Old/New Testament
The Superscription
1 The following is a record of what Jeremiah son of Hilkiah prophesied.[a] He was one of the priests who lived at Anathoth in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 The Lord’s[b] message came to him[c] in the thirteenth year that Josiah son of Amon ruled over Judah. 3 It also came in the days of Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, king of Judah, and continued until the eleventh year of Zedekiah, son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the people of Jerusalem were taken into exile in the fifth month of that year.[d]
Jeremiah’s Call and Commission
4 The Lord’s message came to me,
5 “Before I formed you in your mother’s womb[e] I chose you.[f]
Before you were born I set you apart.
I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations.”
6 I answered, “Oh, Sovereign Lord,[g] Really[h] I do not know how to speak well enough for that,[i] for I am too young.”[j] 7 The Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ But go[k] to whomever I send you and say whatever I tell you. 8 Do not be afraid of those to whom I send you,[l] for I will be with you to protect[m] you,” says the Lord. 9 Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I will most assuredly give you the words you are to speak for me.[n] 10 Know for certain that[o] I hereby give you the authority to announce to nations and kingdoms that they will be[p] uprooted and torn down, destroyed and demolished, rebuilt and firmly planted.”[q]
Visions Confirming Jeremiah’s Call and Commission
11 Later the Lord’s message came to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I answered, “I see a branch of an almond tree.” 12 Then the Lord said, “You have observed correctly. This means[r] I am watching to make sure my threats are carried out.”[s]
13 The Lord’s message came to me a second time, “What do you see?” I answered, “I see a pot of boiling water; it is tipped away from the north.”[t] 14 Then the Lord said, “From the north[u] destruction will break out on all who live in the land. 15 For I will soon summon all the peoples of the kingdoms of the north,” says the Lord. “They will come and their kings will set up their thrones[v] near the entrances of the gates of Jerusalem. They will attack all the walls surrounding it and all the towns in Judah.[w] 16 In this way[x] I will pass sentence[y] on the people of Jerusalem and Judah[z] because of all their wickedness. For they rejected me and offered sacrifices to other gods, worshiping what they made with their own hands.[aa]
17 “But you, Jeremiah,[ab] get yourself ready![ac] Go and tell these people everything I instruct you to say. Do not be terrified of them, or I will give you good reason to be terrified of them.[ad] 18 I, the Lord,[ae] hereby promise to make you[af] as strong as a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall. You will be able to stand up against all who live in[ag] the land, including the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and all the people of the land. 19 They will attack you but they will not be able to overcome you, for I will be with you to rescue you,” says the Lord.
The Lord Recalls Israel’s Earlier Faithfulness
2 The Lord’s message came to me, 2 “Go and declare in the hearing of the people of Jerusalem: ‘This is what the Lord says: “I have fond memories of you,[ah] how devoted you were to me in your early years.[ai] I remember how you loved me like a new bride; you followed me through the wilderness, through a land that had never been planted. 3 Israel was set apart to the Lord; they were like the firstfruits of a harvest to him.[aj] All who tried to devour them were punished; disaster came upon them,” says the Lord.’”
The Lord Reminds Them of the Unfaithfulness of Their Ancestors
4 Now listen to the Lord’s message, you descendants[ak] of Jacob,
all you family groups from the nation[al] of Israel.
5 This is what the Lord says:
“What fault could your ancestors[am] have possibly found in me
that they strayed so far from me?[an]
They paid allegiance to[ao] worthless idols, and so became worthless to me.[ap]
6 They did not ask,
‘Where is the Lord who delivered us out of Egypt,
who brought us through the wilderness,
through a land of valleys and gorges,[aq]
through a land of desert and deep darkness,[ar]
through a land in which no one travels,
and where no one lives?’[as]
7 I brought you[at] into a fertile land
so you could enjoy[au] its fruits and its rich bounty.
But when you entered my land, you defiled it;[av]
you made the land I call my own[aw] loathsome to me.
8 Your priests[ax] did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord?’[ay]
Those responsible for teaching my law[az] did not really know me.[ba]
Your rulers rebelled against me.
Your prophets prophesied in the name of the god Baal.[bb]
They all worshiped idols that could not help them.[bc]
The Lord Charges Contemporary Israel with Spiritual Adultery
9 “So, once more I will state my case[bd] against you,” says the Lord.
“I will also state it against your children and grandchildren.[be]
10 Go west[bf] across the sea to the coasts of Cyprus[bg] and see.
Send someone east to Kedar[bh] and have them look carefully.
See if such a thing as this has ever happened:
11 Has a nation ever changed its gods
(even though they are not really gods at all)?
But my people have exchanged me, their glorious God,[bi]
for a god that cannot help them at all![bj]
12 Be amazed at this, O heavens.[bk]
Be shocked and utterly dumbfounded,”
says the Lord.
13 “Do so because my people have committed a double wrong:
They have rejected me,
the fountain of life-giving water,[bl]
and they have dug cisterns for themselves,
cracked cisterns that cannot even hold water.
Israel’s Reliance on Foreign Alliances (not on God)
14 “Israel is not a slave, is he?
He was not born into slavery, was he?[bm]
If not, why then is he being carried off?
