Jeremiah 9

 ¹   [1] If only my head were a pool of water
  and my eyes a fountain of tears,
I would weep day and night
  for all my people who have been slaughtered.
 ²   [2] Oh, that I could go away and forget my people
  and live in a travelers' shack in the desert.
For they are all adulterers—
  a pack of treacherous liars.

Judgment for Disobedience
 ³  "My people bend their tongues like bows
  to shoot out lies.
They refuse to stand up for the truth.
  They only go from bad to worse.
They do not know me,"
  says the LORD.

 ⁴  "Beware of your neighbor!
  Don't even trust your brother!
For brother takes advantage of brother,
  and friend slanders friend.
 ⁵  They all fool and defraud each other;
  no one tells the truth.
With practiced tongues they tell lies;
  they wear themselves out with all their sinning.
 ⁶  They pile lie upon lie
  and utterly refuse to acknowledge me,"
  says the LORD.

 ⁷  Therefore, this is what the LORD of Heaven's Armies says:
"See, I will melt them down in a crucible
  and test them like metal.
What else can I do with my people? [7] 
 ⁸    For their tongues shoot lies like poisoned arrows.
They speak friendly words to their neighbors
  while scheming in their heart to kill them.
 ⁹  Should I not punish them for this?" says the LORD.
  "Should I not avenge myself against such a nation?"

 ¹⁰  I will weep for the mountains
  and wail for the wilderness pastures.
For they are desolate and empty of life;
  the lowing of cattle is heard no more;
  the birds and wild animals have all fled.

 ¹¹  "I will make Jerusalem into a heap of ruins," says the LORD.
  "It will be a place haunted by jackals.
The towns of Judah will be ghost towns,
  with no one living in them."

   ¹²  Who is wise enough to understand all this? Who has been instructed by the LORD and can explain it to others? Why has the land been so ruined that no one dares to travel through it?
   ¹³  The LORD replies, "This has happened because my people have abandoned my instructions; they have refused to obey what I said.  ¹⁴  Instead, they have stubbornly followed their own desires and worshiped the images of Baal, as their ancestors taught them.  ¹⁵  So now, this is what the LORD of Heaven's Armies, the God of Israel, says: Look! I will feed them with bitterness and give them poison to drink.  ¹⁶  I will scatter them around the world, in places they and their ancestors never heard of, and even there I will chase them with the sword until I have destroyed them completely."

Weeping in Jerusalem
 ¹⁷  This is what the LORD of Heaven's Armies says:
"Consider all this, and call for the mourners.
  Send for the women who mourn at funerals.
 ¹⁸  Quick! Begin your weeping!
  Let the tears flow from your eyes.
 ¹⁹  Hear the people of Jerusalem [19]  crying in despair,
  `We are ruined! We are completely humiliated!
We must leave our land,
  because our homes have been torn down.'"

 ²⁰  Listen, you women, to the words of the LORD;
  open your ears to what he has to say.
Teach your daughters to wail;
  teach one another how to lament.
 ²¹  For death has crept in through our windows
  and has entered our mansions.
It has killed off the flower of our youth:
  Children no longer play in the streets,
  and young men no longer gather in the squares.

 ²²  This is what the LORD says:
"Bodies will be scattered across the fields like clumps of manure,
  like bundles of grain after the harvest.
  No one will be left to bury them."

 ²³  This is what the LORD says:
"Don't let the wise boast in their wisdom,
  or the powerful boast in their power,
  or the rich boast in their riches.
 ²⁴  But those who wish to boast
  should boast in this alone:
that they truly know me and understand that I am the LORD
  who demonstrates unfailing love
  and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth,
and that I delight in these things.
  I, the LORD, have spoken!

   ²⁵  "A time is coming," says the LORD, "when I will punish all those who are circumcised in body but not in spirit—  ²⁶  the Egyptians, Edomites, Ammonites, Moabites, the people who live in the desert in remote places, [26]  and yes, even the people of Judah. And like all these pagan nations, the people of Israel also have uncircumcised hearts."

Jeremiah 10

Idolatry Brings Destruction
 ¹  Hear the word that the LORD speaks to you, O Israel!  ²  This 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.
 ³  Their ways are futile and foolish.
  They cut down a tree, and a craftsman carves an idol.
 ⁴  They decorate it with gold and silver
  and then fasten it securely with hammer and nails
  so it won't fall over.
 ⁵  Their 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."

 ⁶  LORD, there is no one like you!
  For you are great, and your name is full of power.
 ⁷  Who 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.

 ⁸  People who worship idols are stupid and foolish.
  The things they worship are made of wood!
 ⁹  They 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.
 ¹⁰  But 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.

