come, and every one shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its walls all around and against all the cities of Judah. 16 And I will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil in forsaking me. They have made offerings to other gods and worshiped the works of their own hands. 17 But you, dress yourself for work;3 arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. 18 And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. 19 They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the LORD, to deliver you.” Israel Forsakes the Lord 2 The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the LORD,   “I remember the devotion of your youth,    your love as a bride,  how you followed me in the wilderness,    in a land not sown.3   Israel was holy to the LORD,    the firstfruits of his harvest.  All who ate of it incurred guilt;    disaster came upon them,      declares the LORD.” 4 Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the LORD:   “What wrong did your fathers find in me    that they went far from me,  and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?6   They did not say, ‘Where is the LORD    who brought us up from the land of Egypt,  who led us in the wilderness,    in a land of deserts and pits,  in a land of drought and deep darkness,    in a land that none passes through,    where no man dwells?'7   And I brought you into a plentiful land    to enjoy its fruits and its good things.  But when you came in, you defiled my land    and made my heritage an abomination.8   The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?'    Those who handle the law did not know me;  the shepherds4 transgressed against me;    the prophets prophesied by Baal    and went after things that do not profit. 9   “Therefore I still contend with you,      declares the LORD,    and with your children's children I will contend.10   For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see,    or send to Kedar and examine with care;    see if there has been such a thing.11   Has a nation changed its gods,    even though they are no gods?  But my people have changed their glory    for that which does not profit.12   Be appalled, O heavens, at this;    be shocked, be utterly desolate,      declares the LORD,13   for my people have committed two evils:  they have forsaken me,    the fountain of living waters,  and hewed out cisterns for themselves,    broken cisterns that can hold no water. 14   “Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?    Why then has he become a prey?15   The lions have roared against him;    they have roared loudly.  They have made his land a waste;    his cities are in ruins, without inhabitant.16   Moreover, the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes    have shaved5 the crown of your head.17   Have you not brought this upon yourself    by forsaking the LORD your God,    when he led you in the way?18   And now what do you gain by going to Egypt    to drink the waters of the Nile?  Or what do you gain by going to Assyria    to drink the waters of the Euphrates?619   Your evil will chastise you,    and your apostasy will reprove you.  Know and see that it is evil and bitter    for you to forsake the LORD your God;    the fear of me is not in you,      declares the Lord GOD of hosts. 20   “For long ago I broke your yoke    and burst your bonds;    but you said, ‘I will not serve.'  Yes, on every high hill    and under every green tree    you bowed down like a whore.21   Yet I planted you a choice vine,    wholly of pure seed.  How then have you turned degenerate    and become a wild vine?22   Though you wash yourself with lye    and use much soap,    the stain of your guilt is still before me,      declares the Lord GOD.23   How can you say, ‘I am not unclean,    I have not gone after the Baals'?  Look at your way in the valley;    know what you have done—  a restless young camel running here and there,24     a wild donkey used to the wilderness,  in her heat sniffing the wind!    Who can restrain her lust?  None who seek her need weary themselves;    in her month they will find her.25   Keep your feet from going unshod    and your throat from thirst.  But you said, ‘It is hopeless,    for I have loved foreigners,    and after them I will go.' 26   “As a thief is shamed when caught,    so the house of Israel shall be shamed:  they, their kings, their officials,    their priests, and their prophets,27   who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,'    and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.'  For they have turned their back to me,    and not their face.  But in the time of their trouble they say,    ‘Arise and save us!'28   But where are your gods    that you made for yourself?  Let them arise, if they can save you,    in your time of trouble;  for as many as your cities    are your gods, O Judah. 29   “Why do you contend with me?    You have all transgressed against me,      declares the LORD.30   In vain have I struck your children;    they took no correction;  your own sword devoured your prophets    like a ravening lion.31   And you, O generation, behold the word of the LORD.  Have I been a wilderness to Israel,    or a land of thick darkness?  Why then do my people say, ‘We are free,    we will come no more to you'?32   Can a virgin forget her ornaments,    or a bride her attire?  Yet my people have forgotten me    days without number. 33   “How well you direct your course    to seek love!  So that even to wicked women    you have taught your ways.34   Also on your skirts is found    the lifeblood of the guiltless poor;  you did not find them breaking in.    Yet in spite of all these things35   you say, ‘I am innocent;    surely his anger has turned from me.'  Behold, I will bring you to judgment    for saying, ‘I have not sinned.'36   How much you go about,    changing your way!  You shall be put to shame by Egypt    as you were put to shame by Assyria.37   From it too you will come away    with your hands on your head,  for the LORD has rejected those in whom you trust,    and you will not prosper by them. 3   “If7 a man divorces his wife    and she goes from him  and becomes another man's wife,    will he return to her?  Would not that land be greatly polluted?  You have played the whore with many lovers;    and would you return to me?      declares the LORD.2   Lift up your eyes to the bare heights, and see!    Where have you not been ravished?  By the waysides you have sat awaiting lovers    like an Arab in the wilderness.  You have polluted the land    with your vile whoredom.3   Therefore the showers have been withheld,    and the spring rain has not come;  yet you have the forehead of a whore;    you refuse to be ashamed.4   Have you not just now called to me,    ‘My father, you are the friend of my youth—5   will he be angry forever,    will he be indignant to the end?'  Behold, you have spoken,    but you have done all the evil that you could.” Faithless Israel Called to Repentance 6 The LORD said to me in the days of King Josiah: “Have you seen what she did, that faithless one, Israel, how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there played the whore? 7 And I thought, ‘After she has done all this she will return to me,' but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 She saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but she too went and played the whore. 9 Because she took her whoredom lightly, she polluted the land, committing adultery with stone and tree. 10 Yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to me with her whole heart, but in pretense, declares the LORD.” 11 And the LORD said to me, “Faithless Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say,   “‘Return, faithless Israel,      declares the LORD.  I will not look on you in anger,    for I am merciful,      declares the LORD;  I will not be angry forever.13   Only acknowledge your guilt,    that you rebelled against the LORD your God  and scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree,    and that you have not obeyed my voice,      declares the LORD.14   Return, O faithless children,      declares the LORD;    for I am your master;  I will take you, one from a city and two from a family,    and I will bring you to Zion. 15 “‘And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. 16 And when you have multiplied and been fruitful in the land, in those days, declares the LORD, they shall no more say, “The ark of the covenant of the LORD.” It shall not come to mind or be remembered or missed; it shall not be made again. 17 At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the LORD, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the LORD in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart. 18 In those days the house of Judah shall join the house of Israel, and together they shall come from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers for a heritage. 19   “‘I said,    How I would set you among my sons,  and give you a pleasant land,    a heritage most beautiful of all nations.  And I thought you would call me, My Father,    and would not turn from following me.20   Surely, as a treacherous wife leaves her husband,    so have you been treacherous to me, O house of Israel,      declares the LORD.'” 21   A voice on the bare heights is heard,    the weeping and pleading of Israel's sons  because they have perverted their way;    they have forgotten the LORD their God.22   “Return, O faithless sons;    I will heal your faithlessness.”  “Behold, we come to you,    for you are the LORD our God.23   Truly the hills are a delusion,    the orgies8 on the mountains.  Truly in the LORD our God    is the salvation of Israel. 24 “But from our youth the shameful thing has devoured all for which our fathers labored, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. 25 Let us lie down in our shame, and let our dishonor cover us. For we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even to this day, and we have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.” Footnotes [1] 1:11 Almond sounds like the Hebrew for watching (compare verse 12) [2] 1:14 The Hebrew word can mean evil, harm, or disaster, depending on the context; so throughout Jeremiah [3] 1:17 Hebrew gird up your loins [4] 2:8 Or rulers [5] 2:16 Hebrew grazed [6] 2:18 Hebrew the River [7] 3:1 Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew Saying, “If [8] 3:23 Hebrew commotion (ESV)

Psalms and Wisdom: Ecclesiastes 5:8–17 Ecclesiastes 5:8–17 (Listen) The Vanity of Wealth and Honor 8 If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them. 9 But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields.1 10 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. 11 When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes? 12 Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep. 13 There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owner to his hurt, 14 and those riches were lost in a bad venture. And he is father of a son, but he has nothing in his hand. 15 As he came from his mother's womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand. 16 This also is a grievous evil: just as he came, so shall he go, and what gain is there to him who toils for the wind? 17 Moreover, all his days he eats in darkness in much vexation and sickness and anger. Footnotes [1] 5:9 The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain (ESV) Pentateuch and History: Joshua 7 Joshua 7 (Listen) Israel Defeated at Ai 7 But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the LORD burned against the people of Israel. 2 Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven, east of Bethel, and said to them, “Go up and spy out the land.” And the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 And they returned to Joshua and said to him, “Do not have all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not make the whole people toil up there, for they are few.” 4 So about three thousand men went up there from the people. And they fled before the men of Ai, 5 and the men of Ai killed about thirty-six of their men and chased them before the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them at the descent. And the hearts of the people melted and became as water. 6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the LORD until the evening, he and the elders of Israel. And they put dust on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, “Alas, O Lord GOD, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all, to give us into the hands of the Amorites, to destroy us? Would that we had been content to dwell beyond the Jordan! 8 O Lord, what can I say, when Israel has turned their backs before their enemies! 9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it and will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And what will you do for your great name?” The Sin of Achan 10 The LORD said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. 12 Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction.1 I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you. 13 Get up! Consecrate the people and say, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the LORD, God of Israel, “There are devoted things in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted things from among you.” 14 In the morning therefore you shall be brought near by your tribes. And the tribe that the LORD takes by lot shall come near by clans. And the clan that the LORD takes shall come near by households. And the household that the LORD takes shall come near man by man. 15 And he who is taken with the devoted things shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he has done an outrageous thing in Israel.'” 16 So Joshua rose early in the morning and brought Israel near tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was taken. 17 And he brought near the clans of Judah, and the clan of the Zerahites was taken. And he brought near the clan of the Zerahites man by man, and Zabdi was taken. 18 And he brought near his household man by man, and Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken. 19 Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the LORD God of Israel and give praise2 to him. And tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.” 20 And Achan answered Joshua, “Truly I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and this is what I did: 21 when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels,3 then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath.” 22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and behold, it was hidden in his tent with the silver underneath. 23 And they took them out of the tent and brought them to Joshua and to all the people of Israel. And they laid them down before the LORD. 24 And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver and the cloak and the bar of gold, and his sons and daughters and his oxen and donkeys and sheep and his tent and all that he had. And they brought them up to the Valley of Achor. 25 And Joshua said, “Why did you bring trouble on us? The LORD brings trouble on you today.” And all Israel stoned him with stones. They burned them with fire and stoned them with stones. 26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from his burning anger. Therefore, to this day the name of that place is called the Valley of Achor.4 Footnotes [1] 7:12 That is, set apart (devoted) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction) [2] 7:19 Or and make confession [3] 7:21 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams [4] 7:26 Achor means trouble (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Jeremiah 2–3:5 Jeremiah 2–3:5 (Listen) Israel Forsakes the Lord 2 The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the LORD,   “I remember the devotion of your youth,    your love as a bride,  how you followed me in the wilderness,    in a land not sown.3   Israel was holy to the LORD,    the firstfruits of his harvest.  All who ate of it incurred guilt;    disaster came upon them,      declares the LORD.” 4 Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the LORD:   “What wrong did your fathers find in me    that they went far from me,  and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?6   They did not say, ‘Where is the LORD    who brought us up from the land of Egypt,  who led us in the wilderness,    in a land of deserts and pits,  in a land of drought and deep darkness,    in a land that none passes through,    where no man dwells?'7   And I brought you into a plentiful land    to enjoy its fruits and its good things.  But when you came in, you defiled my land    and made my heritage an abomination.8   The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?'    Those who handle the law did not know me;  the shepherds1 transgressed against me;    the prophets prophesied by Baal    and went after things that do not profit. 9   “Therefore I still contend with you,      declares the LORD,    and with your children's children I will contend.10   For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see,    or send to Kedar and examine with care;    see if there has been such a thing.11   Has a nation changed its gods,    even though they are no gods?  But my people have changed their glory    for that which does not profit.12   Be appalled, O heavens, at this;    be shocked, be utterly desolate,      declares the LORD,13   for my people have committed two evils:  they have forsaken me,    the fountain of living waters,  and hewed out cisterns for themselves,    broken cisterns that can hold no water. 14   “Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?    Why then has he become a prey?15   The lions have roared against him;    they have roared loudly.  They have made his land a waste;    his cities are in ruins, without inhabitant.16   Moreover, the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes    have shaved2 the crown of your head.17   Have you not brought this upon yourself    by forsaking the LORD your God,    when he led you in the way?18   And now what do you gain by going to Egypt    to drink the waters of the Nile?  Or what do you gain by going to Assyria    to drink the waters of the Euphrates?319   Your evil will chastise you,    and your apostasy will reprove you.  Know and see that it is evil and bitter    for you to forsake the LORD your God;    the fear of me is not in you,      declares the Lord GOD of hosts. 20   “For long ago I broke your yoke    and burst your bonds;    but you said, ‘I will not serve.'  Yes, on every high hill    and under every green tree    you bowed down like a whore.21   Yet I planted you a choice vine,    wholly of pure seed.  How then have you turned degenerate    and become a wild vine?22   Though you wash yourself with lye    and use much soap,    the stain of your guilt is still before me,      declares the Lord GOD.23   How can you say, ‘I am not unclean,    I have not gone after the Baals'?  Look at your way in the valley;    know what you have done—  a restless young camel running here and there,24     a wild donkey used to the wilderness,  in her heat sniffing the wind!    Who can restrain her lust?  None who seek her need weary themselves;    in her month they will find her.25   Keep your feet from going unshod    and your throat from thirst.  But you said, ‘It is hopeless,    for I have loved foreigners,    and after them I will go.' 26   “As a thief is shamed when caught,    so the house of Israel shall be shamed:  they, their kings, their officials,    their priests, and their prophets,27   who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,'    and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.'  For they have turned their back to me,    and not their face.  But in the time of their trouble they say,    ‘Arise and save us!'28   But where are your gods    that you made for yourself?  Let them arise, if they can save you,    in your time of trouble;  for as many as your cities    are your gods, O Judah. 29   “Why do you contend with me?    You have all transgressed against me,      declares the LORD.30   In vain have I struck your children;    they took no correction;  your own sword devoured your prophets    like a ravening lion.31   And you, O generation, behold the word of the LORD.  Have I been a wilderness to Israel,    or a land of thick darkness?  Why then do my people say, ‘We are free,    we will come no more to you'?32   Can a virgin forget her ornaments,    or a bride her attire?  Yet my people have forgotten me    days without number. 33   “How well you direct your course    to seek love!  So that even to wicked women    you have taught your ways.34   Also on your skirts is found    the lifeblood of the guiltless poor;  you did not find them breaking in.    Yet in spite of all these things35   you say, ‘I am innocent;    surely his anger has turned from me.'  Behold, I will bring you to judgment    for saying, ‘I have not sinned.'36   How much you go about,    changing your way!  You shall be put to shame by Egypt    as you were put to shame by Assyria.37   From it too you will come away    with your hands on your head,  for the LORD has rejected those in whom you trust,    and you will not prosper by them. 3   “If4 a man divorces his wife    and she goes from him  and becomes another man's wife,    will he return to her?  Would not that land be greatly polluted?  You have played the whore with many lovers;    and would you return to me?      declares the LORD.2   Lift up your eyes to the bare heights, and see!    Where have you not been ravished?  By the waysides you have sat awaiting lovers    like an Arab in the wilderness.  You have polluted the land    with your vile whoredom.3   Therefore the showers have been withheld,    and the spring rain has not come;  yet you have the forehead of a whore;    you refuse to be ashamed.4   Have you not just now called to me,    ‘My father, you are the friend of my youth—5   will he be angry forever,    will he be indignant to the end?'  Behold, you have spoken,    but you have done all the evil that you could.” Footnotes [1] 2:8 Or rulers [2] 2:16 Hebrew grazed [3] 2:18 Hebrew the River [4] 3:1 Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew Saying, “If (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: Matthew 18 Matthew 18 (Listen) Who Is the Greatest? 18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,1 it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Temptations to Sin 7 “Woe to the world for temptations to sin!2 For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! 8 And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell3 of fire. The Parable of the Lost Sheep 10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.4 12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 So it is not the will of my5 Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. If Your Brother Sins Against You 15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you,

With family: Joshua 8; Psalm 139 Joshua 8 (Listen) The Fall of Ai 8 And the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not fear and do not be dismayed. Take all the fighting men with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, and his people, his city, and his land. 2 And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. Only its spoil and its livestock you shall take as plunder for yourselves. Lay an ambush against the city, behind it.” 3 So Joshua and all the fighting men arose to go up to Ai. And Joshua chose 30,000 mighty men of valor and sent them out by night. 4 And he commanded them, “Behold, you shall lie in ambush against the city, behind it. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you remain ready. 5 And I and all the people who are with me will approach the city. And when they come out against us just as before, we shall flee before them. 6 And they will come out after us, until we have drawn them away from the city. For they will say, ‘They are fleeing from us, just as before.' So we will flee before them. 7 Then you shall rise up from the ambush and seize the city, for the LORD your God will give it into your hand. 8 And as soon as you have taken the city, you shall set the city on fire. You shall do according to the word of the LORD. See, I have commanded you.” 9 So Joshua sent them out. And they went to the place of ambush and lay between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai, but Joshua spent that night among the people. 10 Joshua arose early in the morning and mustered the people and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai. 11 And all the fighting men who were with him went up and drew near before the city and encamped on the north side of Ai, with a ravine between them and Ai. 12 He took about 5,000 men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city. 13 So they stationed the forces, the main encampment that was north of the city and its rear guard west of the city. But Joshua spent that night in the valley. 14 And as soon as the king of Ai saw this, he and all his people, the men of the city, hurried and went out early to the appointed place1 toward the Arabah to meet Israel in battle. But he did not know that there was an ambush against him behind the city. 15 And Joshua and all Israel pretended to be beaten before them and fled in the direction of the wilderness. 16 So all the people who were in the city were called together to pursue them, and as they pursued Joshua they were drawn away from the city. 17 Not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel. They left the city open and pursued Israel. 18 Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Stretch out the javelin that is in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand.” And Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in his hand toward the city. 19 And the men in the ambush rose quickly out of their place, and as soon as he had stretched out his hand, they ran and entered the city and captured it. And they hurried to set the city on fire. 20 So when the men of Ai looked back, behold, the smoke of the city went up to heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that, for the people who fled to the wilderness turned back against the pursuers. 21 And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had captured the city, and that the smoke of the city went up, then they turned back and struck down the men of Ai. 22 And the others came out from the city against them, so they were in the midst of Israel, some on this side, and some on that side. And Israel struck them down, until there was left none that survived or escaped. 23 But the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him near to Joshua. 24 When Israel had finished killing all the inhabitants of Ai in the open wilderness where they pursued them, and all of them to the very last had fallen by the edge of the sword, all Israel returned to Ai and struck it down with the edge of the sword. 25 And all who fell that day, both men and women, were 12,000, all the people of Ai. 26 But Joshua did not draw back his hand with which he stretched out the javelin until he had devoted all the inhabitants of Ai to destruction.2 27 Only the livestock and the spoil of that city Israel took as their plunder, according to the word of the LORD that he commanded Joshua. 28 So Joshua burned Ai and made it forever a heap of ruins, as it is to this day. 29 And he hanged the king of Ai on a tree until evening. And at sunset Joshua commanded, and they took his body down from the tree and threw it at the entrance of the gate of the city and raised over it a great heap of stones, which stands there to this day. Joshua Renews the Covenant 30 At that time Joshua built an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal, 31 just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the people of Israel, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, “an altar of uncut stones, upon which no man has wielded an iron tool.” And they offered on it burnt offerings to the LORD and sacrificed peace offerings. 32 And there, in the presence of the people of Israel, he wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written. 33 And all Israel, sojourner as well as native born, with their elders and officers and their judges, stood on opposite sides of the ark before the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, half of them in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded at the first, to bless the people of Israel. 34 And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law. 35 There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the sojourners who lived3 among them. Footnotes [1] 8:14 Hebrew appointed time [2] 8:26 That is, set apart (devoted) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction) [3] 8:35 Or traveled (ESV) Psalm 139 (Listen) Search Me, O God, and Know My Heart To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 139   O LORD, you have searched me and known me!2   You know when I sit down and when I rise up;    you discern my thoughts from afar.3   You search out my path and my lying down    and are acquainted with all my ways.4   Even before a word is on my tongue,    behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.5   You hem me in, behind and before,    and lay your hand upon me.6   Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;    it is high; I cannot attain it. 7   Where shall I go from your Spirit?    Or where shall I flee from your presence?8   If I ascend to heaven, you are there!    If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!9   If I take the wings of the morning    and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,10   even there your hand shall lead me,    and your right hand shall hold me.11   If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,    and the light about me be night,”12   even the darkness is not dark to you;    the night is bright as the day,    for darkness is as light with you. 13   For you formed my inward parts;    you knitted me together in my mother's womb.14   I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.1  Wonderful are your works;    my soul knows it very well.15   My frame was not hidden from you,  when I was being made in secret,    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.16   Your eyes saw my unformed substance;  in your book were written, every one of them,    the days that were formed for me,    when as yet there was none of them. 17   How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!    How vast is the sum of them!18   If I would count them, they are more than the sand.    I awake, and I am still with you. 19   Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!    O men of blood, depart from me!20   They speak against you with malicious intent;    your enemies take your name in vain.221   Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD?    And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?22   I hate them with complete hatred;    I count them my enemies. 23   Search me, O God, and know my heart!    Try me and know my thoughts!324   And see if there be any grievous way in me,    and lead me in the way everlasting!4 Footnotes [1] 139:14 Or for I am fearfully set apart [2] 139:20 Hebrew lacks your name [3] 139:23 Or cares [4] 139:24 Or in the ancient way (compare Jeremiah 6:16) (ESV) In private: Jeremiah 2; Matthew 16 Jeremiah 2 (Listen) Israel Forsakes the Lord 2 The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the LORD,   “I remember the devotion of your youth,    your love as a bride,  how you followed me in the wilderness,    in a land not sown.3   Israel was holy to the LORD,    the firstfruits of his harvest.  All who ate of it incurred guilt;    disaster came upon them,      declares the LORD.” 4 Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the LORD:   “What wrong did your fathers find in me    that they went far from me,  and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?6   They did not say, ‘Where is the LORD    who brought us up from the land of Egypt,  who led us in the wilderness,    in a land of deserts and pits,  in a land of drought and deep darkness,    in a land that none passes through,    where no man dwells?'7   And I brought you into a plentiful land    to enjoy its fruits and its good things.  But when you came in, you defiled my land    and made my heritage an abomination.8   The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?'    Those who handle the law did not know me;  the shepherds1 transgressed against me;    the prophets prophesied by Baal    and went after things that do not profit. 9   “Therefore I still contend with you,      declares the LORD,    and with your children's children I will contend.10   For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see,    or send to Kedar and examine with care;    see if there has been such a thing.11   Has a nation changed its gods,    even though they are no gods?  But my people have changed their glory    for that which does not profit.12   Be appalled, O heavens, at this;    be shocked, be utterly desolate,      declares the LORD,13   for my people have committed two evils:  they have forsaken me,    the fountain of living waters,  and hewed out cisterns for themselves,    broken cisterns that can hold no water. 14   “Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?    Why then has he become a prey?15   The lions have roared against him;    they have roared loudly.  They have made his land a waste;    his cities are in ruins, without inhabitant.16   Moreover, the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes    have shaved2 the crown of your head.17   Have you not brought this upon yourself    by forsaking the LORD your God,    when he led you in the way?18   And now what do you gain by going to Egypt    to drink the waters of the Nile?  Or what do you gain by going to Assyria    to drink the waters of the Euphrates?319   Your evil will chastise you,    and your apostasy will reprove you.  Know and see that it is evil and bitter    for you to forsake the LORD your God;    the fear of me is not in you,      declares the Lord GOD of hosts. 20   “For long ago I broke your yoke    and burst your bonds;    but you said, ‘I will not serve.'  Yes, on every high hill    and under every green tree    you bowed down like a whore.21   Yet I planted you a choice vine,    wholly of pure seed.  How then have you turned degenerate    and become a wild vine?22   Though you wash yourself with lye    and use much soap,    the stain of your guilt is still before me,      declares the Lord GOD.23   How can you say, ‘I am not unclean,    I have not gone after the Baals'?  Look at your way in the valley;    know what you have done—  a restless young camel running here and there,24     a wild donkey used to the wilderness,  in her heat sniffing the wind!    Who can restrain her lust?  None who seek her need weary themselves;    in her month they will find her.25   Keep your feet from going unshod    and your throat from thirst.  But you said, ‘It is hopeless,    for I have loved foreigners,    and after them I will go.' 26   “As a thief is shamed when caught,    so the house of Israel shall be shamed:  they, their kings, their officials,    their priests, and their prophets,27   who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,'    and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.'  For they have turned their back to me,    and not their face.  But in the time of their trouble they say,    ‘Arise and save us!'28   But where are your gods    that you made for yourself?  Let them arise, if they can save you,    in your time of trouble;  for as many as your cities    are your gods, O Judah. 29   “Why do you contend with me?    You have all transgressed against me,      declares the LORD.30   In vain have I struck your children;    they took no correction;  your own sword devoured your prophets    like a ravening lion.31   And you, O generation, behold the word of the LORD.  Have I been a wilderness to Israel,    or a land of thick darkness?  Why then do my people say, ‘We are free,    we will come no more to you'?32   Can a virgin forget her ornaments,    or a bride her attire?  Yet my people have forgotten me    days without number. 33   “How well you direct your course    to seek love!  So that even to wicked women    you have taught your ways.34   Also on your skirts is found    the lifeblood of the guiltless poor;  you did not find them breaking in.    Yet in spite of all these things35   you say, ‘I am innocent;    surely his anger has turned from me.'  Behold, I will bring you to judgment    for saying, ‘I have not sinned.'36   How much you go about,    changing your way!  You shall be put to shame by Egypt    as you were put to shame by Assyria.37   From it too you will come away    with your hands on your head,  for the LORD has rejected those in whom you trust,    and you will not prosper by them. Footnotes [1] 2:8 Or rulers [2] 2:16 Hebrew grazed [3] 2:18 Hebrew the River (ESV) Matthew 16

