Jeremiah 5:20-31
New American Standard Bible 1995
20 “Declare this in the house of Jacob
And proclaim it in Judah, saying,
21 ‘Now hear this, O foolish and [a]senseless people,
Who have (A)eyes but do not see;
Who have ears but do not hear.
22 ‘Do you not (B)fear Me?’ declares the Lord.
‘Do you not tremble in My presence?
For I have (C)placed the sand as a boundary for the sea,
An eternal decree, so it cannot cross over it.
Though the waves toss, yet they cannot prevail;
Though they roar, yet they cannot cross over it.
23 ‘But this people has a (D)stubborn and rebellious heart;
They have turned aside and departed.
24 ‘They do not say in their heart,
“Let us now fear the Lord our God,
Who (E)gives rain in its season,
Both (F)the autumn rain and the spring rain,
Who keeps for us
The (G)appointed weeks of the harvest.”
25 ‘Your (H)iniquities have turned these away,
And your sins have withheld good from you.
26 ‘For wicked men are found among My people,
They (I)watch like fowlers [b]lying in wait;
They set a trap,
They catch men.
27 ‘Like a cage full of birds,
So their houses are full of (J)deceit;
Therefore they have become great and rich.
28 ‘They are (K)fat, they are sleek,
They also [c]excel in deeds of wickedness;
They do not plead the cause,
The cause of the [d](L)orphan, that they may prosper;
And they do not [e]defend the rights of the poor.
29 ‘(M)Shall I not punish [f]these people?’ declares the Lord,
‘On a nation such as this
Shall I not avenge Myself?’
30 “An appalling and (N)horrible thing
Has happened in the land:
31 The (O)prophets prophesy falsely,
And the priests rule [g]on their own authority;
And My people (P)love it so!
But what will you do at the end of it?
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 5:21 Lit without heart
- Jeremiah 5:26 Perhaps, crouching down
- Jeremiah 5:28 Lit pass over, or, overlook deeds
- Jeremiah 5:28 Or fatherless
- Jeremiah 5:28 Lit judge
- Jeremiah 5:29 Or for these things
- Jeremiah 5:31 Lit over their own hands
Jeremiah 6
New American Standard Bible 1995
Destruction of Jerusalem Impending
6 “Flee for safety, O sons of (A)Benjamin,
From the midst of Jerusalem!
Now blow a trumpet in Tekoa
And raise a signal over [a](B)Beth-haccerem;
For evil looks down from the (C)north,
And a great destruction.
2 “The comely and (D)dainty one, (E)the daughter of Zion, I will cut off.
3 “(F)Shepherds and their flocks will come to her,
They will (G)pitch their tents [b]around her,
They will pasture each in his [c]place.
4 “[d](H)Prepare war against her;
Arise, and let us [e]attack at (I)noon.
Woe to us, for the day declines,
For the shadows of the evening lengthen!
5 “Arise, and let us [f]attack by night
And (J)destroy her [g]palaces!”
6 For thus says the Lord of hosts,
“(K)Cut down her trees
And cast up a (L)siege against Jerusalem.
This is the city to be punished,
In whose midst there is only (M)oppression.
7 “(N)As a well [h]keeps its waters fresh,
So she [i]keeps fresh her wickedness.
(O)Violence and destruction are heard in her;
(P)Sickness and wounds are ever before Me.
8 “(Q)Be warned, O Jerusalem,
Or [j](R)I shall be alienated from you,
And make you a desolation,
A land not inhabited.”
9 Thus says the Lord of hosts,
“They will (S)thoroughly glean as the vine the (T)remnant of Israel;
Pass your hand again like a grape gatherer
Over the branches.”
10 To whom shall I speak and give warning
That they may hear?
Behold, their (U)ears are [k]closed
And they cannot listen.
Behold, (V)the word of the Lord has become a reproach to them;
They have no delight in it.
11 But I am (W)full of the wrath of the Lord;
I am (X)weary with holding it in.
“(Y)Pour it out on the children in the street
And on the [l]gathering of young men together;
For both husband and wife shall be taken,
The aged [m]and the very old.
12 “Their (Z)houses shall be turned over to others,
Their fields and their wives together;
For I will (AA)stretch out My hand
Against the inhabitants of the land,” declares the Lord.
13 “For (AB)from the least of them even to the greatest of them,
Everyone is (AC)greedy for gain,
And from the prophet even to the priest
Everyone [n]deals falsely.
14 “They have (AD)healed the brokenness of My people superficially,
Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
But there is no peace.
15 “Were they (AE)ashamed because of the abomination they have done?
