Jeremiah 10-13; Psalms 16
One Story That Leads to Jesus, Day 171
10Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O Israel!H8085H1697H3068H1696H1004H3478 2This is what the Lord says: “Do not act like the other nations, who try to read their future in the stars. Do not be afraid of their predictions, even though other nations are terrified by them.H559H3068H3925H1870H1471H2865H226H8064H1471H2865H1992 3Their ways are futile and foolish. They cut down a tree, and a craftsman carves an idol.H2708H5971H1892H3772H6086H3293H4639H3027H2796H4621 4They decorate it with gold and silver and then fasten it securely with hammer and nails so it won’t fall over.H3302H3701H2091H2388H4548H4717H6328 5Their gods are like helpless scarecrows in a cucumber field! They cannot speak, and they need to be carried because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of such gods, for they can neither harm you nor do you any good.”H4749H8560H1696H5375H5375H6805H3372H7489H3190 6Lord, there is no one like you! For you are great, and your name is full of power.H3068H1419H8034H1419H1369 7Who would not fear you, O King of nations? That title belongs to you alone! Among all the wise people of the earth and in all the kingdoms of the world, there is no one like you.H3372H4428H1471H2969H2450H1471H4438 8People who worship idols are stupid and foolish. The things they worship are made of wood!H259H1197H3688H6086H4148H1892 9They bring beaten sheets of silver from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz, and they give these materials to skillful craftsmen who make their idols. Then they dress these gods in royal blue and purple robes made by expert tailors.H3701H7554H935H8659H2091H210H4639H2796H3027H6884H8504H713H3830H4639H2450 10But the Lord is the only true God. He is the living God and the everlasting King! The whole earth trembles at his anger. The nations cannot stand up to his wrath.H3068H571H430H2416H430H5769H4428H7110H776H7493H1471H3557H2195 11Say this to those who worship other gods: “Your so-called gods, who did not make the heavens and earth, will vanish from the earth and from under the heavens.”H1836H560H426H3809H5648H8065H778H7H772H8460H429H8065 12But God made the earth by his power, and he preserves it by his wisdom. With his own understanding he stretched out the heavens.H6213H776H3581H3559H8398H2451H5186H8064H8394 13When he speaks in the thunder, the heavens roar with rain. He causes the clouds to rise over the earth. He sends the lightning with the rain and releases the wind from his storehouses.H5414H6963H1995H4325H8064H5387H5927H7097H776H6213H1300H4306H3318H7307H214 14The whole human race is foolish and has no knowledge! The craftsmen are disgraced by the idols they make, for their carefully shaped works are a fraud. These idols have no breath or power.H120H1197H1847H6884H3001H6459H5262H8267H7307 15Idols are worthless; they are ridiculous lies! On the day of reckoning they will all be destroyed.H1892H4639H8595H6256H6486H6 16But the God of Israel is no idol! He is the Creator of everything that exists, including Israel, his own special possession. The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is his name!H2506H3290H3335H3478H7626H5159H3068H6635H8034 17Pack your bags and prepare to leave; the siege is about to begin.H622H3666H776H3427H4692 18For this is what the Lord says: “Suddenly, I will fling out all you who live in this land. I will pour great troubles upon you, and at last you will feel my anger.”H559H3068H7049H3427H776H6471H6887H4672 19My wound is severe, and my grief is great. My sickness is incurable, but I must bear it.H188H7667H4347H2470H559H389H2483H5375 20My home is gone, and no one is left to help me rebuild it. My children have been taken away, and I will never see them again.H168H7703H4340H5423H1121H3318H5186H168H6965H3407 21The shepherds of my people have lost their senses. They no longer seek wisdom from the Lord. Therefore, they fail completely, and their flocks are scattered.H7462H1197H1875H3068H7919H4830H6327 22Listen! Hear the terrifying roar of great armies as they roll down from the north. The towns of Judah will be destroyed and become a haunt for jackals.H6963H8052H935H1419H7494H6828H776H7760H5892H3063H8077H4583H8577 23I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course.H3068H3045H1870H120H376H1980H3559H6806 24So correct me, Lord, but please be gentle. Do not correct me in anger, for I would die.H3068H3256H4941H639H4591 25Pour out your wrath on the nations that refuse to acknowledge you—on the peoples that do not call upon your name. For they have devoured your people Israel; they have devoured and consumed them, making the land a desolate wilderness.H8210H2534H1471H3045H4940H7121H8034H398H3290H398H3615H5116H8074