Jeremiah 1–3 Jeremiah 1–3 (Listen) 1 The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, and until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month. The Call of Jeremiah 4 Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 5   “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,  and before you were born I consecrated you;  I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” 6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” 7 But the LORD said to me,   “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth';  for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,  and whatever I command you, you shall speak.8   Do not be afraid of them,  for I am with you to deliver you,      declares the LORD.” 9 Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the LORD said to me,   “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.10   See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms,  to pluck up and to break down,  to destroy and to overthrow,  to build and to plant.” 11 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond1 branch.” 12 Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.” 13 The word of the LORD came to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north.” 14 Then the LORD said to me, “Out of the north disaster2 shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the land. 15 For behold, I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, declares the LORD, and they shall come, and every one shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its walls all around and against all the cities of Judah. 16 And I will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil in forsaking me. They have made offerings to other gods and worshiped the works of their own hands. 17 But you, dress yourself for work;3 arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. 18 And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. 19 They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the LORD, to deliver you.” Israel Forsakes the Lord 2 The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the LORD,   “I remember the devotion of your youth,    your love as a bride,  how you followed me in the wilderness,    in a land not sown.3   Israel was holy to the LORD,    the firstfruits of his harvest.  All who ate of it incurred guilt;    disaster came upon them,      declares the LORD.” 4 Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the LORD:   “What wrong did your fathers find in me    that they went far from me,  and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?6   They did not say, ‘Where is the LORD    who brought us up from the land of Egypt,  who led us in the wilderness,    in a land of deserts and pits,  in a land of drought and deep darkness,    in a land that none passes through,    where no man dwells?'7   And I brought you into a plentiful land    to enjoy its fruits and its good things.  But when you came in, you defiled my land    and made my heritage an abomination.8   The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?'    Those who handle the law did not know me;  the shepherds4 transgressed against me;    the prophets prophesied by Baal    and went after things that do not profit. 9   “Therefore I still contend with you,      declares the LORD,    and with your children's children I will contend.10   For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see,    or send to Kedar and examine with care;    see if there has been such a thing.11   Has a nation changed its gods,    even though they are no gods?  But my people have changed their glory    for that which does not profit.12   Be appalled, O heavens, at this;    be shocked, be utterly desolate,      declares the LORD,13   for my people have committed two evils:  they have forsaken me,    the fountain of living waters,  and hewed out cisterns for themselves,    broken cisterns that can hold no water. 14   “Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?    Why then has he become a prey?15   The lions have roared against him;    they have roared loudly.  They have made his land a waste;    his cities are in ruins, without inhabitant.16   Moreover, the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes    have shaved5 the crown of your head.17   Have you not brought this upon yourself    by forsaking the LORD your God,    when he led you in the way?18   And now what do you gain by going to Egypt    to drink the waters of the Nile?  Or what do you gain by going to Assyria    to drink the waters of the Euphrates?619   Your evil will chastise you,    and your apostasy will reprove you.  Know and see that it is evil and bitter    for you to forsake the LORD your God;    the fear of me is not in you,      declares the Lord GOD of hosts. 20   “For long ago I broke your yoke    and burst your bonds;    but you said, ‘I will not serve.'  Yes, on every high hill    and under every green tree    you bowed down like a whore.21   Yet I planted you a choice vine,    wholly of pure seed.  How then have you turned degenerate    and become a wild vine?22   Though you wash yourself with lye    and use much soap,    the stain of your guilt is still before me,      declares the Lord GOD.23   How can you say, ‘I am not unclean,    I have not gone after the Baals'?  Look at your way in the valley;    know what you have done—  a restless young camel running here and there,24     a wild donkey used to the wilderness,  in her heat sniffing the wind!    Who can restrain her lust?  None who seek her need weary themselves;    in her month they will find her.25   Keep your feet from going unshod    and your throat from thirst.  But you said, ‘It is hopeless,    for I have loved foreigners,    and after them I will go.' 26   “As a thief is shamed when caught,    so the house of Israel shall be shamed:  they, their kings, their officials,    their priests, and their prophets,27   who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,'    and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.'  For they have turned their back to me,    and not their face.  But in the time of their trouble they say,    ‘Arise and save us!'28   But where are your gods    that you made for yourself?  Let them arise, if they can save you,    in your time of trouble;  for as many as your cities    are your gods, O Judah. 29   “Why do you contend with me?    You have all transgressed against me,      declares the LORD.30   In vain have I struck your children;    they took no correction;  your own sword devoured your prophets    like a ravening lion.31   And you, O generation, behold the word of the LORD.  Have I been a wilderness to Israel,    or a land of thick darkness?  Why then do my people say, ‘We are free,    we will come no more to you'?32   Can a virgin forget her ornaments,    or a bride her attire?  Yet my people have forgotten me    days without number. 33   “How well you direct your course    to seek love!  So that even to wicked women    you have taught your ways.34   Also on your skirts is found    the lifeblood of the guiltless poor;  you did not find them breaking in.    Yet in spite of all these things35   you say, ‘I am innocent;    surely his anger has turned from me.'  Behold, I will bring you to judgment    for saying, ‘I have not sinned.'36   How much you go about,    changing your way!  You shall be put to shame by Egypt    as you were put to shame by Assyria.37   From it too you will come away    with your hands on your head,  for the LORD has rejected those in whom you trust,    and you will not prosper by them. 3   “If7 a man divorces his wife    and she goes from him  and becomes another man's wife,    will he return to her?  Would not that land be greatly polluted?  You have played the whore with many lovers;    and would you return to me?      declares the LORD.2   Lift up your eyes to the bare heights, and see!    Where have you not been ravished?  By the waysides you have sat awaiting lovers    like an Arab in the wilderness.  You have polluted the land    with your vile whoredom.3   Therefore the showers have been withheld,    and the spring rain has not come;  yet you have the forehead of a whore;    you refuse to be ashamed.4   Have you not just now called to me,    ‘My father, you are the friend of my youth—5   will he be angry forever,    will he be indignant to the end?'  Behold, you have spoken,    but you have done all the evil that you could.” Faithless Israel Called to Repentance 6 The LORD said to me in the days of King Josiah: “Have you seen what she did, that faithless one, Israel, how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there played the whore? 7 And I thought, ‘After she has done all this she will return to me,' but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 She saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but she too went and played the whore. 9 Because she took her whoredom lightly, she polluted the land, committing adultery with stone and tree. 10 Yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to me with her whole heart, but in pretense, declares the LORD.” 11 And the LORD said to me, “Faithless Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say,   “‘Return, faithless Israel,      declares the LORD.  I will not look on you in anger,    for I am merciful,      declares the LORD;  I will not be angry forever.13   Only acknowledge your guilt,    that you rebelled against the LORD your God  and scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree,    and that you have not obeyed my voice,      declares the LORD.14   Return, O faithless children,      declares the LORD;    for I am your master;  I will take you, one from a city and two from a family,    and I will bring you to Zion. 15 “‘And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. 16 And when you have multiplied and been fruitful in the land, in those days, declares the LORD, they shall no more say, “The ark of the covenant of the LORD.” It shall not come to mind or be remembered or missed; it shall not be made again. 17 At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the LORD, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the LORD in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart. 18 In those days the house of Judah shall join the house of Israel, and together they shall come from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers for a heritage. 19   “‘I said,    How I would set you among my sons,  and give you a pleasant land,    a heritage most beautiful of all nations.  And I thought you would call me, My Father,    and would not turn from following me.20   Surely, as a treacherous wife leaves her husband,    so have you been treacherous to me, O house of Israel,      declares the LORD.'” 21   A voice on the bare heights is heard,    the weeping and pleading of Israel's sons  because they have perverted their way;    they have forgotten the LORD their God.22   “Return, O faithless sons;    I will heal your faithlessness.”  “Behold, we come to you,    for you are the LORD our God.23   Truly the hills are a delusion,    the orgies8 on the mountains.  Truly in the LORD our God    is the salvation of Israel. 24 “But from our youth the shameful thing has devoured all for which our fathers labored, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. 25 Let us lie down in our shame, and let our dishonor cover us. For we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even to this day, and we have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.” Footnotes [1] 1:11 Almond sounds like the Hebrew for watching (compare verse 12) [2] 1:14 The Hebrew word can mean evil, harm, or disaster, depending on the context; so throughout Jeremiah [3] 1:17 Hebrew gird up your loins [4] 2:8 Or rulers [5] 2:16 Hebrew grazed [6] 2:18 Hebrew the River [7] 3:1 Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew Saying, “If [8] 3:23 Hebrew commotion (ESV)

2 Lent First Psalm: Psalms 61–62 Psalms 61–62 (Listen) Lead Me to the Rock To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. Of David. 61   Hear my cry, O God,    listen to my prayer;2   from the end of the earth I call to you    when my heart is faint.  Lead me to the rock    that is higher than I,3   for you have been my refuge,    a strong tower against the enemy. 4   Let me dwell in your tent forever!    Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah5   For you, O God, have heard my vows;    you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name. 6   Prolong the life of the king;    may his years endure to all generations!7   May he be enthroned forever before God;    appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him! 8   So will I ever sing praises to your name,    as I perform my vows day after day. My Soul Waits for God Alone To the choirmaster: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David. 62   For God alone my soul waits in silence;    from him comes my salvation.2   He alone is my rock and my salvation,    my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken. 3   How long will all of you attack a man    to batter him,    like a leaning wall, a tottering fence?4   They only plan to thrust him down from his high position.    They take pleasure in falsehood.  They bless with their mouths,    but inwardly they curse. Selah 5   For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,    for my hope is from him.6   He only is my rock and my salvation,    my fortress; I shall not be shaken.7   On God rests my salvation and my glory;    my mighty rock, my refuge is God. 8   Trust in him at all times, O people;    pour out your heart before him;    God is a refuge for us. Selah 9   Those of low estate are but a breath;    those of high estate are a delusion;  in the balances they go up;    they are together lighter than a breath.10   Put no trust in extortion;    set no vain hopes on robbery;    if riches increase, set not your heart on them. 11   Once God has spoken;    twice have I heard this:  that power belongs to God,12     and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love.  For you will render to a man    according to his work. (ESV) Second Psalm: Psalm 68 Psalm 68 (Listen) God Shall Scatter His Enemies To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A Song. 68   God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered;    and those who hate him shall flee before him!2   As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away;    as wax melts before fire,    so the wicked shall perish before God!3   But the righteous shall be glad;    they shall exult before God;    they shall be jubilant with joy! 4   Sing to God, sing praises to his name;    lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts;  his name is the LORD;    exult before him!5   Father of the fatherless and protector of widows    is God in his holy habitation.6   God settles the solitary in a home;    he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,    but the rebellious dwell in a parched land. 7   O God, when you went out before your people,    when you marched through the wilderness, Selah8   the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain,    before God, the One of Sinai,    before God,1 the God of Israel.9   Rain in abundance, O God, you shed abroad;    you restored your inheritance as it languished;10   your flock2 found a dwelling in it;    in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy. 11   The Lord gives the word;    the women who announce the news are a great host:12     “The kings of the armies—they flee, they flee!”  The women at home divide the spoil—13     though you men lie among the sheepfolds—  the wings of a dove covered with silver,    its pinions with shimmering gold.14   When the Almighty scatters kings there,    let snow fall on Zalmon. 15   O mountain of God, mountain of Bashan;    O many-peaked3 mountain, mountain of Bashan!16   Why do you look with hatred, O many-peaked mountain,    at the mount that God desired for his abode,    yes, where the LORD will dwell forever?17   The chariots of God are twice ten thousand,    thousands upon thousands;    the Lord is among them; Sinai is now in the sanctuary.18   You ascended on high,    leading a host of captives in your train    and receiving gifts among men,  even among the rebellious, that the LORD God may dwell there. 19   Blessed be the Lord,    who daily bears us up;    God is our salvation. Selah20   Our God is a God of salvation,    and to GOD, the Lord, belong deliverances from death.21   But God will strike the heads of his enemies,    the hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways.22   The Lord said,    “I will bring them back from Bashan,  I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,23   that you may strike your feet in their blood,    that the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from the foe.” 24   Your procession is4 seen, O God,    the procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary—25   the singers in front, the musicians last,    between them virgins playing tambourines:26   “Bless God in the great congregation,    the LORD, O you5 who are of Israel's fountain!”27   There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead,    the princes of Judah in their throng,    the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali. 28   Summon your power, O God,6    the power, O God, by which you have worked for us.29   Because of your temple at Jerusalem    kings shall bear gifts to you.30   Rebuke the beasts that dwell among the reeds,    the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples.  Trample underfoot those who lust after tribute;    scatter the peoples who delight in war.731   Nobles shall come from Egypt;    Cush shall hasten to stretch out her hands to God. 32   O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God;    sing praises to the Lord, Selah33   to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens;    behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.34   Ascribe power to God,    whose majesty is over Israel,    and whose power is in the skies.35   Awesome is God from his8 sanctuary;    the God of Israel—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people.  Blessed be God! Footnotes [1] 68:8 Or before God, even Sinai before God [2] 68:10 Or your congregation [3] 68:15 Or hunch-backed; also verse 16 [4] 68:24 Or has been [5] 68:26 The Hebrew for you is plural here [6] 68:28 By revocalization (compare Septuagint); Hebrew Your God has summoned your power [7] 68:30 The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain [8] 68:35 Septuagint; Hebrew your (ESV) Old Testament: Jeremiah 2:1–13 Jeremiah 2:1–13 (Listen) Israel Forsakes the Lord 2 The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the LORD,   “I remember the devotion of your youth,    your love as a bride,  how you followed me in the wilderness,    in a land not sown.3   Israel was holy to the LORD,    the firstfruits of his harvest.  All who ate of it incurred guilt;    disaster came upon them,      declares the LORD.” 4 Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the LORD:   “What wrong did your fathers find in me    that they went far from me,  and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?6   They did not say, ‘Where is the LORD    who brought us up from the land of Egypt,  who led us in the wilderness,    in a land of deserts and pits,  in a land of drought and deep darkness,    in a land that none passes through,    where no man dwells?'7   And I brought you into a plentiful land    to enjoy its fruits and its good things.  But when you came in, you defiled my land    and made my heritage an abomination.8   The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?'    Those who handle the law did not know me;  the shepherds1 transgressed against me;    the prophets prophesied by Baal    and went after things that do not profit. 9   “Therefore I still contend with you,      declares the LORD,    and with your children's children I will contend.10   For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see,    or send to Kedar and examine with care;    see if there has been such a thing.11   Has a nation changed its gods,    even though they are no gods?  But my people have changed their glory    for that which does not profit.12   Be appalled, O heavens, at this;    be shocked, be utterly desolate,      declares the LORD,13   for my people have committed two evils:  they have forsaken me,    the fountain of living waters,  and hewed out cisterns for themselves,    broken cisterns that can hold no water. Footnotes [1] 2:8 Or rulers (ESV) New Testament: Romans 1:16–25 Romans 1:16–25 (Listen) The Righteous Shall Live by Faith 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith,1 as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”2 God's Wrath on Unrighteousness 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,3 in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. Footnotes [1] 1:17 Or beginning and ending in faith [2] 1:17 Or The one who by faith is righteous shall live [3] 1:20 Or clearly perceived from the creation of the world (ESV) Gospel: John 4:43–54 John 4:43–54 (Listen) 43 After the two days he departed for Galilee. 44 (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.) 45 So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast. Jesus Heals an Official's Son 46 So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 So Jesus said to him, “Unless you1 see signs and wonders you will not believe.” 49 The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. 51 As he was going down, his servants2 met him and told him that his son was recovering. 52 So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour3 the fever left him.” 53 The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” And he himself believed, and all his household. 54 This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee. Footnotes [1] 4:48 The Greek for you is plural; twice in this verse [2] 4:51 Or bondservants [3] 4:52 That is, at 1 p.m. (ESV)

Jeremiah 2:9-13 Before God punishes sinners, he pleads with them, to bring them to repentance. He pleads with us, what we should plead with ourselves. Be afraid to think of the wrath and curse which will be the portion of those who throw themselves out of God's grace and favour. Grace in Christ is compared to water from a fountain, it being cooling and refreshing, cleansing and making fruitful: to living water, because it quickens dead sinners, revives drooping saints, supports and maintains spiritual life, and issues in eternal life, and is ever-flowing. To forsake this Fountain is the first evil; this is done when the people of God neglect his word and ordinances. They hewed them out broken cisterns, that could hold no water. Such are the world, and the things in it; such are the inventions of men when followed and depended on. Let us, with purpose of heart, cleave to the Lord only; whither else shall we go? How prone are we to forego the consolations of the Holy Spirit, for the worthless joys of the enthusiast and hypocrite

Jeremiah 2:9-13 Before God punishes sinners, he pleads with them, to bring them to repentance. He pleads with us, what we should plead with ourselves. Be afraid to think of the wrath and curse which will be the portion of those who throw themselves out of God's grace and favour. Grace in Christ is compared to water from a fountain, it being cooling and refreshing, cleansing and making fruitful: to living water, because it quickens dead sinners, revives drooping saints, supports and maintains spiritual life, and issues in eternal life, and is ever-flowing. To forsake this Fountain is the first evil; this is done when the people of God neglect his word and ordinances. They hewed them out broken cisterns, that could hold no water. Such are the world, and the things in it; such are the inventions of men when followed and depended on. Let us, with purpose of heart, cleave to the Lord only; whither else shall we go? How prone are we to forego the consolations of the Holy Spirit, for the worthless joys of the enthusiast and hypocrite!

