Some Will Depart from the Faith

4 Now ^(A)the Spirit expressly says that ^(B)in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to ^(C)deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, ² through the insincerity of ^(D)liars whose consciences are seared, ^3 (E)who forbid marriage and ^(F)require abstinence from foods ^(G)that God created ^(H)to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. ⁴ For ^(I)everything created by God is good, and ^(J)nothing is to be rejected if it is ^(K)received with thanksgiving, ⁵ for it is made holy ^(L)by the word of God and prayer.

A Good Servant of Christ Jesus

^6 (M)If you put these things before the brothers,^[a] you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have ^(N)followed. ⁷ Have nothing to do with irreverent, ^(O)silly myths. Rather ^(P)train yourself for godliness; ⁸ for while ^(Q)bodily training is of some value, godliness ^(R)is of value in every way, as ^(S)it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. ⁹ The saying is ^(T)trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. ¹⁰ For to this end we toil and strive,^[b] because we have our hope set on the living God, ^(U)who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

¹¹ Command and teach ^(V)these things. ^12 (W)Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers ^(X)an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. ¹³ Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. ^14 (Y)Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you ^(Z)by prophecy when the council of elders ^(AA)laid their hands on you. ¹⁵ Practice these things, immerse yourself in them,^[c] so that ^(AB)all may see your progress. ^16 (AC)Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save ^(AD)both yourself and ^(AE)your hearers.

The Lord Promises Peace

33 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still ^(A)shut up in the court of the guard: ² “Thus says ^(B)the Lord who made the earth,^[a] the Lord who formed it to establish it—^(C)the Lord is his name: ^3 (D)Call to me and I will answer you, ^(E)and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. ⁴ For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city and the houses of the kings of Judah that were torn down to make a defense against ^(F)the siege mounds and against the sword: ⁵ They are coming in ^(G)to fight against the Chaldeans and to fill them^[b] with the dead bodies of men whom I shall strike down ^(H)in my anger and my wrath, ^(I)for I have hidden my face from this city because of all their evil. ^6 (J)Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security. ^7 (K)I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, ^(L)and rebuild them as they were ^(M)at first. ^8 (N)I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me, ^(O)and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me. ^9 (P)And this city^[c] shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them. They shall ^(Q)fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it.

¹⁰ “Thus says the Lord: In this place ^(R)of which you say, ‘It is a waste without man or beast,’ in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man or inhabitant or beast, there shall be heard again ^11 (S)the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voices of those who sing, as they bring ^(T)thank offerings to the house of the Lord:

^(V)For I will restore the fortunes of the land as at first, says the Lord.

¹² “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ^(W)In this place that is waste, without man or beast, and in all of its cities, there shall again be ^(X)habitations of shepherds ^(Y)resting their flocks. ^13 (Z)In the cities of the hill country, ^(AA)in the cities of the Shephelah, ^(AB)and in the cities of the Negeb, in the land of Benjamin, ^(AC)the places about Jerusalem, ^(AD)and in the cities of Judah, ^(AE)flocks shall again pass under the hands ^(AF)of the one who counts them, says the Lord.

The Lord's Eternal Covenant with David

^14 (AG)“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when ^(AH)I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. ¹⁵ In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous ^(AI)Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. ¹⁶ In those days Judah will be saved, ^(AJ)and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ^(AK)‘The Lord is our righteousness.’

¹⁷ “For thus says the Lord: ^(AL)David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, ^18 (AM)and the Levitical priests shall never lack a man in my presence to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to make sacrifices forever.”

¹⁹ The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ^20 (AN)“Thus says the Lord: ^(AO)If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, ^(AP)so that day and night will not come at their appointed time, ^21 (AQ)then also my covenant with David my servant may be broken, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and my covenant with the Levitical priests my ministers. ²² As ^(AR)the host of heaven cannot be numbered and ^(AS)the sands of the sea cannot be measured, so I will multiply the offspring of David my servant, and the Levitical priests who minister to me.”