   ¹¹  Say 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." [11] 

 ¹²  But God made the earth by his power,
  and he preserves it by his wisdom.
With his own understanding
  he stretched out the heavens.
 ¹³  When 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.
 ¹⁴  The 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.
 ¹⁵  Idols are worthless; they are ridiculous lies!
  On the day of reckoning they will all be destroyed.
 ¹⁶  But the God of Israel [16]  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!

The Coming Destruction
 ¹⁷  Pack your bags and prepare to leave;
  the siege is about to begin.
 ¹⁸  For 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."

 ¹⁹  My wound is severe,
  and my grief is great.
My sickness is incurable,
  but I must bear it.
 ²⁰  My 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.
 ²¹  The 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.
 ²²  Listen! 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.

Jeremiah's Prayer
 ²³  I know, LORD, that our lives are not our own.
  We are not able to plan our own course.
 ²⁴  So correct me, LORD, but please be gentle.
  Do not correct me in anger, for I would die.
 ²⁵  Pour 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 [25] ;
  they have devoured and consumed them,
  making the land a desolate wilderness.

Jeremiah 11

Judah's Broken Covenant
 ¹  The LORD gave another message to Jeremiah. He said,  ²  "Remind the people of Judah and Jerusalem about the terms of my covenant with them.  ³  Say to them, `This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Cursed is anyone who does not obey the terms of my covenant!  <sup>4</sup>  For 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."  <sup>5</sup>  I 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."
   <sup>6</sup>  Then 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.  ⁷  For 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,  ⁸  but 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.'"
   ⁹  Again the LORD spoke to me and said, "I have discovered a conspiracy against me among the people of Judah and Jerusalem.  ¹⁰  They 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.  ¹¹  Therefore, 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.  ¹²  Then 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!  ¹³  Look 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.
   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.

 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!
 ¹⁶  I, 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.

   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."

A Plot against Jeremiah
 ¹⁸  Then the LORD told me about the plots my enemies were making against me.  ¹⁹  I 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."

 ²⁰  O 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.

   ²¹  This 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."  ²²  So 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.  ²³  Not one of these plotters from Anathoth will survive, for I will bring disaster upon them when their time of punishment comes."

<<  9:1 Verse 9:1 is numbered 8:23 in Hebrew text.
<<  9:2 Verses 9:2-26 are numbered 9:1-25 in Hebrew text.
<<  9:7 Hebrew with the daughter of my people? Greek version reads with the evil daughter of my people?
<<  9:19 Hebrew Zion.
<<  9:26 Or in the desert and clip the corners of their hair.
<<  10:11 The original text of this verse is in Aramaic.
<<  10:16 Hebrew the Portion of Jacob. See note on 5:20.
<<  10:25 Hebrew devoured Jacob. See note on 5:20.

1 Timothy 6

 ¹  All slaves should show full respect for their masters so they will not bring shame on the name of God and his teaching.  ²  If the masters are believers, that is no excuse for being disrespectful. Those slaves should work all the harder because their efforts are helping other believers [2]  who are well loved.

False Teaching and True Riches
Teach these things, Timothy, and encourage everyone to obey them.  ³  Some people may contradict our teaching, but these are the wholesome teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. These teachings promote a godly life.  ⁴  Anyone who teaches something different is arrogant and lacks understanding. Such a person has an unhealthy desire to quibble over the meaning of words. This stirs up arguments ending in jealousy, division, slander, and evil suspicions.  ⁵  These people always cause trouble. Their minds are corrupt, and they have turned their backs on the truth. To them, a show of godliness is just a way to become wealthy.
   ⁶  Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.  ⁷  After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can't take anything with us when we leave it.  ⁸  So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.
   ⁹  But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.  ¹⁰  For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

Paul's Final Instructions
 ¹¹  But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.  ¹²  Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses.  ¹³  And I charge you before God, who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus, who gave a good testimony before Pontius Pilate,  ¹⁴  that you obey this command without wavering. Then no one can find fault with you from now until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.  ¹⁵  For at just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords.  ¹⁶  He alone can never die, and he lives in light so brilliant that no human can approach him. No human eye has ever seen him, nor ever will. All honor and power to him forever! Amen.
   ¹⁷  Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.  ¹⁸  Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others.  ¹⁹  By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.
   ²⁰  Timothy, guard what God has entrusted to you. Avoid godless, foolish discussions with those who oppose you with their so-called knowledge.  ²¹  Some people have wandered from the faith by following such foolishness.
  May God's grace be with you all.

<<  6:2 Greek brothers.