Old Testament: Jeremiah 2–3 Jeremiah 2–3 (Listen) Israel Forsakes the Lord 2 The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the LORD,   “I remember the devotion of your youth,    your love as a bride,  how you followed me in the wilderness,    in a land not sown.3   Israel was holy to the LORD,    the firstfruits of his harvest.  All who ate of it incurred guilt;    disaster came upon them,      declares the LORD.” 4 Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the LORD:   “What wrong did your fathers find in me    that they went far from me,  and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?6   They did not say, ‘Where is the LORD    who brought us up from the land of Egypt,  who led us in the wilderness,    in a land of deserts and pits,  in a land of drought and deep darkness,    in a land that none passes through,    where no man dwells?'7   And I brought you into a plentiful land    to enjoy its fruits and its good things.  But when you came in, you defiled my land    and made my heritage an abomination.8   The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?'    Those who handle the law did not know me;  the shepherds1 transgressed against me;    the prophets prophesied by Baal    and went after things that do not profit. 9   “Therefore I still contend with you,      declares the LORD,    and with your children's children I will contend.10   For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see,    or send to Kedar and examine with care;    see if there has been such a thing.11   Has a nation changed its gods,    even though they are no gods?  But my people have changed their glory    for that which does not profit.12   Be appalled, O heavens, at this;    be shocked, be utterly desolate,      declares the LORD,13   for my people have committed two evils:  they have forsaken me,    the fountain of living waters,  and hewed out cisterns for themselves,    broken cisterns that can hold no water. 14   “Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?    Why then has he become a prey?15   The lions have roared against him;    they have roared loudly.  They have made his land a waste;    his cities are in ruins, without inhabitant.16   Moreover, the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes    have shaved2 the crown of your head.17   Have you not brought this upon yourself    by forsaking the LORD your God,    when he led you in the way?18   And now what do you gain by going to Egypt    to drink the waters of the Nile?  Or what do you gain by going to Assyria    to drink the waters of the Euphrates?319   Your evil will chastise you,    and your apostasy will reprove you.  Know and see that it is evil and bitter    for you to forsake the LORD your God;    the fear of me is not in you,      declares the Lord GOD of hosts. 20   “For long ago I broke your yoke    and burst your bonds;    but you said, ‘I will not serve.'  Yes, on every high hill    and under every green tree    you bowed down like a whore.21   Yet I planted you a choice vine,    wholly of pure seed.  How then have you turned degenerate    and become a wild vine?22   Though you wash yourself with lye    and use much soap,    the stain of your guilt is still before me,      declares the Lord GOD.23   How can you say, ‘I am not unclean,    I have not gone after the Baals'?  Look at your way in the valley;    know what you have done—  a restless young camel running here and there,24     a wild donkey used to the wilderness,  in her heat sniffing the wind!    Who can restrain her lust?  None who seek her need weary themselves;    in her month they will find her.25   Keep your feet from going unshod    and your throat from thirst.  But you said, ‘It is hopeless,    for I have loved foreigners,    and after them I will go.' 26   “As a thief is shamed when caught,    so the house of Israel shall be shamed:  they, their kings, their officials,    their priests, and their prophets,27   who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,'    and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.'  For they have turned their back to me,    and not their face.  But in the time of their trouble they say,    ‘Arise and save us!'28   But where are your gods    that you made for yourself?  Let them arise, if they can save you,    in your time of trouble;  for as many as your cities    are your gods, O Judah. 29   “Why do you contend with me?    You have all transgressed against me,      declares the LORD.30   In vain have I struck your children;    they took no correction;  your own sword devoured your prophets    like a ravening lion.31   And you, O generation, behold the word of the LORD.  Have I been a wilderness to Israel,    or a land of thick darkness?  Why then do my people say, ‘We are free,    we will come no more to you'?32   Can a virgin forget her ornaments,    or a bride her attire?  Yet my people have forgotten me    days without number. 33   “How well you direct your course    to seek love!  So that even to wicked women    you have taught your ways.34   Also on your skirts is found    the lifeblood of the guiltless poor;  you did not find them breaking in.    Yet in spite of all these things35   you say, ‘I am innocent;    surely his anger has turned from me.'  Behold, I will bring you to judgment    for saying, ‘I have not sinned.'36   How much you go about,    changing your way!  You shall be put to shame by Egypt    as you were put to shame by Assyria.37   From it too you will come away    with your hands on your head,  for the LORD has rejected those in whom you trust,    and you will not prosper by them. 3   “If4 a man divorces his wife    and she goes from him  and becomes another man's wife,    will he return to her?  Would not that land be greatly polluted?  You have played the whore with many lovers;    and would you return to me?      declares the LORD.2   Lift up your eyes to the bare heights, and see!    Where have you not been ravished?  By the waysides you have sat awaiting lovers    like an Arab in the wilderness.  You have polluted the land    with your vile whoredom.3   Therefore the showers have been withheld,    and the spring rain has not come;  yet you have the forehead of a whore;    you refuse to be ashamed.4   Have you not just now called to me,    ‘My father, you are the friend of my youth—5   will he be angry forever,    will he be indignant to the end?'  Behold, you have spoken,    but you have done all the evil that you could.” Faithless Israel Called to Repentance 6 The LORD said to me in the days of King Josiah: “Have you seen what she did, that faithless one, Israel, how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there played the whore? 7 And I thought, ‘After she has done all this she will return to me,' but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 She saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but she too went and played the whore. 9 Because she took her whoredom lightly, she polluted the land, committing adultery with stone and tree. 10 Yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to me with her whole heart, but in pretense, declares the LORD.” 11 And the LORD said to me, “Faithless Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say,   “‘Return, faithless Israel,      declares the LORD.  I will not look on you in anger,    for I am merciful,      declares the LORD;  I will not be angry forever.13   Only acknowledge your guilt,    that you rebelled against the LORD your God  and scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree,    and that you have not obeyed my voice,      declares the LORD.14   Return, O faithless children,      declares the LORD;    for I am your master;  I will take you, one from a city and two from a family,    and I will bring you to Zion. 15 “‘And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. 16 And when you have multiplied and been fruitful in the land, in those days, declares the LORD, they shall no more say, “The ark of the covenant of the LORD.” It shall not come to mind or be remembered or missed; it shall not be made again. 17 At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the LORD, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the LORD in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart. 18 In those days the house of Judah shall join the house of Israel, and together they shall come from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers for a heritage. 19   “‘I said,    How I would set you among my sons,  and give you a pleasant land,    a heritage most beautiful of all nations.  And I thought you would call me, My Father,    and would not turn from following me.20   Surely, as a treacherous wife leaves her husband,    so have you been treacherous to me, O house of Israel,      declares the LORD.'” 21   A voice on the bare heights is heard,    the weeping and pleading of Israel's sons  because they have perverted their way;    they have forgotten the LORD their God.22   “Return, O faithless sons;    I will heal your faithlessness.”  “Behold, we come to you,    for you are the LORD our God.23   Truly the hills are a delusion,    the orgies5 on the mountains.  Truly in the LORD our God    is the salvation of Israel. 24 “But from our youth the shameful thing has devoured all for which our fathers labored, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. 25 Let us lie down in our shame, and let our dishonor cover us. For we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even to this day, and we have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.” Footnotes [1] 2:8 Or rulers [2] 2:16 Hebrew grazed [3] 2:18 Hebrew the River [4] 3:1 Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew Saying, “If [5] 3:23 Hebrew commotion (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 104 Psalm 104 (Listen) O Lord My God, You Are Very Great 104   Bless the LORD, O my soul!    O LORD my God, you are very great!  You are clothed with splendor and majesty,2     covering yourself with light as with a garment,    stretching out the heavens like a tent.3   He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters;  he makes the clouds his chariot;    he rides on the wings of the wind;4   he makes his messengers winds,    his ministers a flaming fire. 5   He set the earth on its foundations,    so that it should never be moved.6   You covered it with the deep as with a garment;    the waters stood above the mountains.7   At your rebuke they fled;    at the sound of your thunder they took to flight.8   The mountains rose, the valleys sank down    to the place that you appointed for them.9   You set a boundary that they may not pass,    so that they might not again cover the earth. 10   You make springs gush forth in the valleys;    they flow between the hills;11   they give drink to every beast of the field;    the wild donkeys quench their thirst.12   Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell;    they sing among the branches.13   From your lofty abode you water the mountains;    the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work. 14   You cause the grass to grow for the livestock    and plants for man to cultivate,  that he may bring forth food from the earth15     and wine to gladden the heart of man,  oil to make his face shine    and bread to strengthen man's heart. 16   The trees of the LORD are watered abundantly,    the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.17   In them the birds build their nests;    the stork has her home in the fir trees.18   The high mountains are for the wild goats;    the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers.

Old Testament: Jeremiah 2–3 Jeremiah 2–3 (Listen) Israel Forsakes the Lord 2 The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the LORD,   “I remember the devotion of your youth,    your love as a bride,  how you followed me in the wilderness,    in a land not sown.3   Israel was holy to the LORD,    the firstfruits of his harvest.  All who ate of it incurred guilt;    disaster came upon them,      declares the LORD.” 4 Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the LORD:   “What wrong did your fathers find in me    that they went far from me,  and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?6   They did not say, ‘Where is the LORD    who brought us up from the land of Egypt,  who led us in the wilderness,    in a land of deserts and pits,  in a land of drought and deep darkness,    in a land that none passes through,    where no man dwells?'7   And I brought you into a plentiful land    to enjoy its fruits and its good things.  But when you came in, you defiled my land    and made my heritage an abomination.8   The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?'    Those who handle the law did not know me;  the shepherds1 transgressed against me;    the prophets prophesied by Baal    and went after things that do not profit. 9   “Therefore I still contend with you,      declares the LORD,    and with your children's children I will contend.10   For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see,    or send to Kedar and examine with care;    see if there has been such a thing.11   Has a nation changed its gods,    even though they are no gods?  But my people have changed their glory    for that which does not profit.12   Be appalled, O heavens, at this;    be shocked, be utterly desolate,      declares the LORD,13   for my people have committed two evils:  they have forsaken me,    the fountain of living waters,  and hewed out cisterns for themselves,    broken cisterns that can hold no water. 14   “Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?    Why then has he become a prey?15   The lions have roared against him;    they have roared loudly.  They have made his land a waste;    his cities are in ruins, without inhabitant.16   Moreover, the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes    have shaved2 the crown of your head.17   Have you not brought this upon yourself    by forsaking the LORD your God,    when he led you in the way?18   And now what do you gain by going to Egypt    to drink the waters of the Nile?  Or what do you gain by going to Assyria    to drink the waters of the Euphrates?319   Your evil will chastise you,    and your apostasy will reprove you.  Know and see that it is evil and bitter    for you to forsake the LORD your God;    the fear of me is not in you,      declares the Lord GOD of hosts. 20   “For long ago I broke your yoke    and burst your bonds;    but you said, ‘I will not serve.'  Yes, on every high hill    and under every green tree    you bowed down like a whore.21   Yet I planted you a choice vine,    wholly of pure seed.  How then have you turned degenerate    and become a wild vine?22   Though you wash yourself with lye    and use much soap,    the stain of your guilt is still before me,      declares the Lord GOD.23   How can you say, ‘I am not unclean,    I have not gone after the Baals'?  Look at your way in the valley;    know what you have done—  a restless young camel running here and there,24     a wild donkey used to the wilderness,  in her heat sniffing the wind!    Who can restrain her lust?  None who seek her need weary themselves;    in her month they will find her.25   Keep your feet from going unshod    and your throat from thirst.  But you said, ‘It is hopeless,    for I have loved foreigners,    and after them I will go.' 26   “As a thief is shamed when caught,    so the house of Israel shall be shamed:  they, their kings, their officials,    their priests, and their prophets,27   who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,'    and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.'  For they have turned their back to me,    and not their face.  But in the time of their trouble they say,    ‘Arise and save us!'28   But where are your gods    that you made for yourself?  Let them arise, if they can save you,    in your time of trouble;  for as many as your cities    are your gods, O Judah. 29   “Why do you contend with me?    You have all transgressed against me,      declares the LORD.30   In vain have I struck your children;    they took no correction;  your own sword devoured your prophets    like a ravening lion.31   And you, O generation, behold the word of the LORD.  Have I been a wilderness to Israel,    or a land of thick darkness?  Why then do my people say, ‘We are free,    we will come no more to you'?32   Can a virgin forget her ornaments,    or a bride her attire?  Yet my people have forgotten me    days without number. 33   “How well you direct your course    to seek love!  So that even to wicked women    you have taught your ways.34   Also on your skirts is found    the lifeblood of the guiltless poor;  you did not find them breaking in.    Yet in spite of all these things35   you say, ‘I am innocent;    surely his anger has turned from me.'  Behold, I will bring you to judgment    for saying, ‘I have not sinned.'36   How much you go about,    changing your way!  You shall be put to shame by Egypt    as you were put to shame by Assyria.37   From it too you will come away    with your hands on your head,  for the LORD has rejected those in whom you trust,    and you will not prosper by them. 3   “If4 a man divorces his wife    and she goes from him  and becomes another man's wife,    will he return to her?  Would not that land be greatly polluted?  You have played the whore with many lovers;    and would you return to me?      declares the LORD.2   Lift up your eyes to the bare heights, and see!    Where have you not been ravished?  By the waysides you have sat awaiting lovers    like an Arab in the wilderness.  You have polluted the land    with your vile whoredom.3   Therefore the showers have been withheld,    and the spring rain has not come;  yet you have the forehead of a whore;    you refuse to be ashamed.4   Have you not just now called to me,    ‘My father, you are the friend of my youth—5   will he be angry forever,    will he be indignant to the end?'  Behold, you have spoken,    but you have done all the evil that you could.” Faithless Israel Called to Repentance 6 The LORD said to me in the days of King Josiah: “Have you seen what she did, that faithless one, Israel, how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there played the whore? 7 And I thought, ‘After she has done all this she will return to me,' but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 She saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but she too went and played the whore. 9 Because she took her whoredom lightly, she polluted the land, committing adultery with stone and tree. 10 Yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to me with her whole heart, but in pretense, declares the LORD.” 11 And the LORD said to me, “Faithless Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say,   “‘Return, faithless Israel,      declares the LORD.  I will not look on you in anger,    for I am merciful,      declares the LORD;  I will not be angry forever.13   Only acknowledge your guilt,    that you rebelled against the LORD your God  and scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree,    and that you have not obeyed my voice,      declares the LORD.14   Return, O faithless children,      declares the LORD;    for I am your master;  I will take you, one from a city and two from a family,    and I will bring you to Zion. 15 “‘And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. 16 And when you have multiplied and been fruitful in the land, in those days, declares the LORD, they shall no more say, “The ark of the covenant of the LORD.” It shall not come to mind or be remembered or missed; it shall not be made again. 17 At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the LORD, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the LORD in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart. 18 In those days the house of Judah shall join the house of Israel, and together they shall come from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers for a heritage. 19   “‘I said,    How I would set you among my sons,  and give you a pleasant land,    a heritage most beautiful of all nations.  And I thought you would call me, My Father,    and would not turn from following me.20   Surely, as a treacherous wife leaves her husband,    so have you been treacherous to me, O house of Israel,      declares the LORD.'” 21   A voice on the bare heights is heard,    the weeping and pleading of Israel's sons  because they have perverted their way;    they have forgotten the LORD their God.22   “Return, O faithless sons;    I will heal your faithlessness.”  “Behold, we come to you,    for you are the LORD our God.23   Truly the hills are a delusion,    the orgies5 on the mountains.  Truly in the LORD our God    is the salvation of Israel. 24 “But from our youth the shameful thing has devoured all for which our fathers labored, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. 25 Let us lie down in our shame, and let our dishonor cover us. For we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even to this day, and we have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.” Footnotes [1] 2:8 Or rulers [2] 2:16 Hebrew grazed [3] 2:18 Hebrew the River [4] 3:1 Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew Saying, “If [5] 3:23 Hebrew commotion (ESV) New Testament: 1 Peter 2:11–3:12 1 Peter 2:11–3:12 (Listen) 11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. Submission to Authority 13 Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution,1 whether it be to the emperor2 as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants3 of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. 18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. Wives and Husbands 3 Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they see your respectful and pure conduct. 3 Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. 5 For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening. 7 Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you4 of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. Suffering for Righteousness' Sake 8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. 10 For   “Whoever desires to love life    and see good days,  let him keep his tongue from evil    and his lips from speaking deceit;11   let him turn away from evil and do good;    let him seek peace and pursue it.12   For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,    and his ears are open to their pra

Morning: Jeremiah 1–2 Jeremiah 1–2 (Listen) 1 The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, and until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month. The Call of Jeremiah 4 Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 5   “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,  and before you were born I consecrated you;  I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” 6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” 7 But the LORD said to me,   “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth';  for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,  and whatever I command you, you shall speak.8   Do not be afraid of them,  for I am with you to deliver you,      declares the LORD.” 9 Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the LORD said to me,   “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.10   See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms,  to pluck up and to break down,  to destroy and to overthrow,  to build and to plant.” 11 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond1 branch.” 12 Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.” 13 The word of the LORD came to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north.” 14 Then the LORD said to me, “Out of the north disaster2 shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the land. 15 For behold, I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, declares the LORD, and they shall come, and every one shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its walls all around and against all the cities of Judah. 16 And I will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil in forsaking me. They have made offerings to other gods and worshiped the works of their own hands. 17 But you, dress yourself for work;3 arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. 18 And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. 19 They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the LORD, to deliver you.” Israel Forsakes the Lord 2 The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the LORD,   “I remember the devotion of your youth,    your love as a bride,  how you followed me in the wilderness,    in a land not sown.3   Israel was holy to the LORD,    the firstfruits of his harvest.  All who ate of it incurred guilt;    disaster came upon them,      declares the LORD.” 4 Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the LORD:   “What wrong did your fathers find in me    that they went far from me,  and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?6   They did not say, ‘Where is the LORD    who brought us up from the land of Egypt,  who led us in the wilderness,    in a land of deserts and pits,  in a land of drought and deep darkness,    in a land that none passes through,    where no man dwells?'7   And I brought you into a plentiful land    to enjoy its fruits and its good things.  But when you came in, you defiled my land    and made my heritage an abomination.8   The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?'    Those who handle the law did not know me;  the shepherds4 transgressed against me;    the prophets prophesied by Baal    and went after things that do not profit. 9   “Therefore I still contend with you,      declares the LORD,    and with your children's children I will contend.10   For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see,    or send to Kedar and examine with care;    see if there has been such a thing.11   Has a nation changed its gods,    even though they are no gods?  But my people have changed their glory    for that which does not profit.12   Be appalled, O heavens, at this;    be shocked, be utterly desolate,      declares the LORD,13   for my people have committed two evils:  they have forsaken me,    the fountain of living waters,  and hewed out cisterns for themselves,    broken cisterns that can hold no water. 14   “Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?    Why then has he become a prey?15   The lions have roared against him;    they have roared loudly.  They have made his land a waste;    his cities are in ruins, without inhabitant.16   Moreover, the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes    have shaved5 the crown of your head.17   Have you not brought this upon yourself    by forsaking the LORD your God,    when he led you in the way?18   And now what do you gain by going to Egypt    to drink the waters of the Nile?  Or what do you gain by going to Assyria    to drink the waters of the Euphrates?619   Your evil will chastise you,    and your apostasy will reprove you.  Know and see that it is evil and bitter    for you to forsake the LORD your God;    the fear of me is not in you,      declares the Lord GOD of hosts. 20   “For long ago I broke your yoke    and burst your bonds;    but you said, ‘I will not serve.'  Yes, on every high hill    and under every green tree    you bowed down like a whore.21   Yet I planted you a choice vine,    wholly of pure seed.  How then have you turned degenerate    and become a wild vine?22   Though you wash yourself with lye    and use much soap,    the stain of your guilt is still before me,      declares the Lord GOD.23   How can you say, ‘I am not unclean,    I have not gone after the Baals'?  Look at your way in the valley;    know what you have done—  a restless young camel running here and there,24     a wild donkey used to the wilderness,  in her heat sniffing the wind!    Who can restrain her lust?  None who seek her need weary themselves;    in her month they will find her.25   Keep your feet from going unshod    and your throat from thirst.  But you said, ‘It is hopeless,    for I have loved foreigners,    and after them I will go.' 26   “As a thief is shamed when caught,    so the house of Israel shall be shamed:  they, their kings, their officials,    their priests, and their prophets,27   who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,'    and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.'  For they have turned their back to me,    and not their face.  But in the time of their trouble they say,    ‘Arise and save us!'28   But where are your gods    that you made for yourself?  Let them arise, if they can save you,    in your time of trouble;  for as many as your cities    are your gods, O Judah. 29   “Why do you contend with me?    You have all transgressed against me,      declares the LORD.30   In vain have I struck your children;    they took no correction;  your own sword devoured your prophets    like a ravening lion.31   And you, O generation, behold the word of the LORD.  Have I been a wilderness to Israel,    or a land of thick darkness?  Why then do my people say, ‘We are free,    we will come no more to you'?32   Can a virgin forget her ornaments,    or a bride her attire?  Yet my people have forgotten me    days without number. 33   “How well you direct your course    to seek love!  So that even to wicked women    you have taught your ways.34   Also on your skirts is found    the lifeblood of the guiltless poor;  you did not find them breaking in.    Yet in spite of all these things35   you say, ‘I am innocent;    surely his anger has turned from me.'  Behold, I will bring you to judgment    for saying, ‘I have not sinned.'36   How much you go about,    changing your way!  You shall be put to shame by Egypt    as you were put to shame by Assyria.37   From it too you will come away    with your hands on your head,  for the LORD has rejected those in whom you trust,    and you will not prosper by them. Footnotes [1] 1:11 Almond sounds like the Hebrew for watching (compare verse 12) [2] 1:14 The Hebrew word can mean evil, harm, or disaster, depending on the context; so throughout Jeremiah [3] 1:17 Hebrew gird up your loins [4] 2:8 Or rulers [5] 2:16 Hebrew grazed [6] 2:18 Hebrew the River (ESV) Evening: 2 Thessalonians 2 2 Thessalonians 2 (Listen) The Man of Lawlessness 2 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,1 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness2 is revealed, the son of destruction,3 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. Stand Firm 13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits4 to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. 14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter. 16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. Footnotes [1] 2:1 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 13, 15 [2] 2:3 Some manuscripts sin [3] 2:3 Greek the son of perdition (a Hebrew idiom) [4] 2:13 Some manuscripts chose you from the beginning (ESV)

