Old/New Testament
Jerusalem Is Surrounded
6 “·Run for your lives [Take refuge/shelter], ·people [L sons] of Benjamin!
·Run away [Take refuge/shelter] from Jerusalem!
Blow the ·war trumpet [ram’s horn] in the town of Tekoa [C about ten miles southeast of Jerusalem]!
Raise the warning flag over the town of Beth Hakkerem [C “House of Vineyards,” of uncertain location]!
·Disaster [Evil] is coming from the north [C Babylon];
terrible destruction is coming to you.
2 ·Jerusalem [L Daughter of Zion; C the location of the Temple], I ·will destroy you,
you who are fragile and gentle [or compare you to a delightful pasture].
3 Shepherds [C leaders of the attacking army] with their flocks will come against it [C Jerusalem].
They will set up their tents all around her,
each shepherd taking care of his own section.”
4 They say, “·Get ready to fight [L Consecrate yourselves for war; C against Jerusalem; ancient Near Eastern peoples performed religious rituals before battle]!
Get up! We will attack at noon!
·But it is already getting late [L Woe to us, for the day declines];
the evening shadows are growing long.
5 So get up! We will attack at night.
We will destroy ·the strong towers [L its palaces]!”
6 This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says:
“Cut down the trees [C around Jerusalem],
and ·build an attack ramp to the top of its walls [throw up a siege ramp].
This city must be punished.
Inside it is nothing but ·slavery [oppression]
7 Jerusalem ·pours out her evil [keeps its wickedness fresh]
as a well ·pours out its water [keeps its water fresh]
The sounds of violence and destruction are heard within her.
I can see the sickness and hurts ·of Jerusalem [always before me].
8 ·Listen to this warning [L Be instructed], Jerusalem,
or I will turn my back on you
and make your land an ·empty desert [L desolation]
where no one can live.”
9 This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says:
“·Gather [L Glean] the ·few people of Israel who are left alive [L remnant of Israel],
as ·you would gather the last grapes on a grapevine [L a vine; C Israel is often compared to a vine; Gen. 49:11–12, 22; Ps. 80:9–10; Is. 5:1–2].
·Check each vine again [L Return your hand over it again],
like ·someone who gathers grapes.”
10 To whom can I speak? Whom can I warn?
Who will listen to me?
·The people of Israel have closed ears [L Your ears have a foreskin; C are uncircumcised; a metaphor for not listening to God],
so they cannot ·hear my warnings [L pay attention].
·They don’t like the word of the Lord [L The word of the Lord is a reproach to them];
they ·don’t want to listen to it [L take no pleasure in it]!
11 But I am full of the anger of the Lord,
and I am ·tired [weary] of holding it in.
“Pour ·out my anger [L it out] on the children who play in the street
and on the young men gathered together.
A husband and his wife will both be caught in his anger,
as will the very old and ·aged [L full of years].
12 Their houses will be turned over to others,
along with their fields and wives,
because I will ·raise [L stretch out] my hand
·and punish [L against] the people of Judah,” says the Lord.
13 “Everyone, from the least important to the greatest,
is greedy for ·money [unjust gain].
Even the prophets and priests
all ·tell lies [act falsely; are deceptive].
14 They tried to heal my people’s ·serious injuries [fracture]
as if they were small wounds.
They said, ‘·It’s all right, it’s all right [L Peace, peace].’
But ·really, it is not all right [L there is no peace].
15 They should be ashamed of the ·terrible way they act [abominations they do],
but they are not ashamed at all.
They don’t even know how to blush [C about their sins].
So they will fall, along with ·everyone else [L those who fall].
They will ·be thrown to the ground [stumble] ·when [L at the time] I punish them,” says the Lord.
16 This is what the Lord says:
“Stand ·where the roads cross [at the crossroads] and look.
Ask where the ·old [eternal; enduring] way is [Deut. 32:7],
where the good way is, and walk on it.
If you do, you will find rest for ·yourselves [souls].
But they have said, ‘We will not ·walk on the good way [follow it].’
17 I set watchmen [C prophets] over you
and told you, ‘·Listen for [Pay attention to] the sound of the ·war trumpet [ram’s horn]!’
But they said, ‘We will not ·listen [pay attention].’
18 So listen, all you nations,
and ·pay attention [L know], you ·witnesses [assembly].
Watch what I will do to them [C the people of Judah].
19 Hear this, people of the earth:
I am going to bring ·disaster [trouble; evil] to this people [C of Judah]
because of the ·evil they plan [L the fruit of their plots].
They have not ·listened [paid attention] to my ·messages [words]
and have rejected my ·teachings [laws; instructions].