²³ The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ²⁴ “Have you not observed that these people are saying, ‘The Lord has rejected the two clans that he chose’? Thus they have despised my people so that they are no longer a nation in their sight. ²⁵ Thus says the Lord: ^(AT)If I have not established my covenant with day and night and the fixed order of heaven and earth, ²⁶ then I will reject the offspring of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his offspring to rule over the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. ^(AU)For I will restore their fortunes and will have mercy on them.”

Zedekiah to Die in Babylon

34 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when ^(AV)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army ^(AW)and all the kingdoms of the earth under his dominion and all the peoples were fighting against Jerusalem and all of its cities: ² “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Go and speak to ^(AX)Zedekiah king of Judah and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: ^(AY)Behold, I am giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire. ^3 (AZ)You shall not escape from his hand but shall surely be captured and delivered into his hand. ^(BA)You shall see the king of Babylon eye to eye and speak with him face to face. And you shall go to Babylon.’ ⁴ Yet hear the word of the Lord, O Zedekiah king of Judah! ^(BB)Thus says the Lord concerning you: ^(BC)‘You shall not die by the sword. ⁵ You shall die in peace. ^(BD)And as spices were burned for your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so people shall ^(BE)burn spices for you ^(BF)and lament for you, saying, “Alas, lord!”’ For I have spoken the word, declares the Lord.”

⁶ Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah, in Jerusalem, ⁷ when the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and against all the cities of Judah that were left, ^(BG)Lachish and ^(BH)Azekah, ^(BI)for these were the only ^(BJ)fortified cities of Judah that remained.

⁸ The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after King Zedekiah ^(BK)had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem ^(BL)to make a proclamation of liberty to them, ^9 (BM)that everyone should set free his Hebrew slaves, male and female, ^(BN)so that no one should enslave a Jew, his brother. ¹⁰ And they obeyed, all the officials and all the people who had entered into the covenant that everyone would set free his slave, male or female, so that they would not be enslaved again. They obeyed and set them free. ¹¹ But afterward they turned around and took back the male and female slaves ^(BO)they had set free, and brought them into subjection as slaves. ¹² The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ¹³ “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I myself made a covenant with your fathers when ^(BP)I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, saying, ^14 (BQ)‘At the end of seven years each of you must set free the fellow Hebrew who has been sold to you and has served you six years; ^(BR)you must set him free from your service.’ But ^(BS)your fathers did not listen to me or incline their ears to me. ¹⁵ You recently repented and did what was right in my eyes ^(BT)by proclaiming liberty, each to his neighbor, and ^(BU)you made a covenant before me in the ^(BV)house that is called by my name, ¹⁶ but then you turned around ^(BW)and profaned my name when each of you took back his male and female slaves, ^(BX)whom you had set free according to their desire, and you brought them into subjection to be your slaves.

¹⁷ “Therefore, thus says the Lord: You have not obeyed me ^(BY)by proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother and to his neighbor; ^(BZ)behold, I proclaim to you liberty ^(CA)to the sword, to pestilence, and to famine, declares the Lord. ^(CB)I will make you a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. ¹⁸ And the men who transgressed my covenant and did not keep the terms of ^(CC)the covenant that they made before me, I will make them like^{[d] (CD)}the calf that they cut in two and passed between its parts— ¹⁹ the officials of Judah, the officials of Jerusalem, ^(CE)the eunuchs, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf. ²⁰ And I will give them into the hand of their enemies ^(CF)and into the hand of those who seek their lives. ^(CG)Their dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth. ²¹ And ^(CH)Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials I will give into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their lives, into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon ^(CI)which has withdrawn from you. ²² Behold, ^(CJ)I will command, declares the Lord, and will ^(CK)bring them back to this city. ^(CL)And they will fight against it and take it and burn it with fire. ^(CM)I will make the cities of Judah a desolation ^(CN)without inhabitant.”

I Will Sing of the Steadfast Love of the Lord

A Maskil^[a] of ^(A)Ethan the Ezrahite.