Jeremiah 1–3 Jeremiah 1–3 (Listen) 1 The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, and until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month. The Call of Jeremiah 4 Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 5   “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,  and before you were born I consecrated you;  I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” 6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” 7 But the LORD said to me,   “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth';  for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,  and whatever I command you, you shall speak.8   Do not be afraid of them,  for I am with you to deliver you,      declares the LORD.” 9 Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the LORD said to me,   “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.10   See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms,  to pluck up and to break down,  to destroy and to overthrow,  to build and to plant.” 11 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond1 branch.” 12 Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.” 13 The word of the LORD came to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north.” 14 Then the LORD said to me, “Out of the north disaster2 shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the land. 15 For behold, I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, declares the LORD, and they shall come, and every one shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its walls all around and against all the cities of Judah. 16 And I will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil in forsaking me. They have made offerings to other gods and worshiped the works of their own hands. 17 But you, dress yourself for work;3 arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. 18 And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. 19 They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the LORD, to deliver you.” Israel Forsakes the Lord 2 The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the LORD,   “I remember the devotion of your youth,    your love as a bride,  how you followed me in the wilderness,    in a land not sown.3   Israel was holy to the LORD,    the firstfruits of his harvest.  All who ate of it incurred guilt;    disaster came upon them,      declares the LORD.” 4 Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the LORD:   “What wrong did your fathers find in me    that they went far from me,  and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?6   They did not say, ‘Where is the LORD    who brought us up from the land of Egypt,  who led us in the wilderness,    in a land of deserts and pits,  in a land of drought and deep darkness,    in a land that none passes through,    where no man dwells?'7   And I brought you into a plentiful land    to enjoy its fruits and its good things.  But when you came in, you defiled my land    and made my heritage an abomination.8   The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?'    Those who handle the law did not know me;  the shepherds4 transgressed against me;    the prophets prophesied by Baal    and went after things that do not profit. 9   “Therefore I still contend with you,      declares the LORD,    and with your children's children I will contend.10   For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see,    or send to Kedar and examine with care;    see if there has been such a thing.11   Has a nation changed its gods,    even though they are no gods?  But my people have changed their glory    for that which does not profit.12   Be appalled, O heavens, at this;    be shocked, be utterly desolate,      declares the LORD,13   for my people have committed two evils:  they have forsaken me,    the fountain of living waters,  and hewed out cisterns for themselves,    broken cisterns that can hold no water. 14   “Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?    Why then has he become a prey?15   The lions have roared against him;    they have roared loudly.  They have made his land a waste;    his cities are in ruins, without inhabitant.16   Moreover, the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes    have shaved5 the crown of your head.17   Have you not brought this upon yourself    by forsaking the LORD your God,    when he led you in the way?18   And now what do you gain by going to Egypt    to drink the waters of the Nile?  Or what do you gain by going to Assyria    to drink the waters of the Euphrates?619   Your evil will chastise you,    and your apostasy will reprove you.  Know and see that it is evil and bitter    for you to forsake the LORD your God;    the fear of me is not in you,      declares the Lord GOD of hosts. 20   “For long ago I broke your yoke    and burst your bonds;    but you said, ‘I will not serve.'  Yes, on every high hill    and under every green tree    you bowed down like a whore.21   Yet I planted you a choice vine,    wholly of pure seed.  How then have you turned degenerate    and become a wild vine?22   Though you wash yourself with lye    and use much soap,    the stain of your guilt is still before me,      declares the Lord GOD.23   How can you say, ‘I am not unclean,    I have not gone after the Baals'?  Look at your way in the valley;    know what you have done—  a restless young camel running here and there,24     a wild donkey used to the wilderness,  in her heat sniffing the wind!    Who can restrain her lust?  None who seek her need weary themselves;    in her month they will find her.25   Keep your feet from going unshod    and your throat from thirst.  But you said, ‘It is hopeless,    for I have loved foreigners,    and after them I will go.' 26   “As a thief is shamed when caught,    so the house of Israel shall be shamed:  they, their kings, their officials,    their priests, and their prophets,27   who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,'    and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.'  For they have turned their back to me,    and not their face.  But in the time of their trouble they say,    ‘Arise and save us!'28   But where are your gods    that you made for yourself?  Let them arise, if they can save you,    in your time of trouble;  for as many as your cities    are your gods, O Judah. 29   “Why do you contend with me?    You have all transgressed against me,      declares the LORD.30   In vain have I struck your children;    they took no correction;  your own sword devoured your prophets    like a ravening lion.31   And you, O generation, behold the word of the LORD.  Have I been a wilderness to Israel,    or a land of thick darkness?  Why then do my people say, ‘We are free,    we will come no more to you'?32   Can a virgin forget her ornaments,    or a bride her attire?  Yet my people have forgotten me    days without number. 33   “How well you direct your course    to seek love!  So that even to wicked women    you have taught your ways.34   Also on your skirts is found    the lifeblood of the guiltless poor;  you did not find them breaking in.    Yet in spite of all these things35   you say, ‘I am innocent;    surely his anger has turned from me.'  Behold, I will bring you to judgment    for saying, ‘I have not sinned.'36   How much you go about,    changing your way!  You shall be put to shame by Egypt    as you were put to shame by Assyria.37   From it too you will come away    with your hands on your head,  for the LORD has rejected those in whom you trust,    and you will not prosper by them. 3   “If7 a man divorces his wife    and she goes from him  and becomes another man's wife,    will he return to her?  Would not that land be greatly polluted?  You have played the whore with many lovers;    and would you return to me?      declares the LORD.2   Lift up your eyes to the bare heights, and see!    Where have you not been ravished?  By the waysides you have sat awaiting lovers    like an Arab in the wilderness.  You have polluted the land    with your vile whoredom.3   Therefore the showers have been withheld,    and the spring rain has not come;  yet you have the forehead of a whore;    you refuse to be ashamed.4   Have you not just now called to me,    ‘My father, you are the friend of my youth—5   will he be angry forever,    will he be indignant to the end?'  Behold, you have spoken,    but you have done all the evil that you could.” Faithless Israel Called to Repentance 6 The LORD said to me in the days of King Josiah: “Have you seen what she did, that faithless one, Israel, how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there played the whore? 7 And I thought, ‘After she has done all this she will return to me,' but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 She saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but she too went and played the whore. 9 Because she took her whoredom lightly, she polluted the land, committing adultery with stone and tree. 10 Yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to me with her whole heart, but in pretense, declares the LORD.” 11 And the LORD said to me, “Faithless Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say,   “‘Return, faithless Israel,      declares the LORD.  I will not look on you in anger,    for I am merciful,      declares the LORD;  I will not be angry forever.13   Only acknowledge your guilt,    that you rebelled against the LORD your God  and scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree,    and that you have not obeyed my voice,      declares the LORD.14   Return, O faithless children,      declares the LORD;    for I am your master;  I will take you, one from a city and two from a family,    and I will bring you to Zion. 15 “‘And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. 16 And when you have multiplied and been fruitful in the land, in those days, declares the LORD, they shall no more say, “The ark of the covenant of the LORD.” It shall not come to mind or be remembered or missed; it shall not be made again. 17 At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the LORD, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the LORD in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart. 18 In those days the house of Judah shall join the house of Israel, and together they shall come from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers for a heritage. 19   “‘I said,    How I would set you among my sons,  and give you a pleasant land,    a heritage most beautiful of all nations.  And I thought you would call me, My Father,    and would not turn from following me.20   Surely, as a treacherous wife leaves her husband,    so have you been treacherous to me, O house of Israel,      declares the LORD.'” 21   A voice on the bare heights is heard,    the weeping and pleading of Israel's sons  because they have perverted their way;    they have forgotten the LORD their God.22   “Return, O faithless sons;    I will heal your faithlessness.”  “Behold, we come to you,    for you are the LORD our God.23   Truly the hills are a delusion,    the orgies8 on the mountains.  Truly in the LORD our God    is the salvation of Israel. 24 “But from our youth the shameful thing has devoured all for which our fathers labored, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. 25 Let us lie down in our shame, and let our dishonor cover us. For we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even to this day, and we have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.” Footnotes [1] 1:11 Almond sounds like the Hebrew for watching (compare verse 12) [2] 1:14 The Hebrew word can mean evil, harm, or disaster, depending on the context; so throughout Jeremiah [3] 1:17 Hebrew gird up your loins [4] 2:8 Or rulers [5] 2:16 Hebrew grazed [6] 2:18 Hebrew the River [7] 3:1 Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew Saying, “If [8] 3:23 Hebrew commotion (ESV)

Psalms and Wisdom: Ecclesiastes 5:8–17 Ecclesiastes 5:8–17 (Listen) The Vanity of Wealth and Honor 8 If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them. 9 But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields.1 10 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. 11 When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes? 12 Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep. 13 There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owner to his hurt, 14 and those riches were lost in a bad venture. And he is father of a son, but he has nothing in his hand. 15 As he came from his mother's womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand. 16 This also is a grievous evil: just as he came, so shall he go, and what gain is there to him who toils for the wind? 17 Moreover, all his days he eats in darkness in much vexation and sickness and anger. Footnotes [1] 5:9 The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain (ESV) Pentateuch and History: Joshua 7 Joshua 7 (Listen) Israel Defeated at Ai 7 But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the LORD burned against the people of Israel. 2 Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven, east of Bethel, and said to them, “Go up and spy out the land.” And the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 And they returned to Joshua and said to him, “Do not have all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not make the whole people toil up there, for they are few.” 4 So about three thousand men went up there from the people. And they fled before the men of Ai, 5 and the men of Ai killed about thirty-six of their men and chased them before the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them at the descent. And the hearts of the people melted and became as water. 6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the LORD until the evening, he and the elders of Israel. And they put dust on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, “Alas, O Lord GOD, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all, to give us into the hands of the Amorites, to destroy us? Would that we had been content to dwell beyond the Jordan! 8 O Lord, what can I say, when Israel has turned their backs before their enemies! 9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it and will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And what will you do for your great name?” The Sin of Achan 10 The LORD said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. 12 Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction.1 I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you. 13 Get up! Consecrate the people and say, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the LORD, God of Israel, “There are devoted things in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted things from among you.” 14 In the morning therefore you shall be brought near by your tribes. And the tribe that the LORD takes by lot shall come near by clans. And the clan that the LORD takes shall come near by households. And the household that the LORD takes shall come near man by man. 15 And he who is taken with the devoted things shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he has done an outrageous thing in Israel.'” 16 So Joshua rose early in the morning and brought Israel near tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was taken. 17 And he brought near the clans of Judah, and the clan of the Zerahites was taken. And he brought near the clan of the Zerahites man by man, and Zabdi was taken. 18 And he brought near his household man by man, and Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken. 19 Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the LORD God of Israel and give praise2 to him. And tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.” 20 And Achan answered Joshua, “Truly I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and this is what I did: 21 when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels,3 then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath.” 22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and behold, it was hidden in his tent with the silver underneath. 23 And they took them out of the tent and brought them to Joshua and to all the people of Israel. And they laid them down before the LORD. 24 And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver and the cloak and the bar of gold, and his sons and daughters and his oxen and donkeys and sheep and his tent and all that he had. And they brought them up to the Valley of Achor. 25 And Joshua said, “Why did you bring trouble on us? The LORD brings trouble on you today.” And all Israel stoned him with stones. They burned them with fire and stoned them with stones. 26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from his burning anger. Therefore, to this day the name of that place is called the Valley of Achor.4 Footnotes [1] 7:12 That is, set apart (devoted) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction) [2] 7:19 Or and make confession [3] 7:21 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams [4] 7:26 Achor means trouble (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Jeremiah 2–3:5 Jeremiah 2–3:5 (Listen) Israel Forsakes the Lord 2 The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the LORD,   “I remember the devotion of your youth,    your love as a bride,  how you followed me in the wilderness,    in a land not sown.3   Israel was holy to the LORD,    the firstfruits of his harvest.  All who ate of it incurred guilt;    disaster came upon them,      declares the LORD.” 4 Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the LORD:   “What wrong did your fathers find in me    that they went far from me,  and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?6   They did not say, ‘Where is the LORD    who brought us up from the land of Egypt,  who led us in the wilderness,    in a land of deserts and pits,  in a land of drought and deep darkness,    in a land that none passes through,    where no man dwells?'7   And I brought you into a plentiful land    to enjoy its fruits and its good things.  But when you came in, you defiled my land    and made my heritage an abomination.8   The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?'    Those who handle the law did not know me;  the shepherds1 transgressed against me;    the prophets prophesied by Baal    and went after things that do not profit. 9   “Therefore I still contend with you,      declares the LORD,    and with your children's children I will contend.10   For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see,    or send to Kedar and examine with care;    see if there has been such a thing.11   Has a nation changed its gods,    even though they are no gods?  But my people have changed their glory    for that which does not profit.12   Be appalled, O heavens, at this;    be shocked, be utterly desolate,      declares the LORD,13   for my people have committed two evils:  they have forsaken me,    the fountain of living waters,  and hewed out cisterns for themselves,    broken cisterns that can hold no water. 14   “Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?    Why then has he become a prey?15   The lions have roared against him;    they have roared loudly.  They have made his land a waste;    his cities are in ruins, without inhabitant.16   Moreover, the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes    have shaved2 the crown of your head.17   Have you not brought this upon yourself    by forsaking the LORD your God,    when he led you in the way?18   And now what do you gain by going to Egypt    to drink the waters of the Nile?  Or what do you gain by going to Assyria    to drink the waters of the Euphrates?319   Your evil will chastise you,    and your apostasy will reprove you.  Know and see that it is evil and bitter    for you to forsake the LORD your God;    the fear of me is not in you,      declares the Lord GOD of hosts. 20   “For long ago I broke your yoke    and burst your bonds;    but you said, ‘I will not serve.'  Yes, on every high hill    and under every green tree    you bowed down like a whore.21   Yet I planted you a choice vine,    wholly of pure seed.  How then have you turned degenerate    and become a wild vine?22   Though you wash yourself with lye    and use much soap,    the stain of your guilt is still before me,      declares the Lord GOD.23   How can you say, ‘I am not unclean,    I have not gone after the Baals'?  Look at your way in the valley;    know what you have done—  a restless young camel running here and there,24     a wild donkey used to the wilderness,  in her heat sniffing the wind!    Who can restrain her lust?  None who seek her need weary themselves;    in her month they will find her.25   Keep your feet from going unshod    and your throat from thirst.  But you said, ‘It is hopeless,    for I have loved foreigners,    and after them I will go.' 26   “As a thief is shamed when caught,    so the house of Israel shall be shamed:  they, their kings, their officials,    their priests, and their prophets,27   who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,'    and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.'  For they have turned their back to me,    and not their face.  But in the time of their trouble they say,    ‘Arise and save us!'28   But where are your gods    that you made for yourself?  Let them arise, if they can save you,    in your time of trouble;  for as many as your cities    are your gods, O Judah. 29   “Why do you contend with me?    You have all transgressed against me,      declares the LORD.30   In vain have I struck your children;    they took no correction;  your own sword devoured your prophets    like a ravening lion.31   And you, O generation, behold the word of the LORD.  Have I been a wilderness to Israel,    or a land of thick darkness?  Why then do my people say, ‘We are free,    we will come no more to you'?32   Can a virgin forget her ornaments,    or a bride her attire?  Yet my people have forgotten me    days without number. 33   “How well you direct your course    to seek love!  So that even to wicked women    you have taught your ways.34   Also on your skirts is found    the lifeblood of the guiltless poor;  you did not find them breaking in.    Yet in spite of all these things35   you say, ‘I am innocent;    surely his anger has turned from me.'  Behold, I will bring you to judgment    for saying, ‘I have not sinned.'36   How much you go about,    changing your way!  You shall be put to shame by Egypt    as you were put to shame by Assyria.37   From it too you will come away    with your hands on your head,  for the LORD has rejected those in whom you trust,    and you will not prosper by them. 3   “If4 a man divorces his wife    and she goes from him  and becomes another man's wife,    will he return to her?  Would not that land be greatly polluted?  You have played the whore with many lovers;    and would you return to me?      declares the LORD.2   Lift up your eyes to the bare heights, and see!    Where have you not been ravished?  By the waysides you have sat awaiting lovers    like an Arab in the wilderness.  You have polluted the land    with your vile whoredom.3   Therefore the showers have been withheld,    and the spring rain has not come;  yet you have the forehead of a whore;    you refuse to be ashamed.4   Have you not just now called to me,    ‘My father, you are the friend of my youth—5   will he be angry forever,    will he be indignant to the end?'  Behold, you have spoken,    but you have done all the evil that you could.” Footnotes [1] 2:8 Or rulers [2] 2:16 Hebrew grazed [3] 2:18 Hebrew the River [4] 3:1 Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew Saying, “If (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: Matthew 18 Matthew 18 (Listen) Who Is the Greatest? 18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,1 it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Temptations to Sin 7 “Woe to the world for temptations to sin!2 For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! 8 And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell3 of fire. The Parable of the Lost Sheep 10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.4 12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 So it is not the will of my5 Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. If Your Brother Sins Against You 15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you,

With family: Joshua 8; Psalm 139 Joshua 8 (Listen) The Fall of Ai 8 And the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not fear and do not be dismayed. Take all the fighting men with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, and his people, his city, and his land. 2 And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. Only its spoil and its livestock you shall take as plunder for yourselves. Lay an ambush against the city, behind it.” 3 So Joshua and all the fighting men arose to go up to Ai. And Joshua chose 30,000 mighty men of valor and sent them out by night. 4 And he commanded them, “Behold, you shall lie in ambush against the city, behind it. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you remain ready. 5 And I and all the people who are with me will approach the city. And when they come out against us just as before, we shall flee before them. 6 And they will come out after us, until we have drawn them away from the city. For they will say, ‘They are fleeing from us, just as before.' So we will flee before them. 7 Then you shall rise up from the ambush and seize the city, for the LORD your God will give it into your hand. 8 And as soon as you have taken the city, you shall set the city on fire. You shall do according to the word of the LORD. See, I have commanded you.” 9 So Joshua sent them out. And they went to the place of ambush and lay between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai, but Joshua spent that night among the people. 10 Joshua arose early in the morning and mustered the people and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai. 11 And all the fighting men who were with him went up and drew near before the city and encamped on the north side of Ai, with a ravine between them and Ai. 12 He took about 5,000 men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city. 13 So they stationed the forces, the main encampment that was north of the city and its rear guard west of the city. But Joshua spent that night in the valley. 14 And as soon as the king of Ai saw this, he and all his people, the men of the city, hurried and went out early to the appointed place1 toward the Arabah to meet Israel in battle. But he did not know that there was an ambush against him behind the city. 15 And Joshua and all Israel pretended to be beaten before them and fled in the direction of the wilderness. 16 So all the people who were in the city were called together to pursue them, and as they pursued Joshua they were drawn away from the city. 17 Not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel. They left the city open and pursued Israel. 18 Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Stretch out the javelin that is in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand.” And Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in his hand toward the city. 19 And the men in the ambush rose quickly out of their place, and as soon as he had stretched out his hand, they ran and entered the city and captured it. And they hurried to set the city on fire. 20 So when the men of Ai looked back, behold, the smoke of the city went up to heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that, for the people who fled to the wilderness turned back against the pursuers. 21 And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had captured the city, and that the smoke of the city went up, then they turned back and struck down the men of Ai. 22 And the others came out from the city against them, so they were in the midst of Israel, some on this side, and some on that side. And Israel struck them down, until there was left none that survived or escaped. 23 But the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him near to Joshua. 24 When Israel had finished killing all the inhabitants of Ai in the open wilderness where they pursued them, and all of them to the very last had fallen by the edge of the sword, all Israel returned to Ai and struck it down with the edge of the sword. 25 And all who fell that day, both men and women, were 12,000, all the people of Ai. 26 But Joshua did not draw back his hand with which he stretched out the javelin until he had devoted all the inhabitants of Ai to destruction.2 27 Only the livestock and the spoil of that city Israel took as their plunder, according to the word of the LORD that he commanded Joshua. 28 So Joshua burned Ai and made it forever a heap of ruins, as it is to this day. 29 And he hanged the king of Ai on a tree until evening. And at sunset Joshua commanded, and they took his body down from the tree and threw it at the entrance of the gate of the city and raised over it a great heap of stones, which stands there to this day. Joshua Renews the Covenant 30 At that time Joshua built an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal, 31 just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the people of Israel, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, “an altar of uncut stones, upon which no man has wielded an iron tool.” And they offered on it burnt offerings to the LORD and sacrificed peace offerings. 32 And there, in the presence of the people of Israel, he wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written. 33 And all Israel, sojourner as well as native born, with their elders and officers and their judges, stood on opposite sides of the ark before the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, half of them in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded at the first, to bless the people of Israel. 34 And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law. 35 There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the sojourners who lived3 among them. Footnotes [1] 8:14 Hebrew appointed time [2] 8:26 That is, set apart (devoted) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction) [3] 8:35 Or traveled (ESV) Psalm 139 (Listen) Search Me, O God, and Know My Heart To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 139   O LORD, you have searched me and known me!2   You know when I sit down and when I rise up;    you discern my thoughts from afar.3   You search out my path and my lying down    and are acquainted with all my ways.4   Even before a word is on my tongue,    behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.5   You hem me in, behind and before,    and lay your hand upon me.6   Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;    it is high; I cannot attain it. 7   Where shall I go from your Spirit?    Or where shall I flee from your presence?8   If I ascend to heaven, you are there!    If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!9   If I take the wings of the morning    and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,10   even there your hand shall lead me,    and your right hand shall hold me.11   If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,    and the light about me be night,”12   even the darkness is not dark to you;    the night is bright as the day,    for darkness is as light with you. 13   For you formed my inward parts;    you knitted me together in my mother's womb.14   I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.1  Wonderful are your works;    my soul knows it very well.15   My frame was not hidden from you,  when I was being made in secret,    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.16   Your eyes saw my unformed substance;  in your book were written, every one of them,    the days that were formed for me,    when as yet there was none of them. 17   How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!    How vast is the sum of them!18   If I would count them, they are more than the sand.    I awake, and I am still with you. 19   Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!    O men of blood, depart from me!20   They speak against you with malicious intent;    your enemies take your name in vain.221   Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD?    And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?22   I hate them with complete hatred;    I count them my enemies. 23   Search me, O God, and know my heart!    Try me and know my thoughts!324   And see if there be any grievous way in me,    and lead me in the way everlasting!4 Footnotes [1] 139:14 Or for I am fearfully set apart [2] 139:20 Hebrew lacks your name [3] 139:23 Or cares [4] 139:24 Or in the ancient way (compare Jeremiah 6:16) (ESV) In private: Jeremiah 2; Matthew 16 Jeremiah 2 (Listen) Israel Forsakes the Lord 2 The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the LORD,   “I remember the devotion of your youth,    your love as a bride,  how you followed me in the wilderness,    in a land not sown.3   Israel was holy to the LORD,    the firstfruits of his harvest.  All who ate of it incurred guilt;    disaster came upon them,      declares the LORD.” 4 Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the LORD:   “What wrong did your fathers find in me    that they went far from me,  and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?6   They did not say, ‘Where is the LORD    who brought us up from the land of Egypt,  who led us in the wilderness,    in a land of deserts and pits,  in a land of drought and deep darkness,    in a land that none passes through,    where no man dwells?'7   And I brought you into a plentiful land    to enjoy its fruits and its good things.  But when you came in, you defiled my land    and made my heritage an abomination.8   The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?'    Those who handle the law did not know me;  the shepherds1 transgressed against me;    the prophets prophesied by Baal    and went after things that do not profit. 9   “Therefore I still contend with you,      declares the LORD,    and with your children's children I will contend.10   For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see,    or send to Kedar and examine with care;    see if there has been such a thing.11   Has a nation changed its gods,    even though they are no gods?  But my people have changed their glory    for that which does not profit.12   Be appalled, O heavens, at this;    be shocked, be utterly desolate,      declares the LORD,13   for my people have committed two evils:  they have forsaken me,    the fountain of living waters,  and hewed out cisterns for themselves,    broken cisterns that can hold no water. 14   “Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?    Why then has he become a prey?15   The lions have roared against him;    they have roared loudly.  They have made his land a waste;    his cities are in ruins, without inhabitant.16   Moreover, the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes    have shaved2 the crown of your head.17   Have you not brought this upon yourself    by forsaking the LORD your God,    when he led you in the way?18   And now what do you gain by going to Egypt    to drink the waters of the Nile?  Or what do you gain by going to Assyria    to drink the waters of the Euphrates?319   Your evil will chastise you,    and your apostasy will reprove you.  Know and see that it is evil and bitter    for you to forsake the LORD your God;    the fear of me is not in you,      declares the Lord GOD of hosts. 20   “For long ago I broke your yoke    and burst your bonds;    but you said, ‘I will not serve.'  Yes, on every high hill    and under every green tree    you bowed down like a whore.21   Yet I planted you a choice vine,    wholly of pure seed.  How then have you turned degenerate    and become a wild vine?22   Though you wash yourself with lye    and use much soap,    the stain of your guilt is still before me,      declares the Lord GOD.23   How can you say, ‘I am not unclean,    I have not gone after the Baals'?  Look at your way in the valley;    know what you have done—  a restless young camel running here and there,24     a wild donkey used to the wilderness,  in her heat sniffing the wind!    Who can restrain her lust?  None who seek her need weary themselves;    in her month they will find her.25   Keep your feet from going unshod    and your throat from thirst.  But you said, ‘It is hopeless,    for I have loved foreigners,    and after them I will go.' 26   “As a thief is shamed when caught,    so the house of Israel shall be shamed:  they, their kings, their officials,    their priests, and their prophets,27   who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,'    and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.'  For they have turned their back to me,    and not their face.  But in the time of their trouble they say,    ‘Arise and save us!'28   But where are your gods    that you made for yourself?  Let them arise, if they can save you,    in your time of trouble;  for as many as your cities    are your gods, O Judah. 29   “Why do you contend with me?    You have all transgressed against me,      declares the LORD.30   In vain have I struck your children;    they took no correction;  your own sword devoured your prophets    like a ravening lion.31   And you, O generation, behold the word of the LORD.  Have I been a wilderness to Israel,    or a land of thick darkness?  Why then do my people say, ‘We are free,    we will come no more to you'?32   Can a virgin forget her ornaments,    or a bride her attire?  Yet my people have forgotten me    days without number. 33   “How well you direct your course    to seek love!  So that even to wicked women    you have taught your ways.34   Also on your skirts is found    the lifeblood of the guiltless poor;  you did not find them breaking in.    Yet in spite of all these things35   you say, ‘I am innocent;    surely his anger has turned from me.'  Behold, I will bring you to judgment    for saying, ‘I have not sinned.'36   How much you go about,    changing your way!  You shall be put to shame by Egypt    as you were put to shame by Assyria.37   From it too you will come away    with your hands on your head,  for the LORD has rejected those in whom you trust,    and you will not prosper by them. Footnotes [1] 2:8 Or rulers [2] 2:16 Hebrew grazed [3] 2:18 Hebrew the River (ESV) Matthew 16

