Jeremiah 1

New International Version

1 The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathoth^(A) in the territory of Benjamin. ²The word of the Lord came^(B) to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah^(C) son of Amon king of Judah, ³and through the reign of Jehoiakim^(D) son of Josiah king of Judah, down to the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah^(E) son of Josiah king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.^(F)

The Call of Jeremiah

⁴The word of the Lord came to me, saying,

⁵“Before I formed you in the womb^(G) I knew^[a]^(H) you,
before you were born^(I) I set you apart;^(J)
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.^(K)”

⁶“Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak;^(L) I am too young.”^(M)

⁷But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. ⁸Do not be afraid^(N) of them, for I am with you^(O) and will rescue^(P) you,” declares the Lord.^(Q)

⁹Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched^(R) my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth.^(S) ¹⁰See, today I appoint you over nations^(T) and kingdoms to uproot^(U) and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”^(V)

¹¹The word of the Lord came to me: “What do you see, Jeremiah?”^(W)

“I see the branch of an almond tree,” I replied.

¹²The Lord said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching^[b]^(X) to see that my word is fulfilled.”

¹³The word of the Lord came to me again: “What do you see?”^(Y)

“I see a pot that is boiling,” I answered. “It is tilting toward us from the north.”

¹⁴The Lord said to me, “From the north^(Z) disaster will be poured out on all who live in the land. ¹⁵I am about to summon all the peoples of the northern kingdoms,” declares the Lord.

“Their kings will come and set up their thrones
    in the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem;
they will come against all her surrounding walls
    and against all the towns of Judah.^(AA)
¹⁶I will pronounce my judgments^(AB) on my people
    because of their wickedness^(AC) in forsaking me,^(AD)
in burning incense to other gods^(AE)
    and in worshiping^(AF) what their hands have made.^(AG)

¹⁷“Get yourself ready! Stand up and say^(AH) to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified^(AI) by them, or I will terrify you before them. ¹⁸Today I have made you^(AJ) a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. ¹⁹They will fight against you but will not overcome^(AK) you, for I am with you^(AL) and will rescue^(AM) you,” declares the Lord.

Footnotes

Jeremiah 1:5 Or chose
Jeremiah 1:12 The Hebrew for watching sounds like the Hebrew for almond tree.

Jeremiah 2

New International Version

Israel Forsakes God

2 The word^(A) of the Lord came to me: ²“Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem:

“This is what the Lord says:

“‘I remember the devotion of your youth,^(B)
    how as a bride you loved me
and followed me through the wilderness,^(C)
    through a land not sown.
³Israel was holy^(D) to the Lord,^(E)
    the firstfruits^(F) of his harvest;
all who devoured^(G) her were held guilty,^(H)
    and disaster overtook them,’”
declares the Lord.

⁴Hear the word of the Lord, you descendants of Jacob,
all you clans of Israel.

⁵This is what the Lord says:

“What fault did your ancestors find in me,
    that they strayed so far from me?
They followed worthless idols^(I)
    and became worthless^(J) themselves.
⁶They did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord,
    who brought us up out of Egypt^(K)
and led us through the barren wilderness,
    through a land of deserts^(L) and ravines,^(M)
a land of drought and utter darkness,
    a land where no one travels^(N) and no one lives?’
⁷I brought you into a fertile land
    to eat its fruit and rich produce.^(O)
But you came and defiled my land
    and made my inheritance detestable.^(P)
⁸The priests did not ask,
    ‘Where is the Lord?’
Those who deal with the law did not know me;^(Q)
    the leaders^(R) rebelled against me.
The prophets prophesied by Baal,^(S)
    following worthless idols.^(T)

⁹“Therefore I bring charges^(U) against you again,”
declares the Lord.
    “And I will bring charges against your children’s children.
¹⁰Cross over to the coasts of Cyprus^(V) and look,
    send to Kedar^[a]^(W) and observe closely;
    see if there has ever been anything like this:
¹¹Has a nation ever changed its gods?
    (Yet they are not gods^(X) at all.)
But my people have exchanged their glorious^(Y) God
    for worthless idols.
¹²Be appalled at this, you heavens,
    and shudder with great horror,”
declares the Lord.
¹³“My people have committed two sins:
They have forsaken^(Z) me,
    the spring of living water,^(AA)
and have dug their own cisterns,
    broken cisterns that cannot hold water.
¹⁴Is Israel a servant, a slave^(AB) by birth?
    Why then has he become plunder?
¹⁵Lions^(AC) have roared;
    they have growled at him.
They have laid waste^(AD) his land;
    his towns are burned^(AE) and deserted.^(AF)
¹⁶Also, the men of Memphis^(AG) and Tahpanhes^(AH)
    have cracked your skull.
¹⁷Have you not brought this on yourselves^(AI)
    by forsaking^(AJ) the Lord your God
    when he led you in the way?
¹⁸Now why go to Egypt^(AK)
    to drink water from the Nile^[b]?^(AL)
And why go to Assyria^(AM)
    to drink water from the Euphrates?^(AN)
¹⁹Your wickedness will punish you;
    your backsliding^(AO) will rebuke^(AP) you.
Consider then and realize
    how evil and bitter^(AQ) it is for you
when you forsake^(AR) the Lord your God
    and have no awe^(AS) of me,”
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