20 Why do you bring me offerings of ·incense [frankincense] from the land of Sheba [C unknown location, perhaps present-day Yemen, Eritrea, or Ethiopia; see 1 Kin. 10:1–13]?
Why do you bring me sweet-smelling cane from a faraway land?
Your burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–7] will not be accepted;
your sacrifices do not please me [Ps. 40:6–8; Mic. 6:6–8].”
21 So this is what the Lord says:
“I will put stumbling blocks [C problems] in front of this people [C Judah].
Fathers and sons will stumble over them together.
Neighbors and friends will ·die [perish].”
22 This is what the Lord says:
“Look, an ·army [people] is coming
from the land of the north [C Babylon];
a great nation is ·coming [L stirred up]
from the far sides of the earth.
23 ·The soldiers carry [L They grasp/seize] bows and ·spears [javelins].
They are ·cruel [fierce] and show no ·mercy [compassion].
They sound like the roaring ·ocean [sea; C symbol of chaos]
when they ride their horses.
That army is ·coming lined up [or equipped] for battle,
ready to attack you, ·Jerusalem [L daughter of Zion; C the location of the Temple].”
24 We have heard the news about ·that army [L them]
and ·are helpless from fear [L our hands grow limp].
We are gripped by our ·pain [distress],
like a woman ·having a baby [writhing in childbirth].
25 Don’t go out into the fields
or walk down the ·roads [paths],
because the enemy has swords.
There is terror on every side.
26 ·My people [L Daughter of my people], put on ·rough cloth [sackcloth; burlap]
and roll in the ashes [C mourning rituals].
·Cry loudly for those who are dead,
as if your only son were dead [L Make mourning/Wail for your only son, a bitter lamentation],
because the destroyer
will ·soon [or suddenly] come against us.
27 “I have made you [C Jeremiah] like a ·worker who tests metal [L tester and refiner/or fortress] among people [C who are like the ore].
You must ·observe [know] their ways
and test them.
28 All my people have ·turned [rebelled] against me and are stubborn.
They go around ·telling lies about others [slandering].
They are like bronze and iron [C rusted, not refined]
that act dishonestly.
29 The ·fire is fanned to make it hotter [bellows blow],
but the lead ·does not melt [is consumed by the fire].
·The pure metal does not come out [L The refining is in vain];
the evil is not removed from my people.
30 My people will be called rejected silver,
because the Lord has rejected them [Ezek. 22:17–22].”
Jeremiah’s Temple Message
7 This is the word that the Lord spoke to Jeremiah: 2 “Stand at the gate of the ·Temple [L house of God] and ·preach [proclaim] this ·message [L word] there:
“‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of the nation of Judah! All you who come through these gates to ·worship [bow down to] the Lord, listen to this message! 3 This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], the God of Israel, says: ·Change your lives and do what is right [L Reform/Amend your ways/paths and your deeds]! Then I will ·let you live [or live with you] in this place. 4 Don’t ·trust [put confidence in] ·the lies of people who say [L false words], “This is the Temple of the Lord. This is the Temple of the Lord. This is the Temple of the Lord [C presumptuously thinking that God will not destroy the city as long as his house is there]!” 5 You must ·change your lives and do what is right [L reform/amend your ways/paths and your deeds]. Be fair to each other. 6 You must not ·be hard on [oppress] ·strangers [resident aliens], orphans, and widows [Deut. 10:18]. Don’t ·kill [L spill the blood of] innocent people in this place! Don’t ·follow [L go after] other gods, or they will ·ruin [harm; hurt] your lives. 7 If you do these things, I will ·let you live [or live with you] in this land that I gave to your ·ancestors [fathers] ·to keep forever [L forever and ever].
8 “‘But look, you ·are trusting [have confidence in] ·lies [L false words], which is useless. 9 Will you steal and murder and be guilty of adultery? Will you falsely ·accuse other people [take oaths; swear]? Will you ·burn incense [make offerings] to the god Baal and ·follow [L go after] other gods you have not known? 10 If you do that, do you think you can come before me and stand in this ·place [L house] ·where I have chosen to be worshiped [L which is called by my name]? Do you think you can say, “We are safe!” when you do all these ·hateful things [abominations]? 11 This ·place [L house] ·where I have chosen to be worshiped [L that is called by my name] is nothing more to you than a ·hideout [den] for robbers [Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46]. I have been watching you, says the Lord.