Jeremiah 1–3 Jeremiah 1–3 (Listen) 1 The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, and until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month. The Call of Jeremiah 4 Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 5   “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,  and before you were born I consecrated you;  I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” 6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” 7 But the LORD said to me,   “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth';  for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,  and whatever I command you, you shall speak.8   Do not be afraid of them,  for I am with you to deliver you,      declares the LORD.” 9 Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the LORD said to me,   “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.10   See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms,  to pluck up and to break down,  to destroy and to overthrow,  to build and to plant.” 11 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond1 branch.” 12 Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.” 13 The word of the LORD came to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north.” 14 Then the LORD said to me, “Out of the north disaster2 shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the land. 15 For behold, I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, declares the LORD, and they shall come, and every one shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its walls all around and against all the cities of Judah. 16 And I will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil in forsaking me. They have made offerings to other gods and worshiped the works of their own hands. 17 But you, dress yourself for work;3 arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. 18 And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. 19 They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the LORD, to deliver you.” Israel Forsakes the Lord 2 The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the LORD,   “I remember the devotion of your youth,    your love as a bride,  how you followed me in the wilderness,    in a land not sown.3   Israel was holy to the LORD,    the firstfruits of his harvest.  All who ate of it incurred guilt;    disaster came upon them,      declares the LORD.” 4 Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the LORD:   “What wrong did your fathers find in me    that they went far from me,  and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?6   They did not say, ‘Where is the LORD    who brought us up from the land of Egypt,  who led us in the wilderness,    in a land of deserts and pits,  in a land of drought and deep darkness,    in a land that none passes through,    where no man dwells?'7   And I brought you into a plentiful land    to enjoy its fruits and its good things.  But when you came in, you defiled my land    and made my heritage an abomination.8   The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?'    Those who handle the law did not know me;  the shepherds4 transgressed against me;    the prophets prophesied by Baal    and went after things that do not profit. 9   “Therefore I still contend with you,      declares the LORD,    and with your children's children I will contend.10   For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see,    or send to Kedar and examine with care;    see if there has been such a thing.11   Has a nation changed its gods,    even though they are no gods?  But my people have changed their glory    for that which does not profit.12   Be appalled, O heavens, at this;    be shocked, be utterly desolate,      declares the LORD,13   for my people have committed two evils:  they have forsaken me,    the fountain of living waters,  and hewed out cisterns for themselves,    broken cisterns that can hold no water. 14   “Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?    Why then has he become a prey?15   The lions have roared against him;    they have roared loudly.  They have made his land a waste;    his cities are in ruins, without inhabitant.16   Moreover, the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes    have shaved5 the crown of your head.17   Have you not brought this upon yourself    by forsaking the LORD your God,    when he led you in the way?18   And now what do you gain by going to Egypt    to drink the waters of the Nile?  Or what do you gain by going to Assyria    to drink the waters of the Euphrates?619   Your evil will chastise you,    and your apostasy will reprove you.  Know and see that it is evil and bitter    for you to forsake the LORD your God;    the fear of me is not in you,      declares the Lord GOD of hosts. 20   “For long ago I broke your yoke    and burst your bonds;    but you said, ‘I will not serve.'  Yes, on every high hill    and under every green tree    you bowed down like a whore.21   Yet I planted you a choice vine,    wholly of pure seed.  How then have you turned degenerate    and become a wild vine?22   Though you wash yourself with lye    and use much soap,    the stain of your guilt is still before me,      declares the Lord GOD.23   How can you say, ‘I am not unclean,    I have not gone after the Baals'?  Look at your way in the valley;    know what you have done—  a restless young camel running here and there,24     a wild donkey used to the wilderness,  in her heat sniffing the wind!    Who can restrain her lust?  None who seek her need weary themselves;    in her month they will find her.25   Keep your feet from going unshod    and your throat from thirst.  But you said, ‘It is hopeless,    for I have loved foreigners,    and after them I will go.' 26   “As a thief is shamed when caught,    so the house of Israel shall be shamed:  they, their kings, their officials,    their priests, and their prophets,27   who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,'    and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.'  For they have turned their back to me,    and not their face.  But in the time of their trouble they say,    ‘Arise and save us!'28   But where are your gods    that you made for yourself?  Let them arise, if they can save you,    in your time of trouble;  for as many as your cities    are your gods, O Judah. 29   “Why do you contend with me?    You have all transgressed against me,      declares the LORD.30   In vain have I struck your children;    they took no correction;  your own sword devoured your prophets    like a ravening lion.31   And you, O generation, behold the word of the LORD.  Have I been a wilderness to Israel,    or a land of thick darkness?  Why then do my people say, ‘We are free,    we will come no more to you'?32   Can a virgin forget her ornaments,    or a bride her attire?  Yet my people have forgotten me    days without number. 33   “How well you direct your course    to seek love!  So that even to wicked women    you have taught your ways.34   Also on your skirts is found    the lifeblood of the guiltless poor;  you did not find them breaking in.    Yet in spite of all these things35   you say, ‘I am innocent;    surely his anger has turned from me.'  Behold, I will bring you to judgment    for saying, ‘I have not sinned.'36   How much you go about,    changing your way!  You shall be put to shame by Egypt    as you were put to shame by Assyria.37   From it too you will come away    with your hands on your head,  for the LORD has rejected those in whom you trust,    and you will not prosper by them. 3   “If7 a man divorces his wife    and she goes from him  and becomes another man's wife,    will he return to her?  Would not that land be greatly polluted?  You have played the whore with many lovers;    and would you return to me?      declares the LORD.2   Lift up your eyes to the bare heights, and see!    Where have you not been ravished?  By the waysides you have sat awaiting lovers    like an Arab in the wilderness.  You have polluted the land    with your vile whoredom.3   Therefore the showers have been withheld,    and the spring rain has not come;  yet you have the forehead of a whore;    you refuse to be ashamed.4   Have you not just now called to me,    ‘My father, you are the friend of my youth—5   will he be angry forever,    will he be indignant to the end?'  Behold, you have spoken,    but you have done all the evil that you could.” Faithless Israel Called to Repentance 6 The LORD said to me in the days of King Josiah: “Have you seen what she did, that faithless one, Israel, how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there played the whore? 7 And I thought, ‘After she has done all this she will return to me,' but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 She saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but she too went and played the whore. 9 Because she took her whoredom lightly, she polluted the land, committing adultery with stone and tree. 10 Yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to me with her whole heart, but in pretense, declares the LORD.” 11 And the LORD said to me, “Faithless Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say,   “‘Return, faithless Israel,      declares the LORD.  I will not look on you in anger,    for I am merciful,      declares the LORD;  I will not be angry forever.13   Only acknowledge your guilt,    that you rebelled against the LORD your God  and scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree,    and that you have not obeyed my voice,      declares the LORD.14   Return, O faithless children,      declares the LORD;    for I am your master;  I will take you, one from a city and two from a family,    and I will bring you to Zion. 15 “‘And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. 16 And when you have multiplied and been fruitful in the land, in those days, declares the LORD, they shall no more say, “The ark of the covenant of the LORD.” It shall not come to mind or be remembered or missed; it shall not be made again. 17 At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the LORD, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the LORD in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart. 18 In those days the house of Judah shall join the house of Israel, and together they shall come from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers for a heritage. 19   “‘I said,    How I would set you among my sons,  and give you a pleasant land,    a heritage most beautiful of all nations.  And I thought you would call me, My Father,    and would not turn from following me.20   Surely, as a treacherous wife leaves her husband,    so have you been treacherous to me, O house of Israel,      declares the LORD.'” 21   A voice on the bare heights is heard,    the weeping and pleading of Israel's sons  because they have perverted their way;    they have forgotten the LORD their God.22   “Return, O faithless sons;    I will heal your faithlessness.”  “Behold, we come to you,    for you are the LORD our God.23   Truly the hills are a delusion,    the orgies8 on the mountains.  Truly in the LORD our God    is the salvation of Israel. 24 “But from our youth the shameful thing has devoured all for which our fathers labored, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. 25 Let us lie down in our shame, and let our dishonor cover us. For we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even to this day, and we have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.” Footnotes [1] 1:11 Almond sounds like the Hebrew for watching (compare verse 12) [2] 1:14 The Hebrew word can mean evil, harm, or disaster, depending on the context; so throughout Jeremiah [3] 1:17 Hebrew gird up your loins [4] 2:8 Or rulers [5] 2:16 Hebrew grazed [6] 2:18 Hebrew the River [7] 3:1 Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew Saying, “If [8] 3:23 Hebrew commotion (ESV)

Israel thinks the LORD has forgotten His people, yet the LORD remains faithful. God says I AM the LORD your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

Old Testament: Jeremiah 2–3 Jeremiah 2–3 (Listen) Israel Forsakes the Lord 2 The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the LORD,   “I remember the devotion of your youth,    your love as a bride,  how you followed me in the wilderness,    in a land not sown.3   Israel was holy to the LORD,    the firstfruits of his harvest.  All who ate of it incurred guilt;    disaster came upon them,      declares the LORD.” 4 Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the LORD:   “What wrong did your fathers find in me    that they went far from me,  and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?6   They did not say, ‘Where is the LORD    who brought us up from the land of Egypt,  who led us in the wilderness,    in a land of deserts and pits,  in a land of drought and deep darkness,    in a land that none passes through,    where no man dwells?'7   And I brought you into a plentiful land    to enjoy its fruits and its good things.  But when you came in, you defiled my land    and made my heritage an abomination.8   The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?'    Those who handle the law did not know me;  the shepherds1 transgressed against me;    the prophets prophesied by Baal    and went after things that do not profit. 9   “Therefore I still contend with you,      declares the LORD,    and with your children's children I will contend.10   For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see,    or send to Kedar and examine with care;    see if there has been such a thing.11   Has a nation changed its gods,    even though they are no gods?  But my people have changed their glory    for that which does not profit.12   Be appalled, O heavens, at this;    be shocked, be utterly desolate,      declares the LORD,13   for my people have committed two evils:  they have forsaken me,    the fountain of living waters,  and hewed out cisterns for themselves,    broken cisterns that can hold no water. 14   “Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?    Why then has he become a prey?15   The lions have roared against him;    they have roared loudly.  They have made his land a waste;    his cities are in ruins, without inhabitant.16   Moreover, the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes    have shaved2 the crown of your head.17   Have you not brought this upon yourself    by forsaking the LORD your God,    when he led you in the way?18   And now what do you gain by going to Egypt    to drink the waters of the Nile?  Or what do you gain by going to Assyria    to drink the waters of the Euphrates?319   Your evil will chastise you,    and your apostasy will reprove you.  Know and see that it is evil and bitter    for you to forsake the LORD your God;    the fear of me is not in you,      declares the Lord GOD of hosts. 20   “For long ago I broke your yoke    and burst your bonds;    but you said, ‘I will not serve.'  Yes, on every high hill    and under every green tree    you bowed down like a whore.21   Yet I planted you a choice vine,    wholly of pure seed.  How then have you turned degenerate    and become a wild vine?22   Though you wash yourself with lye    and use much soap,    the stain of your guilt is still before me,      declares the Lord GOD.23   How can you say, ‘I am not unclean,    I have not gone after the Baals'?  Look at your way in the valley;    know what you have done—  a restless young camel running here and there,24     a wild donkey used to the wilderness,  in her heat sniffing the wind!    Who can restrain her lust?  None who seek her need weary themselves;    in her month they will find her.25   Keep your feet from going unshod    and your throat from thirst.  But you said, ‘It is hopeless,    for I have loved foreigners,    and after them I will go.' 26   “As a thief is shamed when caught,    so the house of Israel shall be shamed:  they, their kings, their officials,    their priests, and their prophets,27   who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,'    and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.'  For they have turned their back to me,    and not their face.  But in the time of their trouble they say,    ‘Arise and save us!'28   But where are your gods    that you made for yourself?  Let them arise, if they can save you,    in your time of trouble;  for as many as your cities    are your gods, O Judah. 29   “Why do you contend with me?    You have all transgressed against me,      declares the LORD.30   In vain have I struck your children;    they took no correction;  your own sword devoured your prophets    like a ravening lion.31   And you, O generation, behold the word of the LORD.  Have I been a wilderness to Israel,    or a land of thick darkness?  Why then do my people say, ‘We are free,    we will come no more to you'?32   Can a virgin forget her ornaments,    or a bride her attire?  Yet my people have forgotten me    days without number. 33   “How well you direct your course    to seek love!  So that even to wicked women    you have taught your ways.34   Also on your skirts is found    the lifeblood of the guiltless poor;  you did not find them breaking in.    Yet in spite of all these things35   you say, ‘I am innocent;    surely his anger has turned from me.'  Behold, I will bring you to judgment    for saying, ‘I have not sinned.'36   How much you go about,    changing your way!  You shall be put to shame by Egypt    as you were put to shame by Assyria.37   From it too you will come away    with your hands on your head,  for the LORD has rejected those in whom you trust,    and you will not prosper by them. 3   “If4 a man divorces his wife    and she goes from him  and becomes another man's wife,    will he return to her?  Would not that land be greatly polluted?  You have played the whore with many lovers;    and would you return to me?      declares the LORD.2   Lift up your eyes to the bare heights, and see!    Where have you not been ravished?  By the waysides you have sat awaiting lovers    like an Arab in the wilderness.  You have polluted the land    with your vile whoredom.3   Therefore the showers have been withheld,    and the spring rain has not come;  yet you have the forehead of a whore;    you refuse to be ashamed.4   Have you not just now called to me,    ‘My father, you are the friend of my youth—5   will he be angry forever,    will he be indignant to the end?'  Behold, you have spoken,    but you have done all the evil that you could.” Faithless Israel Called to Repentance 6 The LORD said to me in the days of King Josiah: “Have you seen what she did, that faithless one, Israel, how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there played the whore? 7 And I thought, ‘After she has done all this she will return to me,' but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 She saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but she too went and played the whore. 9 Because she took her whoredom lightly, she polluted the land, committing adultery with stone and tree. 10 Yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to me with her whole heart, but in pretense, declares the LORD.” 11 And the LORD said to me, “Faithless Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say,   “‘Return, faithless Israel,      declares the LORD.  I will not look on you in anger,    for I am merciful,      declares the LORD;  I will not be angry forever.13   Only acknowledge your guilt,    that you rebelled against the LORD your God  and scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree,    and that you have not obeyed my voice,      declares the LORD.14   Return, O faithless children,      declares the LORD;    for I am your master;  I will take you, one from a city and two from a family,    and I will bring you to Zion. 15 “‘And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. 16 And when you have multiplied and been fruitful in the land, in those days, declares the LORD, they shall no more say, “The ark of the covenant of the LORD.” It shall not come to mind or be remembered or missed; it shall not be made again. 17 At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the LORD, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the LORD in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart. 18 In those days the house of Judah shall join the house of Israel, and together they shall come from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers for a heritage. 19   “‘I said,    How I would set you among my sons,  and give you a pleasant land,    a heritage most beautiful of all nations.  And I thought you would call me, My Father,    and would not turn from following me.20   Surely, as a treacherous wife leaves her husband,    so have you been treacherous to me, O house of Israel,      declares the LORD.'” 21   A voice on the bare heights is heard,    the weeping and pleading of Israel's sons  because they have perverted their way;    they have forgotten the LORD their God.22   “Return, O faithless sons;    I will heal your faithlessness.”  “Behold, we come to you,    for you are the LORD our God.23   Truly the hills are a delusion,    the orgies5 on the mountains.  Truly in the LORD our God    is the salvation of Israel. 24 “But from our youth the shameful thing has devoured all for which our fathers labored, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. 25 Let us lie down in our shame, and let our dishonor cover us. For we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even to this day, and we have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.” Footnotes [1] 2:8 Or rulers [2] 2:16 Hebrew grazed [3] 2:18 Hebrew the River [4] 3:1 Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew Saying, “If [5] 3:23 Hebrew commotion (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 104 Psalm 104 (Listen) O Lord My God, You Are Very Great 104   Bless the LORD, O my soul!    O LORD my God, you are very great!  You are clothed with splendor and majesty,2     covering yourself with light as with a garment,    stretching out the heavens like a tent.3   He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters;  he makes the clouds his chariot;    he rides on the wings of the wind;4   he makes his messengers winds,    his ministers a flaming fire. 5   He set the earth on its foundations,    so that it should never be moved.6   You covered it with the deep as with a garment;    the waters stood above the mountains.7   At your rebuke they fled;    at the sound of your thunder they took to flight.8   The mountains rose, the valleys sank down    to the place that you appointed for them.9   You set a boundary that they may not pass,    so that they might not again cover the earth. 10   You make springs gush forth in the valleys;    they flow between the hills;11   they give drink to every beast of the field;    the wild donkeys quench their thirst.12   Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell;    they sing among the branches.13   From your lofty abode you water the mountains;    the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work. 14   You cause the grass to grow for the livestock    and plants for man to cultivate,  that he may bring forth food from the earth15     and wine to gladden the heart of man,  oil to make his face shine    and bread to strengthen man's heart. 16   The trees of the LORD are watered abundantly,    the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.17   In them the birds build their nests;    the stork has her home in the fir trees.18   The high mountains are for the wild goats;    the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers.