They were not even ashamed at all;
They did not even know how to blush.
Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;
At the time that I punish them,
They shall be cast down,” says the Lord.
16 Thus says the Lord,
“Stand by the ways and see and ask for the (AF)ancient paths,
Where the good way is, and walk in it;
And (AG)you will find rest for your souls.
But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
17 “And I set (AH)watchmen over you, saying,
‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’
But they said, ‘We will not listen.’
18 “Therefore hear, O nations,
And know, O congregation, what is among them.
19 “(AI)Hear, O earth: behold, I am bringing disaster on this people,
The (AJ)fruit of their [o]plans,
Because they have not listened to My words,
And as for My law, they have (AK)rejected it also.
20 “(AL)For what purpose does (AM)frankincense come to Me from Sheba
And the [p](AN)sweet cane from a distant land?
(AO)Your burnt offerings are not acceptable
And your sacrifices are not pleasing to Me.”
21 Therefore, thus says the Lord,
“Behold, (AP)I am [q]laying stumbling blocks before this people.
And they will stumble against them,
(AQ)Fathers and sons together;
Neighbor and [r]friend will perish.”
The Enemy from the North
22 Thus says the Lord,
“Behold, (AR)a people is coming from the north land,
And a great nation will be aroused from the (AS)remote parts of the earth.
23 “They seize (AT)bow and spear;
They are (AU)cruel and have no mercy;
Their voice (AV)roars like the sea,
And they ride on horses,
Arrayed as a man for the battle
Against you, O daughter of Zion!”
24 We have (AW)heard the report of it;
Our hands are limp.
(AX)Anguish has seized us,
Pain as of a woman in childbirth.
25 (AY)Do not go out into the field
And (AZ)do not walk on the road,
For the enemy has a sword,
(BA)Terror is on every side.
26 O daughter of my people, (BB)put on sackcloth
And (BC)roll in ashes;
[s](BD)Mourn as for an only son,
A lamentation most bitter.
For suddenly the destroyer
Will come upon us.
27 “I have (BE)made you an assayer and a tester among My people,
That you may know and assay their way.”
28 All of them are stubbornly rebellious,
(BF)Going about as a talebearer.
They are (BG)bronze and iron;
They, all of them, are corrupt.
29 The bellows blow fiercely,
The lead is consumed by the fire;
In vain the refining goes on,
But the (BH)wicked are not [t]separated.
30 (BI)They call them rejected silver,
Because the (BJ)Lord has rejected them.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 6:1 I.e. house of the vineyard
- Jeremiah 6:3 Lit against her round about
- Jeremiah 6:3 Lit hand
- Jeremiah 6:4 Lit Sanctify
- Jeremiah 6:4 Lit go up
- Jeremiah 6:5 Lit go up
- Jeremiah 6:5 Or fortified towers
- Jeremiah 6:7 Lit keeps cold
- Jeremiah 6:7 Lit keeps cold
- Jeremiah 6:8 Lit my soul
- Jeremiah 6:10 Lit uncircumcised
- Jeremiah 6:11 Lit council
- Jeremiah 6:11 Lit with fullness of days
- Jeremiah 6:13 Or makes lies
- Jeremiah 6:19 Or devices
- Jeremiah 6:20 Lit good
- Jeremiah 6:21 Lit giving
- Jeremiah 6:21 Lit his friend
- Jeremiah 6:26 Lit Make for yourself mourning
- Jeremiah 6:29 Or drawn off
2 Kings 22:3-20
New American Standard Bible 1995
3 Now (A)in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, the king sent Shaphan, the son of Azaliah the son of Meshullam the scribe, to the house of the Lord saying, 4 “(B)Go up to Hilkiah the high priest that he may [a]count the money brought in to the house of the Lord which the doorkeepers have gathered from the people. 5 (C)Let them deliver it into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the Lord, and let them give it to the workmen who are in the house of the Lord to repair the [b]damages of the house, 6 to the carpenters and the builders and the masons and for buying timber and hewn stone to repair the house. 7 Only (D)no accounting shall be made with them for the money delivered into their hands, for they deal faithfully.”
The Lost Book
8 Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “(E)I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan who read it. 9 Shaphan the scribe came to the king and brought back word to the king and said, “Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the Lord.” 10 Moreover, Shaphan the scribe told the king saying, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it in the presence of the king.
11 When the king heard the words of the book of the law, (F)he tore his clothes. 12 Then the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, (G)Ahikam the son of Shaphan, [c](H)Achbor the son of Micaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant saying, 13 “Go, inquire of the Lord for me and the people and all Judah concerning the words of this book that has been found, for (I)great is the wrath of the Lord that burns against us, because our fathers have not listened to the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.”
