The Berean Pursuit
Hear the word of the LORD,
O children of Israel,
for the LORD has a case
against the people of the land:
"There is no truth, no loving devotion,
and no knowledge of God in the land!
Cursing and lying,
murder and stealing,
and adultery are rampant;
one act of bloodshed follows another.
Therefore the land mourns,
and all who dwell in it will waste away
with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air;
even the fish of the sea disappear.
But let no man contend;
let no man offer reproof;
for your people are like those
who contend with a priest.
You will stumble by day,
and the prophet will stumble with you by night;
so I will destroy your mother-
My people are destroyed
for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I will also reject you as My priests.
Since you have forgotten the law of your God,
I will also forget your children.
The more they multiplied,
the more they sinned against Me;
they exchanged their Glory
for a thing of disgrace.
They feed on the sins of My people
and set their hearts on iniquity.
And it shall be
like people, like priest.
I will punish both of them for their ways
and repay them for their deeds.
They will eat but not be satisfied;
they will be promiscuous but not multiply.
For they have stopped obeying the LORD.
Promiscuity, wine, and new wine
take away understanding.
My people consult their wooden idols,
and their divining rods inform them.
For a spirit of prostitution leads them astray
and they have played the harlot against their God.
They sacrifice on the mountaintops
and burn offerings on the hills,
under oak, poplar, and terebinth,
because their shade is pleasant.
And so your daughters turn to prostitution
and your daughters-in-law to adultery.
I will not punish your daughters
when they prostitute themselves,
nor your daughters-in-law
when they commit adultery.
For the men themselves go off with prostitutes
and offer sacrifices with shrine prostitutes.
So a people without understanding
will come to ruin.
Though you prostitute yourself, O Israel,
may Judah avoid such guilt!
Do not journey to Gilgal,
do not go up to Beth-aven,
and do not swear on oath,
'As surely as the LORD lives!'
For Israel is as obstinate
as a stubborn heifer.
Can the LORD now shepherd them
like lambs in an open meadow?
Ephraim is joined to idols;
leave him alone!
When their liquor is gone,
they turn to prostitution;
their rulers dearly love disgrace.
The whirlwind has wrapped them in its wings,
and their sacrifices will bring them shame.
"Hear this, O priests!
Take heed, O house of Israel!
Give ear, O royal house!
For this judgment is against you
because you have been a snare at Mizpah,
a net spread out on Tabor.
The rebels are deep in slaughter;
but I will chastise them all.
I know all about Ephraim,
and Israel is not hidden from Me.
For now, O Ephraim,
you have turned to prostitution;
Israel is defiled.
Their deeds do not permit them
to return to their God,
for a spirit of prostitution is within them,
and they do not know the LORD.
Israel's arrogance testifies against them;
Israel and Ephraim stumble in their iniquity;
even Judah stumbles with them.
They go with their flocks and herds
to seek the LORD,
but they do not find Him;
He has withdrawn Himself from them.
They have been unfaithful to the LORD;
for they have borne illegitimate children.
Now the New Moon will devour them
along with their land.
Blow the ram's horn in Gibeah,
the trumpet in Ramah;
raise the battle cry in Beth-aven:
Lead on, O Benjamin!
Ephraim will be laid waste
on the day of rebuke.
Among the tribes of Israel
I proclaim what is certain.
The princes of Judah
are like those who move boundary stones;
I will pour out My fury
upon them like water.
Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment,
for he is determined to follow worthless idols.
So I am like a moth to Ephraim,
and like decay to the house of Judah.
When Ephraim saw his sickness
and Judah his wound,
then Ephraim turned to Assyria
and sent to the great king.
But he cannot cure you
or heal your wound.
For I am like a lion to Ephraim
and like a young lion to the house of Judah.
I, even I, will tear them to pieces
and then go away.
I will carry them off
where no one can rescue them.
Then I will return to My place
until they admit their guilt and seek My face;
in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me."
Come, let us return to the LORD.
For He has torn us to pieces,
but He will heal us;
He has wounded us,
but He will bind up our wounds.
After two days He will revive us;
on the third day He will raise us up,
that we may live in His presence.
So let us know-
let us press on to know the LORD.
As surely as the sun rises,
He will appear;
He will come to us like the rain,
like the spring showers that water the earth.
What shall I do with you, O Ephraim?
What shall I do with you, O Judah?
For your loyalty is like a morning mist,
like the early dew that vanishes.
Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets;
I have slain them by the words of My mouth,
and My judgments go forth like lightning.
For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
and the knowledge of God
rather than burnt offerings.
But they, like Adam, have transgressed the covenant;
there they were unfaithful to Me.
Gilead is a city of evildoers,
tracked with footprints of blood.
Like raiders who lie in ambush,
so does a band of priests;
they murder on the way to Shechem;
surely they have committed atrocities.
In the house of Israel
I have seen a horrible thing:
Ephraim practices prostitution there,
and Israel is defiled.
Also for you, O Judah,
a harvest is appointed,
when I restore
My people from captivity.
For the choirmaster. To the tune of "Do Not Destroy." A Miktam of David.
Do you indeed speak justly, O rulers?
Do you judge uprightly, O sons of men?
No, in your hearts you devise injustice;
with your hands you mete out violence on the earth.
The wicked are estranged from the womb;
the liars go astray from birth.
Their venom is like the venom of a snake,
like a cobra that shuts its ears,
refusing to hear the tune of the charmer
who skillfully weaves his spell.
O God, shatter their teeth in their mouths;
O LORD, tear out the fangs of the lions.
May they vanish
like water that runs off;
when they draw the bow,
may their arrows be blunted.
Like a slug that dissolves in its slime,
like a woman's stillborn child,
may they never see the sun.
Before your pots can feel the burning thorns-
whether green or dry-
He will sweep them away.
The righteous will rejoice
when they see they are avenged;
they will wash their feet
in the blood of the wicked.
Then men will say,
"There is surely a reward for the righteous!
There is surely a God who judges the earth!"
After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.
Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared before them, talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If You wish, I will put up three shelters-one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
While Peter was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!" When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown in terror.
Then Jesus came over and touched them. "Get up," He said. "Do not be afraid." And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, "Do not tell anyone about this vision until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."
The disciples asked Him, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"
Jesus replied, "Elijah does indeed come, and he will restore all things. But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him whatever they wished. In the same way, the Son of Man will suffer at their hands."
Then the disciples understood that He was speaking to them about John the Baptist.
When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus and knelt before Him. "Lord, have mercy on my son," he said. "He has seizures and is suffering terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not heal him."
"O unbelieving and perverse generation!" Jesus replied. "How long must I remain with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy here to Me." Then Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment.
Afterward the disciples came to Jesus privately and asked, "Why couldn't we drive it out?"
"Because you have so little faith," He answered. "For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
When they gathered together in Galilee, Jesus told them, "The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill Him, and on the third day He will be raised to life." And the disciples were deeply grieved.
After they had arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, "Does your Teacher pay the two drachmas?"
"Yes," he answered.
When Peter entered the house, Jesus preempted him. "What do you think, Simon?" He asked. "From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs and taxes: from their own sons, or from others?"
"From others," Peter answered.
"Then the sons are exempt," Jesus declared. "But so that we may not offend them, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take the first fish you catch. When you open its mouth, you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for My tax and yours."