12 “‘You people of Judah, go now to the town of Shiloh, where I ·first [formerly] made ·a place to be worshiped [L my name dwell]. See what I did to it because of the evil things the people of Israel had done. 13 You [C the people of Judah] have done all these evil things too, says the Lord. I spoke to you again and again, but you did not listen to me. I called you, but you did not answer. 14 So I will destroy the ·place [L house] ·where I have chosen to be worshiped in Jerusalem [which is called by my name]. You ·trust [have confidence] in that place, which I gave to you and your ·ancestors [fathers], but I will destroy it just as I destroyed Shiloh [1 Sam. 4:1–22; Ps. 78:60–64]. 15 I will ·push you [throw you] away from me just as I ·pushed [threw] away your ·relatives [L brothers], the people of Israel [L all the seed of Ephraim; C the dominant tribe of the northern kingdom of Israel, exiled by the Assyrians in 722 bc]!’
16 “As for you [C Jeremiah], don’t pray for these people. Don’t cry out for them or ask anything for them or ·beg me to help them [intercede with me], because I will not listen to you. 17 Don’t you see what they are doing in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The children gather wood, and the fathers use the wood to make a fire. The women ·make [knead] the dough for cakes of bread, and they offer them to the Queen ·Goddess [L of Heaven; C probably Ishtar or Asherah, important goddesses of the surrounding cultures; 44:17–18]. They pour out drink offerings to other gods to make me angry. 19 But ·I am not the one [L is it I whom…?] the people of Judah are really hurting, says the Lord. ·They are [L Are they not…?] only hurting themselves and bringing ·shame [humiliation] upon themselves.
20 “‘So this is what the Lord God says: I will pour out my anger and wrath on this place, on people and animals, on the trees in the field and the ·crops in the [L fruit of the] ground. My anger will not be ·put out [extinguished; C like a fire].
Obedience Is More than Sacrifice
21 “‘This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], the God of Israel, says: ·Offer [L Add your] burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] along with your other sacrifices, and eat the ·meat [L flesh] yourselves [C it was forbidden to eat the meat of the burnt offering]! 22 When I brought your ·ancestors [fathers] out of Egypt, I did not speak to them and give them commands only about burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] and sacrifices. 23 I also ·gave them this command [L commanded this word]: ·Obey me [L Listen to my voice], and I will be your God and you will be my people. ·Do all that I command [L Walk in my way/path] so that ·good things will happen to you [things might be well with you]. 24 But your ·ancestors [fathers] did not listen or ·pay attention [L bend their ear] to me. They were stubborn in their evil hearts and ·did whatever they wanted [L walked in their own counsels]. They went backward, not forward. 25 Since the day your ·ancestors [fathers] left Egypt until today, I have sent my servants, the prophets, again and again to you. 26 But your ·ancestors [fathers] did not listen or ·pay attention [L bend the ear] to me. ·They were very stubborn [L Their necks were stiff] and they did more evil than their ·ancestors [fathers].’
27 “You [C Jeremiah] will tell all these ·things [words] to them [C the people of Judah], but they will not listen to you. You will ·call [preach; proclaim] to them, but they will not answer you. 28 So say to them, ‘This is the nation that has not ·obeyed [L listened to the voice of] the Lord its God. These people do ·nothing when I correct them [L not accept the discipline/instruction]. ·They do not tell the truth [L The truth perishes]; it ·has disappeared from their lips [L is cut off from their mouths].
The Valley of Killing
29 “‘Cut off your hair [C the Hebrew phrase suggests a Nazirite vow and thus consecrated hair; Num. 6:5] and throw it away. Go up to the bare hilltop [3:2] and ·cry out [lament], because the Lord has rejected these people. He has turned his back on ·them, and in his anger will punish them [L the generation that enrages him]. 30 The ·people [descendants; sons] of Judah have done ·what I said was evil [L evil in my eyes], says the Lord. They have set up their ·hateful [loathsome; abominable] idols in the ·place where I have chosen to be worshiped [L house that is called by my name] and have made it ·unclean [defiled; C in a ritual sense]. 31 The people of Judah have built ·places of worship [L high places; C sites associated with pagan worship or inappropriate worship of God; Deut. 12] at Topheth in the Valley of Ben Hinnom [2 Kin. 23:10–11]. There they burned their own sons and daughters as sacrifices, something I never commanded. It never even entered my ·mind [L heart; Lev. 18:21; Deut. 12:31; 18:10]. 32 So, I warn you. The days are coming, says the Lord, when people will not call this place Topheth [C “Spit”] or the Valley of Ben Hinnom anymore. They will call it the Valley of ·Killing [Slaughter]. They will bury the dead in Topheth until there is no room to bury anyone else [19:1–15]. 33 Then the ·bodies of the dead [corpses] will become food for the birds of the ·sky [heavens] and for the ·wild animals [L animals of the earth]. There will be no one ·left alive to chase [L to frighten] them away. 34 I will end the happy sounds of the bride and bridegroom. There will be no happy sounds in the cities of Judah or in the streets of Jerusalem, because the land will become an empty desert!