15 Like lions his enemies roar victoriously over him;
they raise their voices in triumph.[bn]
They have laid his land waste;
his cities have been burned down and deserted.[bo]
16 Even the soldiers[bp] from Memphis and Tahpanhes
have cracked your skulls, people of Israel.[bq]
17 You have brought all this on yourself, Israel,[br]
by deserting the Lord your God when he was leading you along the right path.[bs]
18 What good will it do you[bt] then[bu] to go down to Egypt
to seek help from the Egyptians?[bv]
What good will it do you[bw] to go over to Assyria
to seek help from the Assyrians?[bx]
19 Your own wickedness will bring about your punishment.
Your unfaithful acts will bring down discipline on you.[by]
Know, then, and realize how utterly harmful[bz]
it was for you to reject me, the Lord your God,[ca]
to show no respect for me,”[cb]
says the Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies.[cc]
The Lord Expresses His Exasperation at Judah’s Persistent Idolatry
20 “Indeed,[cd] long ago you threw off my authority
and refused to be subject to me.[ce]
You said, ‘I will not serve you.’[cf]
Instead, you gave yourself to other gods on every high hill
and under every green tree,
like a prostitute sprawls out before her lovers.[cg]
21 I planted you in the land
like a special vine of the very best stock.
Why in the world have you turned into something like a wild vine
that produces rotten, foul-smelling grapes?[ch]
22 You can try to wash away your guilt with a strong detergent.
You can use as much soap as you want.
But the stain of your guilt is still there for me to see,”[ci]
says the Sovereign Lord.[cj]
23 “How can you say, ‘I have not made myself unclean.
I have not paid allegiance to[ck] the gods called Baal.’
Just look at the way you have behaved in the Valley of Hinnom![cl]
Think about the things you have done there!
You are like a flighty, young female camel
that rushes here and there, crisscrossing its path.[cm]
24 You are like a wild female donkey brought up in the wilderness.
In her lust she sniffs the wind to get the scent of a male.[cn]
No one can hold her back when she is in heat.
None of the males need wear themselves out chasing after her.
At mating time she is easy to find.[co]
25 Do not chase after other gods until your shoes wear out
and your throats become dry.[cp]
But you say, ‘It is useless for you to try and stop me
because I love those foreign gods[cq] and want to pursue them!’
26 Just as a thief has to suffer dishonor when he is caught,
so the people of Israel[cr] will suffer dishonor for what they have done.[cs]
So will their kings and officials,
their priests and their prophets.
27 They say to a wooden idol,[ct] ‘You are my father.’
They say to a stone image, ‘You gave birth to me.’[cu]
Yes, they have turned away from me instead of turning to me.[cv]
Yet when they are in trouble, they say, ‘Come and save us!’
28 But where are the gods you made for yourselves?
Let them save you when you are in trouble.
The sad fact is that[cw] you have as many gods
as you have towns, Judah.
29 Why do you try to refute me?[cx]
All of you have rebelled against me,”
says the Lord.
30 “It did no good for me to punish your people.
They did not respond to such correction.
You slaughtered your prophets
like a voracious lion.[cy]
31 You people of this generation,
listen to the Lord’s message:
“Have I been like a wilderness to you, Israel?
Have I been like a dark and dangerous land to you?[cz]
Why then do you[da] say, ‘We are free to wander.[db]
We will not come to you anymore?’
32 Does a young woman forget to put on her jewels?
Does a bride forget to put on her bridal attire?
But my people have forgotten me
for more days than can even be counted.
33 “My, how good you have become
at chasing after your lovers![dc]
Why, you could even teach prostitutes a thing or two![dd]
34 Even your clothes are stained with
the lifeblood of the poor who had not done anything wrong;
you did not catch them breaking into your homes.[de]
Yet, in spite of all these things you have done,[df]
35 you say, ‘I have not done anything wrong,
so the Lord cannot really be angry with me any more.’
But, watch out![dg] I will bring down judgment on you
because you say, ‘I have not committed any sin.’
36 Why do you constantly go about[dh]
changing your political allegiances?[di]
You will get no help from Egypt
just as you got no help from Assyria.[dj]
37 Moreover, you will come away from Egypt
with your hands covering your faces in sorrow and shame[dk]
because the Lord will not allow your reliance on them to be successful
and you will not gain any help from them.[dl]
Qualifications for Overseers and Deacons
3 This saying[a] is trustworthy: “If someone aspires to the office of overseer,[b] he desires a good work.” 2 The overseer[c] then must be above reproach, the husband of one wife,[d] temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, an able teacher, 3 not a drunkard, not violent, but gentle, not contentious, free from the love of money. 4 He must manage his own household well and keep his children in control without losing his dignity.[e] 5 But if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for the church of God? 6 He must not be a recent convert or he may become arrogant[f] and fall into the punishment that the devil will exact.[g] 7 And he must be well thought of by[h] those outside the faith,[i] so that he may not fall into disgrace and be caught by the devil’s trap.[j]
8 Deacons likewise must be dignified,[k] not two-faced,[l] not given to excessive drinking,[m] not greedy for gain, 9 holding to the mystery of the faith[n] with a clear conscience. 10 And these also must be tested first and then let them serve as deacons if they are found blameless. 11 Likewise also their wives[o] must be dignified, not slanderous, temperate, faithful in every respect. 12 Deacons must be husbands of one wife[p] and good managers of their children and their own households. 13 For those who have served well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves[q] and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.[r]
Conduct in God’s Church
14 I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions[s] to you 15 in case I am delayed, to let you know how people ought to conduct themselves[t] in the household of God, because it is[u] the church of the living God, the support and bulwark of the truth. 16 And we all agree,[v] our religion contains amazing revelation:[w]
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