²⁰“Long ago you broke off your yoke^(AT)
    and tore off your bonds;^(AU)
    you said, ‘I will not serve you!’^(AV)
Indeed, on every high hill^(AW)
    and under every spreading tree^(AX)
    you lay down as a prostitute.^(AY)
²¹I had planted^(AZ) you like a choice vine^(BA)
    of sound and reliable stock.
How then did you turn against me
    into a corrupt,^(BB) wild vine?
²²Although you wash^(BC) yourself with soap^(BD)
    and use an abundance of cleansing powder,
    the stain of your guilt is still before me,”
declares the Sovereign Lord.^(BE)
²³“How can you say, ‘I am not defiled;^(BF)
    I have not run after the Baals’?^(BG)
See how you behaved in the valley;^(BH)
    consider what you have done.
You are a swift she-camel
    running^(BI) here and there,
²⁴a wild donkey^(BJ) accustomed to the desert,^(BK)
    sniffing the wind in her craving—
    in her heat who can restrain her?
Any males that pursue her need not tire themselves;
    at mating time they will find her.
²⁵Do not run until your feet are bare
    and your throat is dry.
But you said, ‘It’s no use!^(BL)
    I love foreign gods,^(BM)
    and I must go after them.’^(BN)

²⁶“As a thief is disgraced^(BO) when he is caught,
    so the people of Israel are disgraced—
they, their kings and their officials,
    their priests^(BP) and their prophets.^(BQ)
²⁷They say to wood,^(BR) ‘You are my father,’
    and to stone,^(BS) ‘You gave me birth.’
They have turned their backs^(BT) to me
    and not their faces;^(BU)
yet when they are in trouble,^(BV) they say,
    ‘Come and save^(BW) us!’
²⁸Where then are the gods^(BX) you made for yourselves?
    Let them come if they can save you
    when you are in trouble!^(BY)
For you, Judah, have as many gods
    as you have towns.^(BZ)

²⁹“Why do you bring charges against me?
    You have all^(CA) rebelled against me,”
declares the Lord.
³⁰“In vain I punished your people;
    they did not respond to correction.^(CB)
Your sword has devoured your prophets^(CC)
    like a ravenous lion.

³¹“You of this generation, consider the word of the Lord:

“Have I been a desert to Israel
    or a land of great darkness?^(CD)
Why do my people say, ‘We are free to roam;
    we will come to you no more’?^(CE)
³²Does a young woman forget her jewelry,
    a bride her wedding ornaments?
Yet my people have forgotten^(CF) me,
    days without number.
³³How skilled you are at pursuing^(CG) love!
    Even the worst of women can learn from your ways.
³⁴On your clothes is found
    the lifeblood^(CH) of the innocent poor,
    though you did not catch them breaking in.^(CI)
Yet in spite of all this
³⁵    you say, ‘I am innocent;^(CJ)
    he is not angry with me.’
But I will pass judgment^(CK) on you
    because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’^(CL)
³⁶Why do you go about so much,
    changing^(CM) your ways?
You will be disappointed by Egypt^(CN)
    as you were by Assyria.
³⁷You will also leave that place
    with your hands on your head,^(CO)
for the Lord has rejected those you trust;
    you will not be helped^(CP) by them.

Footnotes

Jeremiah 2:10 In the Syro-Arabian desert
Jeremiah 2:18 Hebrew Shihor; that is, a branch of the Nile

John 10

New International Version

The Good Shepherd and His Sheep

10 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.^(A) ²The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.^(B) ³The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice.^(C) He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.^(D) ⁴When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.^(E) ⁵But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” ⁶Jesus used this figure of speech,^(F) but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.^(G)

⁷Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am^(H) the gate^(I) for the sheep. ⁸All who have come before me^(J) are thieves and robbers,^(K) but the sheep have not listened to them. ⁹I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.^[a] They will come in and go out, and find pasture. ¹⁰The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life,^(L) and have it to the full.^(M)

¹¹“I am^(N) the good shepherd.^(O) The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.^(P) ¹²The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away.^(Q) Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. ¹³The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

¹⁴“I am the good shepherd;^(R) I know my sheep^(S) and my sheep know me— ¹⁵just as the Father knows me and I know the Father^(T)—and I lay down my life for the sheep.^(U) ¹⁶I have other sheep^(V) that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock^(W) and one shepherd.^(X) ¹⁷The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life^(Y)—only to take it up again. ¹⁸No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.^(Z) I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”^(AA)

¹⁹The Jews who heard these words were again divided.^(AB) ²⁰Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed^(AC) and raving mad.^(AD) Why listen to him?”

²¹But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon.^(AE) Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”^(AF)

Further Conflict Over Jesus’ Claims

²²Then came the Festival of Dedication^[b] at Jerusalem. It was winter, ²³and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade.^(AG) ²⁴The Jews^(AH) who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”^(AI)

²⁵Jesus answered, “I did tell you,^(AJ) but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me,^(AK) ²⁶but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.^(AL) ²⁷My sheep listen to my voice; I know them,^(AM) and they follow me.^(AN) ²⁸I give them eternal life,^(AO) and they shall never perish;^(AP) no one will snatch them out of my hand.^(AQ) ²⁹My Father, who has given them to me,^(AR) is greater than all^[c];^(AS) no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. ³⁰I and the Father are one.”^(AT)

³¹Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him,^(AU) ³²but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”

³³“We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”^(AV)

³⁴Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law,^(AW) ‘I have said you are “gods”’^[d]?^(AX) ³⁵If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God^(AY) came—and Scripture cannot be set aside^(AZ)— ³⁶what about the one whom the Father set apart^(BA) as his very own^(BB) and sent into the world?^(BC) Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?^(BD) ³⁷Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father.^(BE) ³⁸But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”^(BF) ³⁹Again they tried to seize him,^(BG) but he escaped their grasp.^(BH)

⁴⁰Then Jesus went back across the Jordan^(BI) to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, ⁴¹and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a sign,^(BJ) all that John said about this man was true.”^(BK) ⁴²And in that place many believed in Jesus.^(BL)

Footnotes

John 10:9 Or kept safe
John 10:22 That is, Hanukkah
John 10:29 Many early manuscripts What my Father has given me is greater than all
John 10:34 Psalm 82:6