Old Testament: Jeremiah 2–3 Jeremiah 2–3 (Listen) Israel Forsakes the Lord 2 The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the LORD,   “I remember the devotion of your youth,    your love as a bride,  how you followed me in the wilderness,    in a land not sown.3   Israel was holy to the LORD,    the firstfruits of his harvest.  All who ate of it incurred guilt;    disaster came upon them,      declares the LORD.” 4 Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the LORD:   “What wrong did your fathers find in me    that they went far from me,  and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?6   They did not say, ‘Where is the LORD    who brought us up from the land of Egypt,  who led us in the wilderness,    in a land of deserts and pits,  in a land of drought and deep darkness,    in a land that none passes through,    where no man dwells?'7   And I brought you into a plentiful land    to enjoy its fruits and its good things.  But when you came in, you defiled my land    and made my heritage an abomination.8   The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?'    Those who handle the law did not know me;  the shepherds1 transgressed against me;    the prophets prophesied by Baal    and went after things that do not profit. 9   “Therefore I still contend with you,      declares the LORD,    and with your children's children I will contend.10   For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see,    or send to Kedar and examine with care;    see if there has been such a thing.11   Has a nation changed its gods,    even though they are no gods?  But my people have changed their glory    for that which does not profit.12   Be appalled, O heavens, at this;    be shocked, be utterly desolate,      declares the LORD,13   for my people have committed two evils:  they have forsaken me,    the fountain of living waters,  and hewed out cisterns for themselves,    broken cisterns that can hold no water. 14   “Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?    Why then has he become a prey?15   The lions have roared against him;    they have roared loudly.  They have made his land a waste;    his cities are in ruins, without inhabitant.16   Moreover, the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes    have shaved2 the crown of your head.17   Have you not brought this upon yourself    by forsaking the LORD your God,    when he led you in the way?18   And now what do you gain by going to Egypt    to drink the waters of the Nile?  Or what do you gain by going to Assyria    to drink the waters of the Euphrates?319   Your evil will chastise you,    and your apostasy will reprove you.  Know and see that it is evil and bitter    for you to forsake the LORD your God;    the fear of me is not in you,      declares the Lord GOD of hosts. 20   “For long ago I broke your yoke    and burst your bonds;    but you said, ‘I will not serve.'  Yes, on every high hill    and under every green tree    you bowed down like a whore.21   Yet I planted you a choice vine,    wholly of pure seed.  How then have you turned degenerate    and become a wild vine?22   Though you wash yourself with lye    and use much soap,    the stain of your guilt is still before me,      declares the Lord GOD.23   How can you say, ‘I am not unclean,    I have not gone after the Baals'?  Look at your way in the valley;    know what you have done—  a restless young camel running here and there,24     a wild donkey used to the wilderness,  in her heat sniffing the wind!    Who can restrain her lust?  None who seek her need weary themselves;    in her month they will find her.25   Keep your feet from going unshod    and your throat from thirst.  But you said, ‘It is hopeless,    for I have loved foreigners,    and after them I will go.' 26   “As a thief is shamed when caught,    so the house of Israel shall be shamed:  they, their kings, their officials,    their priests, and their prophets,27   who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,'    and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.'  For they have turned their back to me,    and not their face.  But in the time of their trouble they say,    ‘Arise and save us!'28   But where are your gods    that you made for yourself?  Let them arise, if they can save you,    in your time of trouble;  for as many as your cities    are your gods, O Judah. 29   “Why do you contend with me?    You have all transgressed against me,      declares the LORD.30   In vain have I struck your children;    they took no correction;  your own sword devoured your prophets    like a ravening lion.31   And you, O generation, behold the word of the LORD.  Have I been a wilderness to Israel,    or a land of thick darkness?  Why then do my people say, ‘We are free,    we will come no more to you'?32   Can a virgin forget her ornaments,    or a bride her attire?  Yet my people have forgotten me    days without number. 33   “How well you direct your course    to seek love!  So that even to wicked women    you have taught your ways.34   Also on your skirts is found    the lifeblood of the guiltless poor;  you did not find them breaking in.    Yet in spite of all these things35   you say, ‘I am innocent;    surely his anger has turned from me.'  Behold, I will bring you to judgment    for saying, ‘I have not sinned.'36   How much you go about,    changing your way!  You shall be put to shame by Egypt    as you were put to shame by Assyria.37   From it too you will come away    with your hands on your head,  for the LORD has rejected those in whom you trust,    and you will not prosper by them. 3   “If4 a man divorces his wife    and she goes from him  and becomes another man's wife,    will he return to her?  Would not that land be greatly polluted?  You have played the whore with many lovers;    and would you return to me?      declares the LORD.2   Lift up your eyes to the bare heights, and see!    Where have you not been ravished?  By the waysides you have sat awaiting lovers    like an Arab in the wilderness.  You have polluted the land    with your vile whoredom.3   Therefore the showers have been withheld,    and the spring rain has not come;  yet you have the forehead of a whore;    you refuse to be ashamed.4   Have you not just now called to me,    ‘My father, you are the friend of my youth—5   will he be angry forever,    will he be indignant to the end?'  Behold, you have spoken,    but you have done all the evil that you could.” Faithless Israel Called to Repentance 6 The LORD said to me in the days of King Josiah: “Have you seen what she did, that faithless one, Israel, how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there played the whore? 7 And I thought, ‘After she has done all this she will return to me,' but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 She saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but she too went and played the whore. 9 Because she took her whoredom lightly, she polluted the land, committing adultery with stone and tree. 10 Yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to me with her whole heart, but in pretense, declares the LORD.” 11 And the LORD said to me, “Faithless Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say,   “‘Return, faithless Israel,      declares the LORD.  I will not look on you in anger,    for I am merciful,      declares the LORD;  I will not be angry forever.13   Only acknowledge your guilt,    that you rebelled against the LORD your God  and scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree,    and that you have not obeyed my voice,      declares the LORD.14   Return, O faithless children,      declares the LORD;    for I am your master;  I will take you, one from a city and two from a family,    and I will bring you to Zion. 15 “‘And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. 16 And when you have multiplied and been fruitful in the land, in those days, declares the LORD, they shall no more say, “The ark of the covenant of the LORD.” It shall not come to mind or be remembered or missed; it shall not be made again. 17 At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the LORD, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the LORD in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart. 18 In those days the house of Judah shall join the house of Israel, and together they shall come from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers for a heritage. 19   “‘I said,    How I would set you among my sons,  and give you a pleasant land,    a heritage most beautiful of all nations.  And I thought you would call me, My Father,    and would not turn from following me.20   Surely, as a treacherous wife leaves her husband,    so have you been treacherous to me, O house of Israel,      declares the LORD.'” 21   A voice on the bare heights is heard,    the weeping and pleading of Israel's sons  because they have perverted their way;    they have forgotten the LORD their God.22   “Return, O faithless sons;    I will heal your faithlessness.”  “Behold, we come to you,    for you are the LORD our God.23   Truly the hills are a delusion,    the orgies5 on the mountains.  Truly in the LORD our God    is the salvation of Israel. 24 “But from our youth the shameful thing has devoured all for which our fathers labored, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. 25 Let us lie down in our shame, and let our dishonor cover us. For we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even to this day, and we have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.” Footnotes [1] 2:8 Or rulers [2] 2:16 Hebrew grazed [3] 2:18 Hebrew the River [4] 3:1 Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew Saying, “If [5] 3:23 Hebrew commotion (ESV) New Testament: 1 Peter 2:11–3:12 1 Peter 2:11–3:12 (Listen) 11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. Submission to Authority 13 Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution,1 whether it be to the emperor2 as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants3 of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. 18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. Wives and Husbands 3 Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they see your respectful and pure conduct. 3 Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. 5 For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening. 7 Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you4 of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. Suffering for Righteousness' Sake 8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. 10 For   “Whoever desires to love life    and see good days,  let him keep his tongue from evil    and his lips from speaking deceit;11   let him turn away from evil and do good;    let him seek peace and pursue it.12   For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,    and his ears are open to their pra

Morning: Jeremiah 1–2 Jeremiah 1–2 (Listen) 1 The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, and until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month. The Call of Jeremiah 4 Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 5   “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,  and before you were born I consecrated you;  I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” 6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” 7 But the LORD said to me,   “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth';  for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,  and whatever I command you, you shall speak.8   Do not be afraid of them,  for I am with you to deliver you,      declares the LORD.” 9 Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the LORD said to me,   “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.10   See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms,  to pluck up and to break down,  to destroy and to overthrow,  to build and to plant.” 11 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond1 branch.” 12 Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.” 13 The word of the LORD came to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north.” 14 Then the LORD said to me, “Out of the north disaster2 shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the land. 15 For behold, I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, declares the LORD, and they shall come, and every one shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its walls all around and against all the cities of Judah. 16 And I will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil in forsaking me. They have made offerings to other gods and worshiped the works of their own hands. 17 But you, dress yourself for work;3 arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. 18 And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. 19 They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the LORD, to deliver you.” Israel Forsakes the Lord 2 The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the LORD,   “I remember the devotion of your youth,    your love as a bride,  how you followed me in the wilderness,    in a land not sown.3   Israel was holy to the LORD,    the firstfruits of his harvest.  All who ate of it incurred guilt;    disaster came upon them,      declares the LORD.” 4 Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the LORD:   “What wrong did your fathers find in me    that they went far from me,  and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?6   They did not say, ‘Where is the LORD    who brought us up from the land of Egypt,  who led us in the wilderness,    in a land of deserts and pits,  in a land of drought and deep darkness,    in a land that none passes through,    where no man dwells?'7   And I brought you into a plentiful land    to enjoy its fruits and its good things.  But when you came in, you defiled my land    and made my heritage an abomination.8   The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?'    Those who handle the law did not know me;  the shepherds4 transgressed against me;    the prophets prophesied by Baal    and went after things that do not profit. 9   “Therefore I still contend with you,      declares the LORD,    and with your children's children I will contend.10   For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see,    or send to Kedar and examine with care;    see if there has been such a thing.11   Has a nation changed its gods,    even though they are no gods?  But my people have changed their glory    for that which does not profit.12   Be appalled, O heavens, at this;    be shocked, be utterly desolate,      declares the LORD,13   for my people have committed two evils:  they have forsaken me,    the fountain of living waters,  and hewed out cisterns for themselves,    broken cisterns that can hold no water. 14   “Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?    Why then has he become a prey?15   The lions have roared against him;    they have roared loudly.  They have made his land a waste;    his cities are in ruins, without inhabitant.16   Moreover, the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes    have shaved5 the crown of your head.17   Have you not brought this upon yourself    by forsaking the LORD your God,    when he led you in the way?18   And now what do you gain by going to Egypt    to drink the waters of the Nile?  Or what do you gain by going to Assyria    to drink the waters of the Euphrates?619   Your evil will chastise you,    and your apostasy will reprove you.  Know and see that it is evil and bitter    for you to forsake the LORD your God;    the fear of me is not in you,      declares the Lord GOD of hosts. 20   “For long ago I broke your yoke    and burst your bonds;    but you said, ‘I will not serve.'  Yes, on every high hill    and under every green tree    you bowed down like a whore.21   Yet I planted you a choice vine,    wholly of pure seed.  How then have you turned degenerate    and become a wild vine?22   Though you wash yourself with lye    and use much soap,    the stain of your guilt is still before me,      declares the Lord GOD.23   How can you say, ‘I am not unclean,    I have not gone after the Baals'?  Look at your way in the valley;    know what you have done—  a restless young camel running here and there,24     a wild donkey used to the wilderness,  in her heat sniffing the wind!    Who can restrain her lust?  None who seek her need weary themselves;    in her month they will find her.25   Keep your feet from going unshod    and your throat from thirst.  But you said, ‘It is hopeless,    for I have loved foreigners,    and after them I will go.' 26   “As a thief is shamed when caught,    so the house of Israel shall be shamed:  they, their kings, their officials,    their priests, and their prophets,27   who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,'    and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.'  For they have turned their back to me,    and not their face.  But in the time of their trouble they say,    ‘Arise and save us!'28   But where are your gods    that you made for yourself?  Let them arise, if they can save you,    in your time of trouble;  for as many as your cities    are your gods, O Judah. 29   “Why do you contend with me?    You have all transgressed against me,      declares the LORD.30   In vain have I struck your children;    they took no correction;  your own sword devoured your prophets    like a ravening lion.31   And you, O generation, behold the word of the LORD.  Have I been a wilderness to Israel,    or a land of thick darkness?  Why then do my people say, ‘We are free,    we will come no more to you'?32   Can a virgin forget her ornaments,    or a bride her attire?  Yet my people have forgotten me    days without number. 33   “How well you direct your course    to seek love!  So that even to wicked women    you have taught your ways.34   Also on your skirts is found    the lifeblood of the guiltless poor;  you did not find them breaking in.    Yet in spite of all these things35   you say, ‘I am innocent;    surely his anger has turned from me.'  Behold, I will bring you to judgment    for saying, ‘I have not sinned.'36   How much you go about,    changing your way!  You shall be put to shame by Egypt    as you were put to shame by Assyria.37   From it too you will come away    with your hands on your head,  for the LORD has rejected those in whom you trust,    and you will not prosper by them. Footnotes [1] 1:11 Almond sounds like the Hebrew for watching (compare verse 12) [2] 1:14 The Hebrew word can mean evil, harm, or disaster, depending on the context; so throughout Jeremiah [3] 1:17 Hebrew gird up your loins [4] 2:8 Or rulers [5] 2:16 Hebrew grazed [6] 2:18 Hebrew the River (ESV) Evening: 2 Thessalonians 2 2 Thessalonians 2 (Listen) The Man of Lawlessness 2 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,1 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness2 is revealed, the son of destruction,3 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. Stand Firm 13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits4 to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. 14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter. 16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. Footnotes [1] 2:1 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 13, 15 [2] 2:3 Some manuscripts sin [3] 2:3 Greek the son of perdition (a Hebrew idiom) [4] 2:13 Some manuscripts chose you from the beginning (ESV)

Psalms and Wisdom: Ecclesiastes 5:8–17 Ecclesiastes 5:8–17 (Listen) The Vanity of Wealth and Honor 8 If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them. 9 But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields.1 10 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. 11 When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes? 12 Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep. 13 There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owner to his hurt, 14 and those riches were lost in a bad venture. And he is father of a son, but he has nothing in his hand. 15 As he came from his mother's womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand. 16 This also is a grievous evil: just as he came, so shall he go, and what gain is there to him who toils for the wind? 17 Moreover, all his days he eats in darkness in much vexation and sickness and anger. Footnotes [1] 5:9 The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain (ESV) Pentateuch and History: Joshua 7 Joshua 7 (Listen) Israel Defeated at Ai 7 But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the LORD burned against the people of Israel. 2 Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven, east of Bethel, and said to them, “Go up and spy out the land.” And the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 And they returned to Joshua and said to him, “Do not have all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not make the whole people toil up there, for they are few.” 4 So about three thousand men went up there from the people. And they fled before the men of Ai, 5 and the men of Ai killed about thirty-six of their men and chased them before the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them at the descent. And the hearts of the people melted and became as water. 6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the LORD until the evening, he and the elders of Israel. And they put dust on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, “Alas, O Lord GOD, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all, to give us into the hands of the Amorites, to destroy us? Would that we had been content to dwell beyond the Jordan! 8 O Lord, what can I say, when Israel has turned their backs before their enemies! 9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it and will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And what will you do for your great name?” The Sin of Achan 10 The LORD said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. 12 Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction.1 I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you. 13 Get up! Consecrate the people and say, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the LORD, God of Israel, “There are devoted things in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted things from among you.” 14 In the morning therefore you shall be brought near by your tribes. And the tribe that the LORD takes by lot shall come near by clans. And the clan that the LORD takes shall come near by households. And the household that the LORD takes shall come near man by man. 15 And he who is taken with the devoted things shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he has done an outrageous thing in Israel.'” 16 So Joshua rose early in the morning and brought Israel near tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was taken. 17 And he brought near the clans of Judah, and the clan of the Zerahites was taken. And he brought near the clan of the Zerahites man by man, and Zabdi was taken. 18 And he brought near his household man by man, and Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken. 19 Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the LORD God of Israel and give praise2 to him. And tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.” 20 And Achan answered Joshua, “Truly I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and this is what I did: 21 when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels,3 then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath.” 22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and behold, it was hidden in his tent with the silver underneath. 23 And they took them out of the tent and brought them to Joshua and to all the people of Israel. And they laid them down before the LORD. 24 And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver and the cloak and the bar of gold, and his sons and daughters and his oxen and donkeys and sheep and his tent and all that he had. And they brought them up to the Valley of Achor. 25 And Joshua said, “Why did you bring trouble on us? The LORD brings trouble on you today.” And all Israel stoned him with stones. They burned them with fire and stoned them with stones. 26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from his burning anger. Therefore, to this day the name of that place is called the Valley of Achor.4 Footnotes [1] 7:12 That is, set apart (devoted) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction) [2] 7:19 Or and make confession [3] 7:21 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams [4] 7:26 Achor means trouble (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Jeremiah 2–3:5 Jeremiah 2–3:5 (Listen) Israel Forsakes the Lord 2 The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the LORD,   “I remember the devotion of your youth,    your love as a bride,  how you followed me in the wilderness,    in a land not sown.3   Israel was holy to the LORD,    the firstfruits of his harvest.  All who ate of it incurred guilt;    disaster came upon them,      declares the LORD.” 4 Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the LORD:   “What wrong did your fathers find in me    that they went far from me,  and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?6   They did not say, ‘Where is the LORD    who brought us up from the land of Egypt,  who led us in the wilderness,    in a land of deserts and pits,  in a land of drought and deep darkness,    in a land that none passes through,    where no man dwells?'7   And I brought you into a plentiful land    to enjoy its fruits and its good things.  But when you came in, you defiled my land    and made my heritage an abomination.8   The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?'    Those who handle the law did not know me;  the shepherds1 transgressed against me;    the prophets prophesied by Baal    and went after things that do not profit. 9   “Therefore I still contend with you,      declares the LORD,    and with your children's children I will contend.10   For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see,    or send to Kedar and examine with care;    see if there has been such a thing.11   Has a nation changed its gods,    even though they are no gods?  But my people have changed their glory    for that which does not profit.12   Be appalled, O heavens, at this;    be shocked, be utterly desolate,      declares the LORD,13   for my people have committed two evils:  they have forsaken me,    the fountain of living waters,  and hewed out cisterns for themselves,    broken cisterns that can hold no water. 14   “Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?    Why then has he become a prey?15   The lions have roared against him;    they have roared loudly.  They have made his land a waste;    his cities are in ruins, without inhabitant.16   Moreover, the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes    have shaved2 the crown of your head.17   Have you not brought this upon yourself    by forsaking the LORD your God,    when he led you in the way?18   And now what do you gain by going to Egypt    to drink the waters of the Nile?  Or what do you gain by going to Assyria    to drink the waters of the Euphrates?319   Your evil will chastise you,    and your apostasy will reprove you.  Know and see that it is evil and bitter    for you to forsake the LORD your God;    the fear of me is not in you,      declares the Lord GOD of hosts. 20   “For long ago I broke your yoke    and burst your bonds;    but you said, ‘I will not serve.'  Yes, on every high hill    and under every green tree    you bowed down like a whore.21   Yet I planted you a choice vine,    wholly of pure seed.  How then have you turned degenerate    and become a wild vine?22   Though you wash yourself with lye    and use much soap,    the stain of your guilt is still before me,      declares the Lord GOD.23   How can you say, ‘I am not unclean,    I have not gone after the Baals'?  Look at your way in the valley;    know what you have done—  a restless young camel running here and there,24     a wild donkey used to the wilderness,  in her heat sniffing the wind!    Who can restrain her lust?  None who seek her need weary themselves;    in her month they will find her.25   Keep your feet from going unshod    and your throat from thirst.  But you said, ‘It is hopeless,    for I have loved foreigners,    and after them I will go.' 26   “As a thief is shamed when caught,    so the house of Israel shall be shamed:  they, their kings, their officials,    their priests, and their prophets,27   who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,'    and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.'  For they have turned their back to me,    and not their face.  But in the time of their trouble they say,    ‘Arise and save us!'28   But where are your gods    that you made for yourself?  Let them arise, if they can save you,    in your time of trouble;  for as many as your cities    are your gods, O Judah. 29   “Why do you contend with me?    You have all transgressed against me,      declares the LORD.30   In vain have I struck your children;    they took no correction;  your own sword devoured your prophets    like a ravening lion.31   And you, O generation, behold the word of the LORD.  Have I been a wilderness to Israel,    or a land of thick darkness?  Why then do my people say, ‘We are free,    we will come no more to you'?32   Can a virgin forget her ornaments,    or a bride her attire?  Yet my people have forgotten me    days without number. 33   “How well you direct your course    to seek love!  So that even to wicked women    you have taught your ways.34   Also on your skirts is found    the lifeblood of the guiltless poor;  you did not find them breaking in.    Yet in spite of all these things35   you say, ‘I am innocent;    surely his anger has turned from me.'  Behold, I will bring you to judgment    for saying, ‘I have not sinned.'36   How much you go about,    changing your way!  You shall be put to shame by Egypt    as you were put to shame by Assyria.37   From it too you will come away    with your hands on your head,  for the LORD has rejected those in whom you trust,    and you will not prosper by them. 3   “If4 a man divorces his wife    and she goes from him  and becomes another man's wife,    will he return to her?  Would not that land be greatly polluted?  You have played the whore with many lovers;    and would you return to me?      declares the LORD.2   Lift up your eyes to the bare heights, and see!    Where have you not been ravished?  By the waysides you have sat awaiting lovers    like an Arab in the wilderness.  You have polluted the land    with your vile whoredom.3   Therefore the showers have been withheld,    and the spring rain has not come;  yet you have the forehead of a whore;    you refuse to be ashamed.4   Have you not just now called to me,    ‘My father, you are the friend of my youth—5   will he be angry forever,    will he be indignant to the end?'  Behold, you have spoken,    but you have done all the evil that you could.” Footnotes [1] 2:8 Or rulers [2] 2:16 Hebrew grazed [3] 2:18 Hebrew the River [4] 3:1 Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew Saying, “If (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: Matthew 18 Matthew 18 (Listen) Who Is the Greatest? 18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,1 it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Temptations to Sin 7 “Woe to the world for temptations to sin!2 For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! 8 And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell3 of fire. The Parable of the Lost Sheep 10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.4 12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 So it is not the will of my5 Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. If Your Brother Sins Against You 15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on e