11The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said,H1697H3414H3068H559 2“Remind the people of Judah and Jerusalem about the terms of my covenant with them.H8085H1697H1285H1696H376H3063H3427H3389 3Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Cursed is anyone who does not obey the terms of my covenant!H559H559H3068H430H3478H779H376H8085H1697H1285 4For I said to your ancestors when I brought them out of the iron-smelting furnace of Egypt, “If you obey me and do whatever I command you, then you will be my people, and I will be your God.”H6680H1H3117H3318H776H4714H1270H3564H559H8085H6963H6213H6680H5971H430 5I said this so I could keep my promise to your ancestors to give you a land flowing with milk and honey—the land you live in today.’” Then I replied, “Amen, Lord! May it be so.”H6965H7621H7650H1H5414H776H2100H2461H1706H3117H6030H559H543H3068 6Then the Lord said, “Broadcast this message in the streets of Jerusalem. Go from town to town throughout the land and say, ‘Remember the ancient covenant, and do everything it requires.H3068H559H7121H1697H5892H3063H2351H3389H559H8085H1697H1285H6213 7For I solemnly warned your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt, “Obey me!” I have repeated this warning over and over to this day,H5749H5749H1H3117H5927H776H4714H3117H7925H5749H559H8085H6963 8but your ancestors did not listen or even pay attention. Instead, they stubbornly followed their own evil desires. And because they refused to obey, I brought upon them all the curses described in this covenant.’”H8085H5186H241H3212H376H8307H7451H3820H935H1697H1285H6680H6213H6213 9Again the Lord spoke to me and said, “I have discovered a conspiracy against me among the people of Judah and Jerusalem.H3068H559H7195H4672H376H3063H3427H3389 10They have returned to the sins of their forefathers. They have refused to listen to me and are worshiping other gods. Israel and Judah have both broken the covenant I made with their ancestors.H7725H5771H7223H1H3985H8085H1697H1980H310H312H430H5647H1004H3478H1004H3063H6565H1285H3772H1 11Therefore, this is what the Lord says: I am going to bring calamity upon them, and they will not escape. Though they beg for mercy, I will not listen to their cries.H559H3068H935H7451H3201H3318H2199H8085 12Then the people of Judah and Jerusalem will pray to their idols and burn incense before them. But the idols will not save them when disaster strikes!H5892H3063H3427H3389H1980H2199H430H6999H3467H3467H6256H7451 13Look now, people of Judah; you have as many gods as you have towns. You have as many altars of shame—altars for burning incense to your god Baal—as there are streets in Jerusalem.H4557H5892H430H3063H4557H2351H3389H7760H4196H1322H4196H6999H1168 14“Pray no more for these people, Jeremiah. Do not weep or pray for them, for I will not listen to them when they cry out to me in distress.H6419H5971H5375H7440H8605H8085H6256H7121H7451 15“What right do my beloved people have to come to my Temple, when they have done so many immoral things? Can their vows and sacrifices prevent their destruction? They actually rejoice in doing evil!H3039H1004H6213H4209H7227H6944H1320H5674H7451H5937 16I, the Lord, once called them a thriving olive tree, beautiful to see and full of good fruit. But now I have sent the fury of their enemies to burn them with fire, leaving them charred and broken.H3068H7121H8034H7488H2132H3303H8389H6529H6963H1419H1999H3341H784H1808H7489 17“I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, who planted this olive tree, have ordered it destroyed. For the people of Israel and Judah have done evil, arousing my anger by burning incense to Baal.”H3068H6635H5193H1696H7451H1558H7451H1004H3478H1004H3063H6213H3707H6999H1168 18Then the Lord told me about the plots my enemies were making against me.H3068H3045H3045H7200H4611 19I was like a lamb being led to the slaughter. I had no idea that they were planning to kill me! “Let’s destroy this man and all his words,” they said. “Let’s cut him down, so his name will be forgotten forever.”H3532H441H2986H2873H3045H2803H4284H7843H6086H3899H3772H776H2416H8034H2142 20O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, you make righteous judgments, and you examine the deepest thoughts and secrets. Let me see your vengeance against them, for I have committed my cause to you.H3068H6635H8199H6664H974H3629H3820H7200H5360H1540H7379 21This is what the Lord says about the men of Anathoth who wanted me dead. They had said, “We will kill you if you do not stop prophesying in the Lord’s name.”H559H3068H582H6068H1245H5315H559H5012H8034H3068H4191H3027 22So this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says about them: “I will punish them! Their young men will die in battle, and their boys and girls will starve to death.H559H3068H6635H6485H970H4191H2719H1121H1323H4191H7458 23Not one of these plotters from Anathoth will survive, for I will bring disaster upon them when their time of punishment comes.”H7611H935H7451H582H6068H8141H6486