8 “‘The Lord says: At that time they will ·remove [L bring out] from their tombs the bones of Judah’s kings and ·officers [princes], priests and prophets, and the ·people [inhabitants] of Jerusalem. 2 The bones will be spread on the ground under the sun, moon, and ·stars [L the hosts of heaven] that the people loved and served and went after and searched for and ·worshiped [bowed down to]. No one will gather up the bones and bury them. So they will be like dung on the ground. 3 ·I will force the people of Judah to leave their homes and their land. Those of this evil family who are not dead will wish they were [L Death will be preferred to life by all the remnant of those who remain from this evil clan in all the places where I have driven them], says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts].’
Sin and Punishment
4 “Say to them [C the people of Judah]: ‘This is what the Lord says:
When people fall down, don’t they get up again?
And when someone goes the wrong way, doesn’t he turn back?
5 Why, then, have the people of Jerusalem gone the wrong way
and not turned back?
They ·believe their own lies [persisted in deceit/treachery]
and refuse to turn back.
6 I have ·listened to them very carefully [paid attention and listened],
but they do not say what is ·right [honest].
They do not ·feel sorry about their wicked ways [L repent of evil],
saying, “What have I done?”
Each person ·goes his own way [runs his course],
like a horse ·charging [plunging] into a battle.
7 Even the storks in the ·sky [heavens]
know ·the right times to do things [their appointed times].
The ·doves [turtledoves], ·swifts [or swallows], and ·thrushes [or cranes]
·know [observe] when it is time to ·migrate [return].
But my people don’t know
·what the Lord wants them to do [L the ordinances/judgments of the Lord].
8 “‘·You keep saying [L How can you say…?], “We are wise,
·because we have the teachings of the Lord [L and the teachings/laws/instructions of the Lord are with us].”
But actually, ·those who explain the Scriptures
have written lies with their pens [L the false pens of the scribes have made it a lie].
9 These wise teachers ·refused to listen to [L rejected] the word of the Lord,
so ·they are not really wise at all [L what wisdom is in them?].
They will be ·ashamed [humiliated].
They will be ·shocked [stunned; astonished] and trapped.
10 So I will give their wives to other men
and their fields to ·new owners [or conquerors].
Everyone, from the least important to the greatest,
is greedy for ·money [unjust gain].
Even the prophets and priests
all ·tell lies [act falsely; are deceptive; 6:13].
11 They tried to heal my people’s ·serious injuries [fracture]
as if they were small wounds.
They said, “·It’s all right, it’s all right [L Peace, peace].”
But ·really, it is not all right [L there is no peace; 6:14].
12 They should be ashamed of the ·terrible way they act [abominations they do],
but they are not ashamed at all.
They don’t even know how to blush [C about their sins].
So they will fall, along with ·everyone else [L those who fall].
They will ·be thrown to the ground [stumble] ·when [L at the time] I punish them, says the Lord [6:15].
13 “‘I will ·take away their crops [L gather them; or bring an end to them], says the Lord.
There will be no grapes on the vine
and no figs on the fig tree.
Even the leaves will dry up.
I will take away what I gave them.’”
14 “Why are we just sitting here?
Let’s ·get [gather] together!
We have sinned against the Lord,
so he has given us poisoned water to drink.
Come, let’s ·run [L go] to the ·strong, walled [fortified] cities.
The Lord our God has ·decided that we must die [doomed us],
so let’s ·die [meet our doom] there.
15 We hoped to have peace,
but ·nothing good has come [L there is none].
We hoped for a time when he would heal us,
but only terror has come.
16 From the land of Dan [C in the far north of Israel, the direction from which the Babylonians attacked],
the snorting of its [C the enemy’s] horses is heard.
The ·ground [earth] shakes from the neighing of their ·large horses [stallions].
They have come and ·destroyed [L consumed]
the land and everything in it,
the city and all ·who live there [its inhabitants].”
17 “Look! I am sending poisonous snakes [C to attack you].
These ·snakes [vipers] cannot be charmed,
and they will bite you,” says the Lord.
Jeremiah’s Sadness
18 God, ·you are my comfort when I am very sad [L my cheerfulness is gone; grief has come on me]
and ·when I am afraid [L my heart is sick].
19 Listen to the ·sound [L cry of distress] of ·my people [L the daughter of my people].
They cry from a faraway land:
“Isn’t the Lord still in ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple]?
Isn’t ·Jerusalem’s [L its] king still there?”