With family: Joshua 8; Psalm 139 Joshua 8 (Listen) The Fall of Ai 8 And the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not fear and do not be dismayed. Take all the fighting men with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, and his people, his city, and his land. 2 And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. Only its spoil and its livestock you shall take as plunder for yourselves. Lay an ambush against the city, behind it.” 3 So Joshua and all the fighting men arose to go up to Ai. And Joshua chose 30,000 mighty men of valor and sent them out by night. 4 And he commanded them, “Behold, you shall lie in ambush against the city, behind it. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you remain ready. 5 And I and all the people who are with me will approach the city. And when they come out against us just as before, we shall flee before them. 6 And they will come out after us, until we have drawn them away from the city. For they will say, ‘They are fleeing from us, just as before.' So we will flee before them. 7 Then you shall rise up from the ambush and seize the city, for the LORD your God will give it into your hand. 8 And as soon as you have taken the city, you shall set the city on fire. You shall do according to the word of the LORD. See, I have commanded you.” 9 So Joshua sent them out. And they went to the place of ambush and lay between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai, but Joshua spent that night among the people. 10 Joshua arose early in the morning and mustered the people and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai. 11 And all the fighting men who were with him went up and drew near before the city and encamped on the north side of Ai, with a ravine between them and Ai. 12 He took about 5,000 men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city. 13 So they stationed the forces, the main encampment that was north of the city and its rear guard west of the city. But Joshua spent that night in the valley. 14 And as soon as the king of Ai saw this, he and all his people, the men of the city, hurried and went out early to the appointed place1 toward the Arabah to meet Israel in battle. But he did not know that there was an ambush against him behind the city. 15 And Joshua and all Israel pretended to be beaten before them and fled in the direction of the wilderness. 16 So all the people who were in the city were called together to pursue them, and as they pursued Joshua they were drawn away from the city. 17 Not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel. They left the city open and pursued Israel. 18 Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Stretch out the javelin that is in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand.” And Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in his hand toward the city. 19 And the men in the ambush rose quickly out of their place, and as soon as he had stretched out his hand, they ran and entered the city and captured it. And they hurried to set the city on fire. 20 So when the men of Ai looked back, behold, the smoke of the city went up to heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that, for the people who fled to the wilderness turned back against the pursuers. 21 And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had captured the city, and that the smoke of the city went up, then they turned back and struck down the men of Ai. 22 And the others came out from the city against them, so they were in the midst of Israel, some on this side, and some on that side. And Israel struck them down, until there was left none that survived or escaped. 23 But the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him near to Joshua. 24 When Israel had finished killing all the inhabitants of Ai in the open wilderness where they pursued them, and all of them to the very last had fallen by the edge of the sword, all Israel returned to Ai and struck it down with the edge of the sword. 25 And all who fell that day, both men and women, were 12,000, all the people of Ai. 26 But Joshua did not draw back his hand with which he stretched out the javelin until he had devoted all the inhabitants of Ai to destruction.2 27 Only the livestock and the spoil of that city Israel took as their plunder, according to the word of the LORD that he commanded Joshua. 28 So Joshua burned Ai and made it forever a heap of ruins, as it is to this day. 29 And he hanged the king of Ai on a tree until evening. And at sunset Joshua commanded, and they took his body down from the tree and threw it at the entrance of the gate of the city and raised over it a great heap of stones, which stands there to this day. Joshua Renews the Covenant 30 At that time Joshua built an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal, 31 just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the people of Israel, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, “an altar of uncut stones, upon which no man has wielded an iron tool.” And they offered on it burnt offerings to the LORD and sacrificed peace offerings. 32 And there, in the presence of the people of Israel, he wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written. 33 And all Israel, sojourner as well as native born, with their elders and officers and their judges, stood on opposite sides of the ark before the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, half of them in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded at the first, to bless the people of Israel. 34 And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law. 35 There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the sojourners who lived3 among them. Footnotes [1] 8:14 Hebrew appointed time [2] 8:26 That is, set apart (devoted) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction) [3] 8:35 Or traveled (ESV) Psalm 139 (Listen) Search Me, O God, and Know My Heart To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 139   O LORD, you have searched me and known me!2   You know when I sit down and when I rise up;    you discern my thoughts from afar.3   You search out my path and my lying down    and are acquainted with all my ways.4   Even before a word is on my tongue,    behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.5   You hem me in, behind and before,    and lay your hand upon me.6   Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;    it is high; I cannot attain it. 7   Where shall I go from your Spirit?    Or where shall I flee from your presence?8   If I ascend to heaven, you are there!    If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!9   If I take the wings of the morning    and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,10   even there your hand shall lead me,    and your right hand shall hold me.11   If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,    and the light about me be night,”12   even the darkness is not dark to you;    the night is bright as the day,    for darkness is as light with you. 13   For you formed my inward parts;    you knitted me together in my mother's womb.14   I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.1  Wonderful are your works;    my soul knows it very well.15   My frame was not hidden from you,  when I was being made in secret,    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.16   Your eyes saw my unformed substance;  in your book were written, every one of them,    the days that were formed for me,    when as yet there was none of them. 17   How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!    How vast is the sum of them!18   If I would count them, they are more than the sand.    I awake, and I am still with you. 19   Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!    O men of blood, depart from me!20   They speak against you with malicious intent;    your enemies take your name in vain.221   Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD?    And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?22   I hate them with complete hatred;    I count them my enemies. 23   Search me, O God, and know my heart!    Try me and know my thoughts!324   And see if there be any grievous way in me,    and lead me in the way everlasting!4 Footnotes [1] 139:14 Or for I am fearfully set apart [2] 139:20 Hebrew lacks your name [3] 139:23 Or cares [4] 139:24 Or in the ancient way (compare Jeremiah 6:16) (ESV) In private: Jeremiah 2; Matthew 16 Jeremiah 2 (Listen) Israel Forsakes the Lord 2 The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the LORD,   “I remember the devotion of your youth,    your love as a bride,  how you followed me in the wilderness,    in a land not sown.3   Israel was holy to the LORD,    the firstfruits of his harvest.  All who ate of it incurred guilt;    disaster came upon them,      declares the LORD.” 4 Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the LORD:   “What wrong did your fathers find in me    that they went far from me,  and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?6   They did not say, ‘Where is the LORD    who brought us up from the land of Egypt,  who led us in the wilderness,    in a land of deserts and pits,  in a land of drought and deep darkness,    in a land that none passes through,    where no man dwells?'7   And I brought you into a plentiful land    to enjoy its fruits and its good things.  But when you came in, you defiled my land    and made my heritage an abomination.8   The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?'    Those who handle the law did not know me;  the shepherds1 transgressed against me;    the prophets prophesied by Baal    and went after things that do not profit. 9   “Therefore I still contend with you,      declares the LORD,    and with your children's children I will contend.10   For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see,    or send to Kedar and examine with care;    see if there has been such a thing.11   Has a nation changed its gods,    even though they are no gods?  But my people have changed their glory    for that which does not profit.12   Be appalled, O heavens, at this;    be shocked, be utterly desolate,      declares the LORD,13   for my people have committed two evils:  they have forsaken me,    the fountain of living waters,  and hewed out cisterns for themselves,    broken cisterns that can hold no water. 14   “Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?    Why then has he become a prey?15   The lions have roared against him;    they have roared loudly.  They have made his land a waste;    his cities are in ruins, without inhabitant.16   Moreover, the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes    have shaved2 the crown of your head.17   Have you not brought this upon yourself    by forsaking the LORD your God,    when he led you in the way?18   And now what do you gain by going to Egypt    to drink the waters of the Nile?  Or what do you gain by going to Assyria    to drink the waters of the Euphrates?319   Your evil will chastise you,    and your apostasy will reprove you.  Know and see that it is evil and bitter    for you to forsake the LORD your God;    the fear of me is not in you,      declares the Lord GOD of hosts. 20   “For long ago I broke your yoke    and burst your bonds;    but you said, ‘I will not serve.'  Yes, on every high hill    and under every green tree    you bowed down like a whore.21   Yet I planted you a choice vine,    wholly of pure seed.  How then have you turned degenerate    and become a wild vine?22   Though you wash yourself with lye    and use much soap,    the stain of your guilt is still before me,      declares the Lord GOD.23   How can you say, ‘I am not unclean,    I have not gone after the Baals'?  Look at your way in the valley;    know what you have done—  a restless young camel running here and there,24     a wild donkey used to the wilderness,  in her heat sniffing the wind!    Who can restrain her lust?  None who seek her need weary themselves;    in her month they will find her.25   Keep your feet from going unshod    and your throat from thirst.  But you said, ‘It is hopeless,    for I have loved foreigners,    and after them I will go.' 26   “As a thief is shamed when caught,    so the house of Israel shall be shamed:  they, their kings, their officials,    their priests, and their prophets,27   who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,'    and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.'  For they have turned their back to me,    and not their face.  But in the time of their trouble they say,    ‘Arise and save us!'28   But where are your gods    that you made for yourself?  Let them arise, if they can save you,    in your time of trouble;  for as many as your cities    are your gods, O Judah. 29   “Why do you contend with me?    You have all transgressed against me,      declares the LORD.30   In vain have I struck your children;    they took no correction;  your own sword devoured your prophets    like a ravening lion.31   And you, O generation, behold the word of the LORD.  Have I been a wilderness to Israel,    or a land of thick darkness?  Why then do my people say, ‘We are free,    we will come no more to you'?32   Can a virgin forget her ornaments,    or a bride her attire?  Yet my people have forgotten me    days without number. 33   “How well you direct your course    to seek love!  So that even to wicked women    you have taught your ways.34   Also on your skirts is found    the lifeblood of the guiltless poor;  you did not find them breaking in.    Yet in spite of all these things35   you say, ‘I am innocent;    surely his anger has turned from me.'  Behold, I will bring you to judgment    for saying, ‘I have not sinned.'36   How much you go about,    changing your way!  You shall be put to shame by Egypt    as you were put to shame by Assyria.37   From it too you will come away    with your hands on your head,  for the LORD has rejected those in whom you trust,    and you will not prosper by them. Footnotes [1] 2:8 Or rulers [2] 2:16 Hebrew grazed [3] 2:18 Hebrew the River (ESV) Matthew 16 (

Jeremiah 1–3 Jeremiah 1–3 (Listen) 1 The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, and until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month. The Call of Jeremiah 4 Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 5   “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,  and before you were born I consecrated you;  I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” 6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” 7 But the LORD said to me,   “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth';  for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,  and whatever I command you, you shall speak.8   Do not be afraid of them,  for I am with you to deliver you,      declares the LORD.” 9 Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the LORD said to me,   “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.10   See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms,  to pluck up and to break down,  to destroy and to overthrow,  to build and to plant.” 11 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond1 branch.” 12 Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.” 13 The word of the LORD came to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north.” 14 Then the LORD said to me, “Out of the north disaster2 shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the land. 15 For behold, I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, declares the LORD, and they shall come, and every one shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its walls all around and against all the cities of Judah. 16 And I will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil in forsaking me. They have made offerings to other gods and worshiped the works of their own hands. 17 But you, dress yourself for work;3 arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. 18 And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. 19 They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the LORD, to deliver you.” Israel Forsakes the Lord 2 The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the LORD,   “I remember the devotion of your youth,    your love as a bride,  how you followed me in the wilderness,    in a land not sown.3   Israel was holy to the LORD,    the firstfruits of his harvest.  All who ate of it incurred guilt;    disaster came upon them,      declares the LORD.” 4 Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the LORD:   “What wrong did your fathers find in me    that they went far from me,  and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?6   They did not say, ‘Where is the LORD    who brought us up from the land of Egypt,  who led us in the wilderness,    in a land of deserts and pits,  in a land of drought and deep darkness,    in a land that none passes through,    where no man dwells?'7   And I brought you into a plentiful land    to enjoy its fruits and its good things.  But when you came in, you defiled my land    and made my heritage an abomination.8   The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?'    Those who handle the law did not know me;  the shepherds4 transgressed against me;    the prophets prophesied by Baal    and went after things that do not profit. 9   “Therefore I still contend with you,      declares the LORD,    and with your children's children I will contend.10   For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see,    or send to Kedar and examine with care;    see if there has been such a thing.11   Has a nation changed its gods,    even though they are no gods?  But my people have changed their glory    for that which does not profit.12   Be appalled, O heavens, at this;    be shocked, be utterly desolate,      declares the LORD,13   for my people have committed two evils:  they have forsaken me,    the fountain of living waters,  and hewed out cisterns for themselves,    broken cisterns that can hold no water. 14   “Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?    Why then has he become a prey?15   The lions have roared against him;    they have roared loudly.  They have made his land a waste;    his cities are in ruins, without inhabitant.16   Moreover, the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes    have shaved5 the crown of your head.17   Have you not brought this upon yourself    by forsaking the LORD your God,    when he led you in the way?18   And now what do you gain by going to Egypt    to drink the waters of the Nile?  Or what do you gain by going to Assyria    to drink the waters of the Euphrates?619   Your evil will chastise you,    and your apostasy will reprove you.  Know and see that it is evil and bitter    for you to forsake the LORD your God;    the fear of me is not in you,      declares the Lord GOD of hosts. 20   “For long ago I broke your yoke    and burst your bonds;    but you said, ‘I will not serve.'  Yes, on every high hill    and under every green tree    you bowed down like a whore.21   Yet I planted you a choice vine,    wholly of pure seed.  How then have you turned degenerate    and become a wild vine?22   Though you wash yourself with lye    and use much soap,    the stain of your guilt is still before me,      declares the Lord GOD.23   How can you say, ‘I am not unclean,    I have not gone after the Baals'?  Look at your way in the valley;    know what you have done—  a restless young camel running here and there,24     a wild donkey used to the wilderness,  in her heat sniffing the wind!    Who can restrain her lust?  None who seek her need weary themselves;    in her month they will find her.25   Keep your feet from going unshod    and your throat from thirst.  But you said, ‘It is hopeless,    for I have loved foreigners,    and after them I will go.' 26   “As a thief is shamed when caught,    so the house of Israel shall be shamed:  they, their kings, their officials,    their priests, and their prophets,27   who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,'    and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.'  For they have turned their back to me,    and not their face.  But in the time of their trouble they say,    ‘Arise and save us!'28   But where are your gods    that you made for yourself?  Let them arise, if they can save you,    in your time of trouble;  for as many as your cities    are your gods, O Judah. 29   “Why do you contend with me?    You have all transgressed against me,      declares the LORD.30   In vain have I struck your children;    they took no correction;  your own sword devoured your prophets    like a ravening lion.31   And you, O generation, behold the word of the LORD.  Have I been a wilderness to Israel,    or a land of thick darkness?  Why then do my people say, ‘We are free,    we will come no more to you'?32   Can a virgin forget her ornaments,    or a bride her attire?  Yet my people have forgotten me    days without number. 33   “How well you direct your course    to seek love!  So that even to wicked women    you have taught your ways.34   Also on your skirts is found    the lifeblood of the guiltless poor;  you did not find them breaking in.    Yet in spite of all these things35   you say, ‘I am innocent;    surely his anger has turned from me.'  Behold, I will bring you to judgment    for saying, ‘I have not sinned.'36   How much you go about,    changing your way!  You shall be put to shame by Egypt    as you were put to shame by Assyria.37   From it too you will come away    with your hands on your head,  for the LORD has rejected those in whom you trust,    and you will not prosper by them. 3   “If7 a man divorces his wife    and she goes from him  and becomes another man's wife,    will he return to her?  Would not that land be greatly polluted?  You have played the whore with many lovers;    and would you return to me?      declares the LORD.2   Lift up your eyes to the bare heights, and see!    Where have you not been ravished?  By the waysides you have sat awaiting lovers    like an Arab in the wilderness.  You have polluted the land    with your vile whoredom.3   Therefore the showers have been withheld,    and the spring rain has not come;  yet you have the forehead of a whore;    you refuse to be ashamed.4   Have you not just now called to me,    ‘My father, you are the friend of my youth—5   will he be angry forever,    will he be indignant to the end?'  Behold, you have spoken,    but you have done all the evil that you could.” Faithless Israel Called to Repentance 6 The LORD said to me in the days of King Josiah: “Have you seen what she did, that faithless one, Israel, how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there played the whore? 7 And I thought, ‘After she has done all this she will return to me,' but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 She saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but she too went and played the whore. 9 Because she took her whoredom lightly, she polluted the land, committing adultery with stone and tree. 10 Yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to me with her whole heart, but in pretense, declares the LORD.” 11 And the LORD said to me, “Faithless Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say,   “‘Return, faithless Israel,      declares the LORD.  I will not look on you in anger,    for I am merciful,      declares the LORD;  I will not be angry forever.13   Only acknowledge your guilt,    that you rebelled against the LORD your God  and scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree,    and that you have not obeyed my voice,      declares the LORD.14   Return, O faithless children,      declares the LORD;    for I am your master;  I will take you, one from a city and two from a family,    and I will bring you to Zion. 15 “‘And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. 16 And when you have multiplied and been fruitful in the land, in those days, declares the LORD, they shall no more say, “The ark of the covenant of the LORD.” It shall not come to mind or be remembered or missed; it shall not be made again. 17 At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the LORD, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the LORD in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart. 18 In those days the house of Judah shall join the house of Israel, and together they shall come from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers for a heritage. 19   “‘I said,    How I would set you among my sons,  and give you a pleasant land,    a heritage most beautiful of all nations.  And I thought you would call me, My Father,    and would not turn from following me.20   Surely, as a treacherous wife leaves her husband,    so have you been treacherous to me, O house of Israel,      declares the LORD.'” 21   A voice on the bare heights is heard,    the weeping and pleading of Israel's sons  because they have perverted their way;    they have forgotten the LORD their God.22   “Return, O faithless sons;    I will heal your faithlessness.”  “Behold, we come to you,    for you are the LORD our God.23   Truly the hills are a delusion,    the orgies8 on the mountains.  Truly in the LORD our God    is the salvation of Israel. 24 “But from our youth the shameful thing has devoured all for which our fathers labored, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. 25 Let us lie down in our shame, and let our dishonor cover us. For we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even to this day, and we have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.” Footnotes [1] 1:11 Almond sounds like the Hebrew for watching (compare verse 12) [2] 1:14 The Hebrew word can mean evil, harm, or disaster, depending on the context; so throughout Jeremiah [3] 1:17 Hebrew gird up your loins [4] 2:8 Or rulers [5] 2:16 Hebrew grazed [6] 2:18 Hebrew the River [7] 3:1 Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew Saying, “If [8] 3:23 Hebrew commotion (ESV)

2 Lent First Psalm: Psalms 61–62 Psalms 61–62 (Listen) Lead Me to the Rock To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. Of David. 61   Hear my cry, O God,    listen to my prayer;2   from the end of the earth I call to you    when my heart is faint.  Lead me to the rock    that is higher than I,3   for you have been my refuge,    a strong tower against the enemy. 4   Let me dwell in your tent forever!    Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah5   For you, O God, have heard my vows;    you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name. 6   Prolong the life of the king;    may his years endure to all generations!7   May he be enthroned forever before God;    appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him! 8   So will I ever sing praises to your name,    as I perform my vows day after day. My Soul Waits for God Alone To the choirmaster: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David. 62   For God alone my soul waits in silence;    from him comes my salvation.2   He alone is my rock and my salvation,    my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken. 3   How long will all of you attack a man    to batter him,    like a leaning wall, a tottering fence?4   They only plan to thrust him down from his high position.    They take pleasure in falsehood.  They bless with their mouths,    but inwardly they curse. Selah 5   For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,    for my hope is from him.6   He only is my rock and my salvation,    my fortress; I shall not be shaken.7   On God rests my salvation and my glory;    my mighty rock, my refuge is God. 8   Trust in him at all times, O people;    pour out your heart before him;    God is a refuge for us. Selah 9   Those of low estate are but a breath;    those of high estate are a delusion;  in the balances they go up;    they are together lighter than a breath.10   Put no trust in extortion;    set no vain hopes on robbery;    if riches increase, set not your heart on them. 11   Once God has spoken;    twice have I heard this:  that power belongs to God,12     and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love.  For you will render to a man    according to his work. (ESV) Second Psalm: Psalm 68 Psalm 68 (Listen) God Shall Scatter His Enemies To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A Song. 68   God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered;    and those who hate him shall flee before him!2   As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away;    as wax melts before fire,    so the wicked shall perish before God!3   But the righteous shall be glad;    they shall exult before God;    they shall be jubilant with joy! 4   Sing to God, sing praises to his name;    lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts;  his name is the LORD;    exult before him!5   Father of the fatherless and protector of widows    is God in his holy habitation.6   God settles the solitary in a home;    he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,    but the rebellious dwell in a parched land. 7   O God, when you went out before your people,    when you marched through the wilderness, Selah8   the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain,    before God, the One of Sinai,    before God,1 the God of Israel.9   Rain in abundance, O God, you shed abroad;    you restored your inheritance as it languished;10   your flock2 found a dwelling in it;    in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy. 11   The Lord gives the word;    the women who announce the news are a great host:12     “The kings of the armies—they flee, they flee!”  The women at home divide the spoil—13     though you men lie among the sheepfolds—  the wings of a dove covered with silver,    its pinions with shimmering gold.14   When the Almighty scatters kings there,    let snow fall on Zalmon. 15   O mountain of God, mountain of Bashan;    O many-peaked3 mountain, mountain of Bashan!16   Why do you look with hatred, O many-peaked mountain,    at the mount that God desired for his abode,    yes, where the LORD will dwell forever?17   The chariots of God are twice ten thousand,    thousands upon thousands;    the Lord is among them; Sinai is now in the sanctuary.18   You ascended on high,    leading a host of captives in your train    and receiving gifts among men,  even among the rebellious, that the LORD God may dwell there. 19   Blessed be the Lord,    who daily bears us up;    God is our salvation. Selah20   Our God is a God of salvation,    and to GOD, the Lord, belong deliverances from death.21   But God will strike the heads of his enemies,    the hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways.22   The Lord said,    “I will bring them back from Bashan,  I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,23   that you may strike your feet in their blood,    that the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from the foe.” 24   Your procession is4 seen, O God,    the procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary—25   the singers in front, the musicians last,    between them virgins playing tambourines:26   “Bless God in the great congregation,    the LORD, O you5 who are of Israel’s fountain!”27   There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead,    the princes of Judah in their throng,    the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali. 28   Summon your power, O God,6    the power, O God, by which you have worked for us.29   Because of your temple at Jerusalem    kings shall bear gifts to you.30   Rebuke the beasts that dwell among the reeds,    the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples.  Trample underfoot those who lust after tribute;    scatter the peoples who delight in war.731   Nobles shall come from Egypt;    Cush shall hasten to stretch out her hands to God. 32   O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God;    sing praises to the Lord, Selah33   to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens;    behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.34   Ascribe power to God,    whose majesty is over Israel,    and whose power is in the skies.35   Awesome is God from his8 sanctuary;    the God of Israel—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people.  Blessed be God! Footnotes [1] 68:8 Or before God, even Sinai before God [2] 68:10 Or your congregation [3] 68:15 Or hunch-backed; also verse 16 [4] 68:24 Or has been [5] 68:26 The Hebrew for you is plural here [6] 68:28 By revocalization (compare Septuagint); Hebrew Your God has summoned your power [7] 68:30 The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain [8] 68:35 Septuagint; Hebrew your (ESV) Old Testament: Jeremiah 2:1–13 Jeremiah 2:1–13 (Listen) Israel Forsakes the Lord 2 The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the LORD,   “I remember the devotion of your youth,    your love as a bride,  how you followed me in the wilderness,    in a land not sown.3   Israel was holy to the LORD,    the firstfruits of his harvest.  All who ate of it incurred guilt;    disaster came upon them,      declares the LORD.” 4 Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the LORD:   “What wrong did your fathers find in me    that they went far from me,  and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?6   They did not say, ‘Where is the LORD    who brought us up from the land of Egypt,  who led us in the wilderness,    in a land of deserts and pits,  in a land of drought and deep darkness,    in a land that none passes through,    where no man dwells?’7   And I brought you into a plentiful land    to enjoy its fruits and its good things.  But when you came in, you defiled my land    and made my heritage an abomination.8   The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?’    Those who handle the law did not know me;  the shepherds1 transgressed against me;    the prophets prophesied by Baal    and went after things that do not profit. 9   “Therefore I still contend with you,      declares the LORD,    and with your children’s children I will contend.10   For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see,    or send to Kedar and examine with care;    see if there has been such a thing.11   Has a nation changed its gods,    even though they are no gods?  But my people have changed their glory    for that which does not profit.12   Be appalled, O heavens, at this;    be shocked, be utterly desolate,      declares the LORD,13   for my people have committed two evils:  they have forsaken me,    the fountain of living waters,  and hewed out cisterns for themselves,    broken cisterns that can hold no water. Footnotes [1] 2:8 Or rulers (ESV) New Testament: Romans 1:16–25 Romans 1:16–25 (Listen) The Righteous Shall Live by Faith 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith,1 as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”2 God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,3 in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. Footnotes [1] 1:17 Or beginning and ending in faith [2] 1:17 Or The one who by faith is righteous shall live [3] 1:20 Or clearly perceived from the creation of the world (ESV) Gospel: John 4:43–54 John 4:43–54 (Listen) 43 After the two days he departed for Galilee. 44 (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.) 45 So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast. Jesus Heals an Official’s Son 46 So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 So Jesus said to him, “Unless you1 see signs and wonders you will not believe.” 49 The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. 51 As he was going down, his servants2 met him and told him that his son was recovering. 52 So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour3 the fever left him.” 53 The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” And he himself believed, and all his household. 54 This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee. Footnotes [1] 4:48 The Greek for you is plural; twice in this verse [2] 4:51 Or bondservants [3] 4:52 That is, at 1 p.m. (ESV)