Huldah Predicts
14 So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of [d](J)Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in the (K)Second Quarter); and they spoke to her. 15 She said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Tell the man who sent you to me, 16 thus says the Lord, “Behold, I (L)bring evil on this place and on its inhabitants, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read. 17 (M)Because they have forsaken Me and have burned incense to other gods that they might provoke Me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore My wrath burns against this place, and it shall not be quenched.”’ 18 But to (N)the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the Lord thus shall you say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel, “Regarding the words which you have heard, 19 (O)because your heart was tender and (P)you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants that they should become (Q)a desolation and a (R)curse, and you have (S)torn your clothes and wept before Me, I truly have heard you,” declares the Lord. 20 “Therefore, behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and (T)you will be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes will not see all the evil which I will bring on this place.”’” So they brought back word to the king.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 2 Kings 22:4 Or total
- 2 Kings 22:5 Lit breach
- 2 Kings 22:12 In 2 Chr 34:20, Abdon, son of Micah
- 2 Kings 22:14 In 2 Chr 34:22, Tokhath, son of Hasrah
2 Chronicles 34:8-28
New American Standard Bible 1995
Josiah Repairs the Temple
8 (A)Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah (B)an official of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the Lord his God. 9 They came to (C)Hilkiah the high priest and delivered the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites, the [a]doorkeepers, had collected [b]from (D)Manasseh and Ephraim, and from all the remnant of Israel, and from all Judah and Benjamin and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 Then they gave it into the hands of the workmen who had the oversight of the house of the Lord, and the workmen who were working in the house of the Lord [c]used it to restore and repair the house. 11 They in turn gave it to the carpenters and to the builders to buy quarried stone and timber for couplings and to make beams for the houses (E)which the kings of Judah had let go to ruin. 12 (F)The men did the work faithfully with foremen over them to supervise: Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites of the sons of Merari, Zechariah and Meshullam of the sons of the Kohathites, and (G)the Levites, all who were skillful with musical instruments. 13 They were also over (H)the burden bearers, and supervised all the workmen from job to job; and some of the Levites were scribes and officials and gatekeepers.
Hilkiah Discovers Lost Book of the Law
14 When they were bringing out the money which had been brought into the house of the Lord, (I)Hilkiah the priest found the book of the law of the Lord given by Moses. 15 Hilkiah responded and said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan. 16 Then Shaphan brought the book to the king and [d]reported further word to the king, saying, “Everything that was [e]entrusted to your servants they are doing. 17 They have also emptied out the money which was found in the house of the Lord, and have delivered it into the hands of the supervisors and the workmen.” 18 Moreover, Shaphan the scribe told the king saying, “Hilkiah the priest gave me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.
19 When the king heard (J)the words of the law, (K)he tore his clothes. 20 Then the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, [f]Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying, 21 “Go, inquire of the Lord for me and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book which has been found; for (L)great is the wrath of the Lord which is poured out on us because our fathers have not observed the word of the Lord, to do according to all that is written in this book.”
Huldah, the Prophetess, Speaks
22 So Hilkiah and those whom the king [g]had told went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of [h]Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, the keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter); and they spoke to her regarding this. 23 She said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Tell the man who sent you to Me, 24 thus says the Lord, “Behold, (M)I am bringing evil on this place and on its inhabitants, even all (N)the curses written in the book which they have read in the presence of the king of Judah. 25 (O)Because they have forsaken Me and have burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore My wrath will be poured out on this place and it shall not be quenched.”’ 26 But to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus you will say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel regarding the words which you have heard, 27 (P)Because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and because you humbled yourself before Me, tore your clothes and wept before Me, I truly have heard you,” declares the Lord. 28 Behold, I will gather you to your fathers and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, so your eyes will not see all the evil which I will bring on this place and on its inhabitants.”’” And they brought back word to the king.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 2 Chronicles 34:9 Lit guardians of the threshold
- 2 Chronicles 34:9 Lit from the hand of
- 2 Chronicles 34:10 Lit gave
- 2 Chronicles 34:16 Lit returned
- 2 Chronicles 34:16 Lit given into the hand of
- 2 Chronicles 34:20 In 2 Kin 22:12, Achbor, son of Micaiah
- 2 Chronicles 34:22 So with Gr
- 2 Chronicles 34:22 In 2 Kin 22:14 Tikvah, son of Harhas
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