But God says, “Why did the people make me angry ·by worshiping idols [L with their images],
useless foreign idols?”
20 And the people say, “Harvest time is over;
summer has ended,
and we have not been ·saved [rescued].”
21 Because my people are ·crushed [broken; fractured], I am ·crushed [broken; fractured].
I ·cry loudly [mourn; lament; wail] and ·am afraid for them [L horror has seized me].
22 Isn’t there balm [C the resin of the storax tree used as medicine] in the land of Gilead [C southern section of the Transjordan region]?
Isn’t there a doctor there?
So why ·aren’t the hurts of my people healed [L is there no new skin on the wound of the daughter of my people]?
Rules for Living with Others
5 Do not ·speak angrily to [rebuke; speak harshly to] an older man, but ·plead with [exhort; encourage] him as if he were your father. Treat younger men like brothers, 2 older women like mothers, and younger women like sisters. ·Always treat them in a pure way [L …with complete purity].
3 ·Take care of [Provide support for; or Honor; Show respect to; C both honor and financial help are likely in mind] widows who are truly widows. 4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to ·do their duty to [or practice their piety/godliness toward] their own ·family [household] and to repay their parents or grandparents. [L For] That pleases God. 5 The true widow, who is all alone, puts her hope in God and continues ·to pray night and day for God’s help [L in petitions and prayers night and day]. 6 But the widow who ·uses her life to please herself [lives in luxury; is self-indulgent] is really dead while she is alive. 7 ·Tell [Command; Instruct] the believers to do these things so that ·no one can criticize them [they may be blameless/above reproach]. 8 Whoever does not care for his ·own relatives [L own], especially his own family members, has ·turned against [denied; rejected] the faith and is worse than ·someone who does not believe in God [L an unbeliever].
9 To be on the list of widows [C probably a list of those widows who received regular support from the church], a woman must be at least sixty years old. She must have been ·faithful to her husband [or married only once; or the wife of one husband]. 10 She must be known for her good works—works such as raising her children, ·welcoming strangers [practicing hospitality], washing the feet of ·God’s people [T the saints], helping those in ·trouble [distress; hardship], and ·giving [devoting] her life to do all kinds of good deeds.
11 But do not put younger widows on that list. After they give themselves to Christ, they are pulled away from him by their physical desires, and then they want to marry again. 12 They will be judged for ·not doing what they first promised to do [breaking/despising their first pledge]. 13 Besides that, they learn to ·waste their time [be idle], going from house to house. And they not only ·waste their time [are idlers] but also begin to gossip and ·busy themselves with other people’s lives [become busybodies/meddlers], saying things they should not say. 14 So I want the younger widows to marry, have children, and manage their homes. Then ·no enemy will [or the adversary will not; C Satan] have any ·reason [or opportunity] ·to criticize them [or for maligning/slandering (us/them)]. 15 But some have already ·turned [wandered; strayed] away to follow Satan.
16 If any woman who is a believer has widows in her family, she should ·care for [provide support for] them herself. The church should not ·have to care for them [L carry this burden]. Then it will be able to ·take care of [support] those who are truly widows.
17 The elders who lead the church well should receive ·double honor [or both honor and remuneration; C probably includes both respect and financial support; see v. 3], especially those who work hard by ·speaking [preaching] and teaching, 18 because the Scripture says: “When an ox is ·working in the grain [threshing], do not ·cover its mouth to keep it from eating [muzzle it; Deut. 25:4],” and “A worker ·should be given his pay [deserves his wages; T is worthy of his hire; Luke 10:7].”
19 Do not listen to someone who accuses an elder, without two or three witnesses [Deut. 19:15]. 20 ·Reprimand [Rebuke] those who continue sinning. Do this in front of the whole church so that the others will ·have a warning [L fear; or show reverence].
21 Before God and Christ Jesus and the ·chosen [elect] angels, I ·command [solemnly charge] you to ·do [keep; guard] these things without ·taking sides [prejudice] or showing favoritism of any kind.
22 ·Think carefully before you [L Do not quickly/hastily] ·appoint someone to leadership [L lay your hands on anyone; 4:14; C a way of dedicating someone to Christian service], and don’t share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.
23 Stop drinking only water, but drink a little wine to help your stomach and your frequent sicknesses.
24 The sins of some people are ·easy to see [obvious; evident] ·even before they are judged [or arriving at the judgment before they do; or preceding them into court; L going before them to judgment], but the sins of others ·are seen only later [arrive later; L follow after]. 25 So also good deeds are ·easy to see [obvious; evident], but even those that are not easily seen cannot stay hidden [C since they will be revealed on judgment day].
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