Morning: Jeremiah 1–2 Jeremiah 1–2 (Listen) 1 The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, and until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month. The Call of Jeremiah 4 Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 5   “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,  and before you were born I consecrated you;  I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” 6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” 7 But the LORD said to me,   “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’;  for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,  and whatever I command you, you shall speak.8   Do not be afraid of them,  for I am with you to deliver you,      declares the LORD.” 9 Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the LORD said to me,   “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.10   See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms,  to pluck up and to break down,  to destroy and to overthrow,  to build and to plant.” 11 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond1 branch.” 12 Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.” 13 The word of the LORD came to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north.” 14 Then the LORD said to me, “Out of the north disaster2 shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the land. 15 For behold, I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, declares the LORD, and they shall come, and every one shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its walls all around and against all the cities of Judah. 16 And I will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil in forsaking me. They have made offerings to other gods and worshiped the works of their own hands. 17 But you, dress yourself for work;3 arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. 18 And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. 19 They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the LORD, to deliver you.” Israel Forsakes the Lord 2 The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the LORD,   “I remember the devotion of your youth,    your love as a bride,  how you followed me in the wilderness,    in a land not sown.3   Israel was holy to the LORD,    the firstfruits of his harvest.  All who ate of it incurred guilt;    disaster came upon them,      declares the LORD.” 4 Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the LORD:   “What wrong did your fathers find in me    that they went far from me,  and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?6   They did not say, ‘Where is the LORD    who brought us up from the land of Egypt,  who led us in the wilderness,    in a land of deserts and pits,  in a land of drought and deep darkness,    in a land that none passes through,    where no man dwells?’7   And I brought you into a plentiful land    to enjoy its fruits and its good things.  But when you came in, you defiled my land    and made my heritage an abomination.8   The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?’    Those who handle the law did not know me;  the shepherds4 transgressed against me;    the prophets prophesied by Baal    and went after things that do not profit. 9   “Therefore I still contend with you,      declares the LORD,    and with your children’s children I will contend.10   For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see,    or send to Kedar and examine with care;    see if there has been such a thing.11   Has a nation changed its gods,    even though they are no gods?  But my people have changed their glory    for that which does not profit.12   Be appalled, O heavens, at this;    be shocked, be utterly desolate,      declares the LORD,13   for my people have committed two evils:  they have forsaken me,    the fountain of living waters,  and hewed out cisterns for themselves,    broken cisterns that can hold no water. 14   “Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?    Why then has he become a prey?15   The lions have roared against him;    they have roared loudly.  They have made his land a waste;    his cities are in ruins, without inhabitant.16   Moreover, the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes    have shaved5 the crown of your head.17   Have you not brought this upon yourself    by forsaking the LORD your God,    when he led you in the way?18   And now what do you gain by going to Egypt    to drink the waters of the Nile?  Or what do you gain by going to Assyria    to drink the waters of the Euphrates?619   Your evil will chastise you,    and your apostasy will reprove you.  Know and see that it is evil and bitter    for you to forsake the LORD your God;    the fear of me is not in you,      declares the Lord GOD of hosts. 20   “For long ago I broke your yoke    and burst your bonds;    but you said, ‘I will not serve.’  Yes, on every high hill    and under every green tree    you bowed down like a whore.21   Yet I planted you a choice vine,    wholly of pure seed.  How then have you turned degenerate    and become a wild vine?22   Though you wash yourself with lye    and use much soap,    the stain of your guilt is still before me,      declares the Lord GOD.23   How can you say, ‘I am not unclean,    I have not gone after the Baals’?  Look at your way in the valley;    know what you have done—  a restless young camel running here and there,24     a wild donkey used to the wilderness,  in her heat sniffing the wind!    Who can restrain her lust?  None who seek her need weary themselves;    in her month they will find her.25   Keep your feet from going unshod    and your throat from thirst.  But you said, ‘It is hopeless,    for I have loved foreigners,    and after them I will go.’ 26   “As a thief is shamed when caught,    so the house of Israel shall be shamed:  they, their kings, their officials,    their priests, and their prophets,27   who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’    and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’  For they have turned their back to me,    and not their face.  But in the time of their trouble they say,    ‘Arise and save us!’28   But where are your gods    that you made for yourself?  Let them arise, if they can save you,    in your time of trouble;  for as many as your cities    are your gods, O Judah. 29   “Why do you contend with me?    You have all transgressed against me,      declares the LORD.30   In vain have I struck your children;    they took no correction;  your own sword devoured your prophets    like a ravening lion.31   And you, O generation, behold the word of the LORD.  Have I been a wilderness to Israel,    or a land of thick darkness?  Why then do my people say, ‘We are free,    we will come no more to you’?32   Can a virgin forget her ornaments,    or a bride her attire?  Yet my people have forgotten me    days without number. 33   “How well you direct your course    to seek love!  So that even to wicked women    you have taught your ways.34   Also on your skirts is found    the lifeblood of the guiltless poor;  you did not find them breaking in.    Yet in spite of all these things35   you say, ‘I am innocent;    surely his anger has turned from me.’  Behold, I will bring you to judgment    for saying, ‘I have not sinned.’36   How much you go about,    changing your way!  You shall be put to shame by Egypt    as you were put to shame by Assyria.37   From it too you will come away    with your hands on your head,  for the LORD has rejected those in whom you trust,    and you will not prosper by them. Footnotes [1] 1:11 Almond sounds like the Hebrew for watching (compare verse 12) [2] 1:14 The Hebrew word can mean evil, harm, or disaster, depending on the context; so throughout Jeremiah [3] 1:17 Hebrew gird up your loins [4] 2:8 Or rulers [5] 2:16 Hebrew grazed [6] 2:18 Hebrew the River (ESV) Evening: 2 Thessalonians 2 2 Thessalonians 2 (Listen) The Man of Lawlessness 2 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,1 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness2 is revealed, the son of destruction,3 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. Stand Firm 13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits4 to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. 14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter. 16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. Footnotes [1] 2:1 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 13, 15 [2] 2:3 Some manuscripts sin [3] 2:3 Greek the son of perdition (a Hebrew idiom) [4] 2:13 Some manuscripts chose you from the beginning (ESV)

Jeremiah 1–3 Jeremiah 1–3 (Listen) 1 The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, and until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month. The Call of Jeremiah 4 Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 5   “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,  and before you were born I consecrated you;  I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” 6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” 7 But the LORD said to me,   “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’;  for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,  and whatever I command you, you shall speak.8   Do not be afraid of them,  for I am with you to deliver you,      declares the LORD.” 9 Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the LORD said to me,   “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.10   See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms,  to pluck up and to break down,  to destroy and to overthrow,  to build and to plant.” 11 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond1 branch.” 12 Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.” 13 The word of the LORD came to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north.” 14 Then the LORD said to me, “Out of the north disaster2 shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the land. 15 For behold, I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, declares the LORD, and they shall come, and every one shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its walls all around and against all the cities of Judah. 16 And I will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil in forsaking me. They have made offerings to other gods and worshiped the works of their own hands. 17 But you, dress yourself for work;3 arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. 18 And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. 19 They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the LORD, to deliver you.” Israel Forsakes the Lord 2 The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the LORD,   “I remember the devotion of your youth,    your love as a bride,  how you followed me in the wilderness,    in a land not sown.3   Israel was holy to the LORD,    the firstfruits of his harvest.  All who ate of it incurred guilt;    disaster came upon them,      declares the LORD.” 4 Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the LORD:   “What wrong did your fathers find in me    that they went far from me,  and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?6   They did not say, ‘Where is the LORD    who brought us up from the land of Egypt,  who led us in the wilderness,    in a land of deserts and pits,  in a land of drought and deep darkness,    in a land that none passes through,    where no man dwells?’7   And I brought you into a plentiful land    to enjoy its fruits and its good things.  But when you came in, you defiled my land    and made my heritage an abomination.8   The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?’    Those who handle the law did not know me;  the shepherds4 transgressed against me;    the prophets prophesied by Baal    and went after things that do not profit. 9   “Therefore I still contend with you,      declares the LORD,    and with your children’s children I will contend.10   For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see,    or send to Kedar and examine with care;    see if there has been such a thing.11   Has a nation changed its gods,    even though they are no gods?  But my people have changed their glory    for that which does not profit.12   Be appalled, O heavens, at this;    be shocked, be utterly desolate,      declares the LORD,13   for my people have committed two evils:  they have forsaken me,    the fountain of living waters,  and hewed out cisterns for themselves,    broken cisterns that can hold no water. 14   “Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?    Why then has he become a prey?15   The lions have roared against him;    they have roared loudly.  They have made his land a waste;    his cities are in ruins, without inhabitant.16   Moreover, the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes    have shaved5 the crown of your head.17   Have you not brought this upon yourself    by forsaking the LORD your God,    when he led you in the way?18   And now what do you gain by going to Egypt    to drink the waters of the Nile?  Or what do you gain by going to Assyria    to drink the waters of the Euphrates?619   Your evil will chastise you,    and your apostasy will reprove you.  Know and see that it is evil and bitter    for you to forsake the LORD your God;    the fear of me is not in you,      declares the Lord GOD of hosts. 20   “For long ago I broke your yoke    and burst your bonds;    but you said, ‘I will not serve.’  Yes, on every high hill    and under every green tree    you bowed down like a whore.21   Yet I planted you a choice vine,    wholly of pure seed.  How then have you turned degenerate    and become a wild vine?22   Though you wash yourself with lye    and use much soap,    the stain of your guilt is still before me,      declares the Lord GOD.23   How can you say, ‘I am not unclean,    I have not gone after the Baals’?  Look at your way in the valley;    know what you have done—  a restless young camel running here and there,24     a wild donkey used to the wilderness,  in her heat sniffing the wind!    Who can restrain her lust?  None who seek her need weary themselves;    in her month they will find her.25   Keep your feet from going unshod    and your throat from thirst.  But you said, ‘It is hopeless,    for I have loved foreigners,    and after them I will go.’ 26   “As a thief is shamed when caught,    so the house of Israel shall be shamed:  they, their kings, their officials,    their priests, and their prophets,27   who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’    and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’  For they have turned their back to me,    and not their face.  But in the time of their trouble they say,    ‘Arise and save us!’28   But where are your gods    that you made for yourself?  Let them arise, if they can save you,    in your time of trouble;  for as many as your cities    are your gods, O Judah. 29   “Why do you contend with me?    You have all transgressed against me,      declares the LORD.30   In vain have I struck your children;    they took no correction;  your own sword devoured your prophets    like a ravening lion.31   And you, O generation, behold the word of the LORD.  Have I been a wilderness to Israel,    or a land of thick darkness?  Why then do my people say, ‘We are free,    we will come no more to you’?32   Can a virgin forget her ornaments,    or a bride her attire?  Yet my people have forgotten me    days without number. 33   “How well you direct your course    to seek love!  So that even to wicked women    you have taught your ways.34   Also on your skirts is found    the lifeblood of the guiltless poor;  you did not find them breaking in.    Yet in spite of all these things35   you say, ‘I am innocent;    surely his anger has turned from me.’  Behold, I will bring you to judgment    for saying, ‘I have not sinned.’36   How much you go about,    changing your way!  You shall be put to shame by Egypt    as you were put to shame by Assyria.37   From it too you will come away    with your hands on your head,  for the LORD has rejected those in whom you trust,    and you will not prosper by them. 3   “If7 a man divorces his wife    and she goes from him  and becomes another man’s wife,    will he return to her?  Would not that land be greatly polluted?  You have played the whore with many lovers;    and would you return to me?      declares the LORD.2   Lift up your eyes to the bare heights, and see!    Where have you not been ravished?  By the waysides you have sat awaiting lovers    like an Arab in the wilderness.  You have polluted the land    with your vile whoredom.3   Therefore the showers have been withheld,    and the spring rain has not come;  yet you have the forehead of a whore;    you refuse to be ashamed.4   Have you not just now called to me,    ‘My father, you are the friend of my youth—5   will he be angry forever,    will he be indignant to the end?’  Behold, you have spoken,    but you have done all the evil that you could.” Faithless Israel Called to Repentance 6 The LORD said to me in the days of King Josiah: “Have you seen what she did, that faithless one, Israel, how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there played the whore? 7 And I thought, ‘After she has done all this she will return to me,’ but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 She saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but she too went and played the whore. 9 Because she took her whoredom lightly, she polluted the land, committing adultery with stone and tree. 10 Yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to me with her whole heart, but in pretense, declares the LORD.” 11 And the LORD said to me, “Faithless Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say,   “‘Return, faithless Israel,      declares the LORD.  I will not look on you in anger,    for I am merciful,      declares the LORD;  I will not be angry forever.13   Only acknowledge your guilt,    that you rebelled against the LORD your God  and scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree,    and that you have not obeyed my voice,      declares the LORD.14   Return, O faithless children,      declares the LORD;    for I am your master;  I will take you, one from a city and two from a family,    and I will bring you to Zion. 15 “‘And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. 16 And when you have multiplied and been fruitful in the land, in those days, declares the LORD, they shall no more say, “The ark of the covenant of the LORD.” It shall not come to mind or be remembered or missed; it shall not be made again. 17 At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the LORD, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the LORD in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart. 18 In those days the house of Judah shall join the house of Israel, and together they shall come from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers for a heritage. 19   “‘I said,    How I would set you among my sons,  and give you a pleasant land,    a heritage most beautiful of all nations.  And I thought you would call me, My Father,    and would not turn from following me.20   Surely, as a treacherous wife leaves her husband,    so have you been treacherous to me, O house of Israel,      declares the LORD.’” 21   A voice on the bare heights is heard,    the weeping and pleading of Israel’s sons  because they have perverted their way;    they have forgotten the LORD their God.22   “Return, O faithless sons;    I will heal your faithlessness.”  “Behold, we come to you,    for you are the LORD our God.23   Truly the hills are a delusion,    the orgies8 on the mountains.  Truly in the LORD our God    is the salvation of Israel. 24 “But from our youth the shameful thing has devoured all for which our fathers labored, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. 25 Let us lie down in our shame, and let our dishonor cover us. For we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even to this day, and we have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.” Footnotes [1] 1:11 Almond sounds like the Hebrew for watching (compare verse 12) [2] 1:14 The Hebrew word can mean evil, harm, or disaster, depending on the context; so throughout Jeremiah [3] 1:17 Hebrew gird up your loins [4] 2:8 Or rulers [5] 2:16 Hebrew grazed [6] 2:18 Hebrew the River [7] 3:1 Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew Saying, “If [8] 3:23 Hebrew commotion (ESV)

Jeremiah 1–3 Jeremiah 1–3 (Listen) 1 The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, and until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month. The Call of Jeremiah 4 Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 5   “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,  and before you were born I consecrated you;  I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” 6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” 7 But the LORD said to me,   “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’;  for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,  and whatever I command you, you shall speak.8   Do not be afraid of them,  for I am with you to deliver you,      declares the LORD.” 9 Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the LORD said to me,   “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.10   See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms,  to pluck up and to break down,  to destroy and to overthrow,  to build and to plant.” 11 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond1 branch.” 12 Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.” 13 The word of the LORD came to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north.” 14 Then the LORD said to me, “Out of the north disaster2 shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the land. 15 For behold, I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, declares the LORD, and they shall come, and every one shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its walls all around and against all the cities of Judah. 16 And I will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil in forsaking me. They have made offerings to other gods and worshiped the works of their own hands. 17 But you, dress yourself for work;3 arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. 18 And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. 19 They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the LORD, to deliver you.” Israel Forsakes the Lord 2 The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the LORD,   “I remember the devotion of your youth,    your love as a bride,  how you followed me in the wilderness,    in a land not sown.3   Israel was holy to the LORD,    the firstfruits of his harvest.  All who ate of it incurred guilt;    disaster came upon them,      declares the LORD.” 4 Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the LORD:   “What wrong did your fathers find in me    that they went far from me,  and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?6   They did not say, ‘Where is the LORD    who brought us up from the land of Egypt,  who led us in the wilderness,    in a land of deserts and pits,  in a land of drought and deep darkness,    in a land that none passes through,    where no man dwells?’7   And I brought you into a plentiful land    to enjoy its fruits and its good things.  But when you came in, you defiled my land    and made my heritage an abomination.8   The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?’    Those who handle the law did not know me;  the shepherds4 transgressed against me;    the prophets prophesied by Baal    and went after things that do not profit. 9   “Therefore I still contend with you,      declares the LORD,    and with your children's children I will contend.10   For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see,    or send to Kedar and examine with care;    see if there has been such a thing.11   Has a nation changed its gods,    even though they are no gods?  But my people have changed their glory    for that which does not profit.12   Be appalled, O heavens, at this;    be shocked, be utterly desolate,      declares the LORD,13   for my people have committed two evils:  they have forsaken me,    the fountain of living waters,  and hewed out cisterns for themselves,    broken cisterns that can hold no water. 14   “Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?    Why then has he become a prey?15   The lions have roared against him;    they have roared loudly.  They have made his land a waste;    his cities are in ruins, without inhabitant.16   Moreover, the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes    have shaved5 the crown of your head.17   Have you not brought this upon yourself    by forsaking the LORD your God,    when he led you in the way?18   And now what do you gain by going to Egypt    to drink the waters of the Nile?  Or what do you gain by going to Assyria    to drink the waters of the Euphrates?619   Your evil will chastise you,    and your apostasy will reprove you.  Know and see that it is evil and bitter    for you to forsake the LORD your God;    the fear of me is not in you,      declares the Lord GOD of hosts. 20   “For long ago I broke your yoke    and burst your bonds;    but you said, ‘I will not serve.’  Yes, on every high hill    and under every green tree    you bowed down like a whore.21   Yet I planted you a choice vine,    wholly of pure seed.  How then have you turned degenerate    and become a wild vine?22   Though you wash yourself with lye    and use much soap,    the stain of your guilt is still before me,      declares the Lord GOD.23   How can you say, ‘I am not unclean,    I have not gone after the Baals’?  Look at your way in the valley;    know what you have done—  a restless young camel running here and there,24     a wild donkey used to the wilderness,  in her heat sniffing the wind!    Who can restrain her lust?  None who seek her need weary themselves;    in her month they will find her.25   Keep your feet from going unshod    and your throat from thirst.  But you said, ‘It is hopeless,    for I have loved foreigners,    and after them I will go.’ 26   “As a thief is shamed when caught,    so the house of Israel shall be shamed:  they, their kings, their officials,    their priests, and their prophets,27   who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’    and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’  For they have turned their back to me,    and not their face.  But in the time of their trouble they say,    ‘Arise and save us!’28   But where are your gods    that you made for yourself?  Let them arise, if they can save you,    in your time of trouble;  for as many as your cities    are your gods, O Judah. 29   “Why do you contend with me?    You have all transgressed against me,      declares the LORD.30   In vain have I struck your children;    they took no correction;  your own sword devoured your prophets    like a ravening lion.31   And you, O generation, behold the word of the LORD.  Have I been a wilderness to Israel,    or a land of thick darkness?  Why then do my people say, ‘We are free,    we will come no more to you’?32   Can a virgin forget her ornaments,    or a bride her attire?  Yet my people have forgotten me    days without number. 33   “How well you direct your course    to seek love!  So that even to wicked women    you have taught your ways.34   Also on your skirts is found    the lifeblood of the guiltless poor;  you did not find them breaking in.    Yet in spite of all these things35   you say, ‘I am innocent;    surely his anger has turned from me.’  Behold, I will bring you to judgment    for saying, ‘I have not sinned.’36   How much you go about,    changing your way!  You shall be put to shame by Egypt    as you were put to shame by Assyria.37   From it too you will come away    with your hands on your head,  for the LORD has rejected those in whom you trust,    and you will not prosper by them. 3   “If7 a man divorces his wife    and she goes from him  and becomes another man's wife,    will he return to her?  Would not that land be greatly polluted?  You have played the whore with many lovers;    and would you return to me?      declares the LORD.2   Lift up your eyes to the bare heights, and see!    Where have you not been ravished?  By the waysides you have sat awaiting lovers    like an Arab in the wilderness.  You have polluted the land    with your vile whoredom.3   Therefore the showers have been withheld,    and the spring rain has not come;  yet you have the forehead of a whore;    you refuse to be ashamed.4   Have you not just now called to me,    ‘My father, you are the friend of my youth—5   will he be angry forever,    will he be indignant to the end?’  Behold, you have spoken,    but you have done all the evil that you could.” Faithless Israel Called to Repentance 6 The LORD said to me in the days of King Josiah: “Have you seen what she did, that faithless one, Israel, how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there played the whore? 7 And I thought, ‘After she has done all this she will return to me,’ but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 She saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but she too went and played the whore. 9 Because she took her whoredom lightly, she polluted the land, committing adultery with stone and tree. 10 Yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to me with her whole heart, but in pretense, declares the LORD.” 11 And the LORD said to me, “Faithless Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say,   “‘Return, faithless Israel,      declares the LORD.  I will not look on you in anger,    for I am merciful,      declares the LORD;  I will not be angry forever.13   Only acknowledge your guilt,    that you rebelled against the LORD your God  and scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree,    and that you have not obeyed my voice,      declares the LORD.14   Return, O faithless children,      declares the LORD;    for I am your master;  I will take you, one from a city and two from a family,    and I will bring you to Zion. 15 “‘And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. 16 And when you have multiplied and been fruitful in the land, in those days, declares the LORD, they shall no more say, “The ark of the covenant of the LORD.” It shall not come to mind or be remembered or missed; it shall not be made again. 17 At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the LORD, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the LORD in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart. 18 In those days the house of Judah shall join the house of Israel, and together they shall come from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers for a heritage. 19   “‘I said,    How I would set you among my sons,  and give you a pleasant land,    a heritage most beautiful of all nations.  And I thought you would call me, My Father,    and would not turn from following me.20   Surely, as a treacherous wife leaves her husband,    so have you been treacherous to me, O house of Israel,      declares the LORD.’” 21   A voice on the bare heights is heard,    the weeping and pleading of Israel's sons  because they have perverted their way;    they have forgotten the LORD their God.22   “Return, O faithless sons;    I will heal your faithlessness.”  “Behold, we come to you,    for you are the LORD our God.23   Truly the hills are a delusion,    the orgies8 on the mountains.  Truly in the LORD our God    is the salvation of Israel. 24 “But from our youth the shameful thing has devoured all for which our fathers labored, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. 25 Let us lie down in our shame, and let our dishonor cover us. For we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even to this day, and we have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.” Footnotes [1] 1:11 Almond sounds like the Hebrew for watching (compare verse 12) [2] 1:14 The Hebrew word can mean evil, harm, or disaster, depending on the context; so throughout Jeremiah [3] 1:17 Hebrew gird up your loins [4] 2:8 Or rulers [5] 2:16 Hebrew grazed [6] 2:18 Hebrew the River [7] 3:1 Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew Saying, “If [8] 3:23 Hebrew commotion (ESV)

Israel Forsakes the LORD

Israel Forsakes the LORD

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Israel Forsakes the LORD - Israel Forsakes the LORD

Israel Forsakes the LORD - Israel Forsakes the LORD

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Israel Forsakes the LORD - Israel Forsakes the LORD

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Israel Forsakes the LORD - Israel Forsakes the LORD

Israel Forsakes the LORD - Israel Forsakes the LORD

Israel Forsakes the LORD - Israel Forsakes the LORD

Israel Forsakes the LORD - Israel Forsakes the LORD

Israel Forsakes the LORD - Israel Forsakes the LORD

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Israel Forsakes the LORD - Israel Forsakes the LORD

Israel Forsakes the LORD - Israel Forsakes the LORD

Israel Forsakes the LORD - Israel Forsakes the LORD

Israel Forsakes the LORD - Israel Forsakes the LORD

Israel Forsakes the LORD - Israel Forsakes the LORD

Israel Forsakes the LORD