12Lord, you always give me justice when I bring a case before you. So let me bring you this complaint: Why are the wicked so prosperous? Why are evil people so happy?H6662H3068H7378H1696H4941H1870H7563H6743H7951H899H898 2You have planted them, and they have taken root and prospered. Your name is on their lips, but you are far from their hearts.H5193H8327H3212H6213H6529H7138H6310H7350H3629 3But as for me, Lord, you know my heart. You see me and test my thoughts. Drag these people away like sheep to be butchered! Set them aside to be slaughtered!H3068H3045H7200H974H3820H5423H6629H2878H6942H3117H2028 4How long must this land mourn? Even the grass in the fields has withered. The wild animals and birds have disappeared because of the evil in the land. For the people have said, “The Lord doesn’t see what’s ahead for us!”H776H56H6212H7704H3001H7451H3427H929H5595H5775H559H7200H319 5“If racing against mere men makes you tired, how will you race against horses? If you stumble and fall on open ground, what will you do in the thickets near the Jordan?H7323H7273H3811H8474H5483H776H7965H982H6213H1347H3383 6Even your brothers, members of your own family, have turned against you. They plot and raise complaints against you. Do not trust them, no matter how pleasantly they speak.H251H1004H1H898H7121H4392H310H539H1696H2896 7“I have abandoned my people, my special possession. I have surrendered my dearest ones to their enemies.H5800H1004H5203H5159H5414H3033H5315H3709H341 8My chosen people have roared at me like a lion of the forest, so I have treated them with contempt.H5159H738H3293H5414H6963H8130 9My chosen people act like speckled vultures, but they themselves are surrounded by vultures. Bring on the wild animals to pick their corpses clean!H5159H6641H5861H5861H5439H3212H622H2416H7704H857H402 10“Many rulers have ravaged my vineyard, trampling down the vines and turning all its beauty into a barren wilderness.H7227H7462H7843H3754H947H2513H947H5414H2532H2513H8077H4057 11They have made it an empty wasteland; I hear its mournful cry. The whole land is desolate, and no one even cares.H7760H8076H8077H56H776H8074H376H7760H3820 12On all the bare hilltops, destroying armies can be seen. The sword of the Lord devours people from one end of the nation to the other. No one will escape!H7703H935H8205H4057H2719H3068H398H7097H776H7097H776H1320H7965 13My people have planted wheat but are harvesting thorns. They have worn themselves out, but it has done them no good. They will harvest a crop of shame because of the fierce anger of the Lord.”H2232H2406H7114H6975H2470H3276H954H8393H2740H639H3068 14Now this is what the Lord says: “I will uproot from their land all the evil nations reaching out for the possession I gave my people Israel. And I will uproot Judah from among them.H559H3068H7451H7934H5060H5159H5971H3478H5157H5428H127H5428H1004H3063H8432 15But afterward I will return and have compassion on all of them. I will bring them home to their own lands again, each nation to its own possession.H310H5428H7725H7355H7725H376H5159H376H776 16And if these nations truly learn the ways of my people, and if they learn to swear by my name, saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives’ (just as they taught my people to swear by the name of Baal), then they will be given a place among my people.H3925H3925H1870H5971H7650H8034H3068H2416H3925H5971H7650H1168H1129H8432H5971 17But any nation who refuses to obey me will be uprooted and destroyed. I, the Lord, have spoken!”H8085H5428H5428H6H1471H5002H3068
13This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and buy a linen loincloth and put it on, but do not wash it.”H559H3068H1980H7069H6593H232H7760H4975H935H4325 2So I bought the loincloth as the Lord directed me, and I put it on.H7069H232H1697H3068H7760H4975 3Then the Lord gave me another message:H1697H3068H8145H559 4“Take the linen loincloth you are wearing, and go to the Euphrates River. Hide it there in a hole in the rocks.”H3947H232H7069H4975H6965H3212H6578H2934H5357H5553 5So I went and hid it by the Euphrates as the Lord had instructed me.H3212H2934H6578H3068H6680 6A long time afterward the Lord said to me, “Go back to the Euphrates and get the loincloth I told you to hide there.”H7093H7227H3117H3068H559H6965H3212H6578H3947H232H6680H2934 7So I went to the Euphrates and dug it out of the hole where I had hidden it. But now it was rotting and falling apart. The loincloth was good for nothing.H3212H6578H2658H3947H232H4725H2934H232H7843H6743 8Then I received this message from the Lord:H1697H3068H559 9“This is what the Lord says: This shows how I will rot away the pride of Judah and Jerusalem.H559H3068H7843H1347H3063H7227H1347H3389 10These wicked people refuse to listen to me. They stubbornly follow their own desires and worship other gods. Therefore, they will become like this loincloth—good for nothing!H7451H5971H3987H8085H1697H1980H8307H3820H3212H310H312H430H5647H7812H232H6743 11As a loincloth clings to a man’s waist, so I created Judah and Israel to cling to me, says the Lord. They were to be my people, my pride, my glory—an honor to my name. But they would not listen to me.H232H1692H4975H376H1692H1004H3478H1004H3063H5002H3068H5971H8034H8416H8597H8085 12“So tell them, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: May all your jars be filled with wine.’ And they will reply, ‘Of course! Jars are made to be filled with wine!’H559H1697H559H3068H430H3478H5035H4390H3196H559H3045H3045H5035H4390H3196 13“Then tell them, ‘No, this is what the Lord means: I will fill everyone in this land with drunkenness—from the king sitting on David’s throne to the priests and the prophets, right down to the common people of Jerusalem.H559H559H3068H4390H3427H776H4428H3427H1732H3678H3548H5030H3427H3389H7943 14I will smash them against each other, even parents against children, says the Lord. I will not let my pity or mercy or compassion keep me from destroying them.’”H5310H376H251H1H1121H3162H5002H3068H2550H2347H7355H7843 15Listen and pay attention! Do not be arrogant, for the Lord has spoken.H8085H238H1361H3068H1696 16Give glory to the Lord your God before it is too late. Acknowledge him before he brings darkness upon you, causing you to stumble and fall on the darkening mountains. For then, when you look for light, you will find only terrible darkness and gloom.H5414H3519H3068H430H2821H7272H5062H5399H2022H6960H216H7760H6757H7896H7896H6205 17And if you still refuse to listen, I will weep alone because of your pride. My eyes will overflow with tears, because the Lord’s flock will be led away into exile.H8085H5315H1058H4565H6440H1466H5869H1830H1830H3381H1832H3068H5739H7617 18Say to the king and his mother, “Come down from your thrones and sit in the dust, for your glorious crowns will soon be snatched from your heads.”H559H4428H1377H8213H3427H4761H3381H5850H8597 19The towns of the Negev will close their gates, and no one will be able to open them. The people of Judah will be taken away as captives. All will be carried into exile.H5892H5045H5462H6605H3063H1540H7965H1540 20Open up your eyes and see the armies marching down from the north! Where is your flock—your beautiful flock—that he gave you to care for?H5375H5869H7200H935H6828H5739H5414H8597H6629 21What will you say when the Lord takes the allies you have cultivated and appoints them as your rulers? Pangs of anguish will grip you, like those of a woman in labor!H559H6485H3925H441H7218H2256H270H802H3205 22You may ask yourself, “Why is all this happening to me?” It is because of your many sins! That is why you have been stripped and raped by invading armies.H559H3824H7122H7230H5771H7757H1540H6119H2554 23Can an Ethiopian change the color of his skin? Can a leopard take away its spots? Neither can you start doing good, for you have always done evil.H3569H2015H5785H5246H2272H3201H3190H3928H7489 24“I will scatter you like chaff that is blown away by the desert winds.H6327H7179H5674H7307H4057 25This is your allotment, the portion I have assigned to you,” says the Lord, “for you have forgotten me, putting your trust in false gods.H1486H4490H4055H5002H3068H7911H982H8267 26I myself will strip you and expose you to shame.H2834H7757H6440H7036H7200 27I have seen your adultery and lust, and your disgusting idol worship out in the fields and on the hills. What sorrow awaits you, Jerusalem! How long before you are pure?”H7200H5004H4684H2154H2184H8251H1389H7704H188H3389H2891H5750H310
16[A psalm of David.] Keep me safe, O God, for I have come to you for refuge.H4387H1732H8104H410H2620 2I said to the LORD, "You are my Master! Every good thing I have comes from you."H559H3068H136H2896 3The godly people in the land are my true heroes! I take pleasure in them!H6918H1992H776H117H2656 4Troubles multiply for those who chase after other gods. I will not take part in their sacrifices of blood or even speak the names of their gods.H6094H7235H4116H312H5262H1818H5258H1077H5375H8034H8193 5LORD, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine.H3068H4490H2506H3563H8551H1486 6The land you have given me is a pleasant land. What a wonderful inheritance!H2256H5307H5273H8231H5159 7I will bless the LORD who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me.H1288H3068H3289H3629H3256H3915 8I know the LORD is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.H7737H3068H8548H3225H4131 9No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety.H3820H8055H3519H1523H1320H7931H983 10For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.H5800H5315H7585H5414H2623H7200H7845 11You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.H3045H734H2416H6440H7648H8057H3225H5273H5331
Unknown
H1836
