The Berean Pursuit
This is the word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, which was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. So the prophet Jeremiah spoke to all the people of Judah and all the residents of Jerusalem as follows:
"From the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah until this very day-twenty-three years-the word of the LORD has come to me, and I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened. And the LORD has sent all His servants the prophets to you again and again, but you have not listened or inclined your ear to hear.
The prophets told you, 'Turn now, each of you, from your evil ways and deeds, and you can dwell in the land that the LORD has given to you and your fathers forever and ever. Do not follow other gods to serve and worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands. Then I will do you no harm.'
'But to your own harm, you have not listened to Me,' declares the LORD, 'so you have provoked Me to anger with the works of your hands.'
Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts says: 'Because you have not obeyed My words, behold, I will summon all the families of the north, declares the LORD, and I will send for My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, whom I will bring against this land, against its residents, and against all the surrounding nations. So I will devote them to destruction and make them an object of horror and contempt, an everlasting desolation.
Moreover, I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of the bride and bridegroom, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the lamp. And this whole land will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.
But when seventy years are complete, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their guilt, declares the LORD, and I will make it an everlasting desolation.
I will bring upon that land all the words I have pronounced against it, all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations. For many nations and great kings will enslave them, and I will repay them according to their deeds and according to the work of their hands.'?"
This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: "Take from My hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink from it. And they will drink and stagger and go out of their minds, because of the sword that I will send among them."
So I took the cup from the LORD's hand and made all the nations drink from it, each one to whom the LORD had sent me, to make them a ruin, an object of horror and contempt and cursing, as they are to this day-Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, its kings and officials; Pharaoh king of Egypt, his officials, his leaders, and all his people; all the mixed tribes; all the kings of Uz; all the kings of the Philistines: Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod; Edom, Moab, and the Ammonites; all the kings of Tyre and Sidon; the kings of the coastlands across the sea; Dedan, Tema, Buz, and all who cut the corners of their hair; all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mixed tribes who dwell in the desert; all the kings of Zimri, Elam, and Media; all the kings of the north, both near and far, one after another-all the kingdoms on the face of the earth. And after all of them, the king of Sheshach will drink it too.
"Then you are to tell them that this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: 'Drink, get drunk, and vomit. Fall down and never get up again, because of the sword I will send among you.'
If they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink it, you are to tell them that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: 'You most certainly must drink it! For behold, I am beginning to bring disaster on the city that bears My Name, so how could you possibly go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am calling down a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, declares the LORD of Hosts.'
So you are to prophesy all these words against them and say to them:
'The LORD will roar from on high;
He will raise His voice from His holy habitation.
He will roar loudly over His pasture;
like those who tread the grapes,
He will call out with a shout
against all the inhabitants of the earth.
The tumult will resound to the ends of the earth
because the LORD brings a charge against the nations.
He brings judgment on all mankind
and puts the wicked to the sword,'?"
declares the LORD.
This is what the LORD of Hosts says:
"Behold! Disaster is spreading
from nation to nation;
a mighty storm is rising
from the ends of the earth."
Those slain by the LORD on that day will be spread from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned, gathered, or buried. They will be like dung lying on the ground.
Wail, you shepherds, and cry out;
roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock.
For the days of your slaughter have come;
you will fall and be shattered like fine pottery.
Flight will evade the shepherds,
and escape will elude the leaders of the flock.
Hear the cry of the shepherds,
the wailing of the leaders of the flock,
for the LORD is destroying their pasture.
The peaceful meadows have been silenced
because of the LORD's burning anger.
He has left His den like a lion,
for their land has been made a desolation
by the sword of the oppressor,
and because of the fierce anger of the LORD.
This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah: "Go to the house of the Rechabites, speak to them, and bring them to one of the chambers of the house of the LORD to offer them a drink of wine."
So I took Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, and his brothers and all his sons-the entire house of the Rechabites- and I brought them into the house of the LORD, to a chamber occupied by the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah, a man of God. This room was near the chamber of the officials, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah son of Shallum the doorkeeper.
Then I set pitchers full of wine and some cups before the men of the house of the Rechabites, and I said to them, "Drink some wine."
"We do not drink wine," they replied, "for our forefather Jonadab son of Rechab commanded us, 'Neither you nor your descendants are ever to drink wine. Nor are you ever to build a house or sow seed or plant a vineyard. Those things are not for you. Instead, you must live in tents all your lives, so that you may live a long time in the land where you wander.'
And we have obeyed the voice of our forefather Jonadab son of Rechab in all he commanded us. So we have not drunk wine all our lives-neither we nor our wives nor our sons and daughters. Nor have we built houses in which to live, and we have not owned any vineyards or fields or crops. But we have lived in tents and have obeyed and done exactly as our forefather Jonadab commanded us.
So when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched into the land, we said: 'Come, let us go into Jerusalem to escape the armies of the Chaldeans and the Arameans.' So we have remained in Jerusalem."
Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: "This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: Go and tell the men of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem: 'Will you not accept discipline and obey My words?' declares the LORD.
The words of Jonadab son of Rechab have been carried out. He commanded his sons not to drink wine, and they have not drunk it to this very day because they have obeyed the command of their forefather. But I have spoken to you again and again, and you have not obeyed Me!
Again and again I have sent you all My servants the prophets, proclaiming: 'Turn now, each of you, from your wicked ways, and correct your actions. Do not go after other gods to serve them. Live in the land that I have given to you and your fathers.' But you have not inclined your ear or listened to Me. Yes, the sons of Jonadab son of Rechab carried out the command their forefather gave them, but these people have not listened to Me.
Therefore this is what the LORD God of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: 'Behold, I will bring to Judah and to all the residents of Jerusalem all the disaster I have pronounced against them, because I have spoken to them but they have not obeyed, and I have called to them but they have not answered.'?"
Then Jeremiah said to the house of the Rechabites: "This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: 'Because you have obeyed the command of your forefather Jonadab and have kept all his commandments and have done all that he charged you to do, this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: Jonadab son of Rechab will never fail to have a man to stand before Me.'?"
In the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD: "Take a scroll and write on it all the words I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah, and all the nations, from the day I first spoke to you during the reign of Josiah until today. Perhaps when the people of Judah hear about all the calamity I plan to bring upon them, each of them will turn from his wicked way. Then I will forgive their iniquity and their sin."
So Jeremiah called Baruch son of Neriah, and at the dictation of Jeremiah, Baruch wrote on a scroll all the words that the LORD had spoken to Jeremiah.
Then Jeremiah commanded Baruch, "I am restricted; I cannot enter the house of the LORD; so you are to go to the house of the LORD on a day of fasting, and in the hearing of the people you are to read the words of the LORD from the scroll you have written at my dictation. Read them in the hearing of all the people of Judah who are coming from their cities.
Perhaps they will bring their petition before the LORD, and each one will turn from his wicked way; for great are the anger and fury that the LORD has pronounced against this people."
So Baruch son of Neriah did everything that Jeremiah the prophet had commanded him. In the house of the LORD he read the words of the LORD from the scroll.
Now in the ninth month of the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, a fast before the LORD was proclaimed to all the people of Jerusalem and all who had come there from the cities of Judah. From the chamber of Gemariah son of Shaphan the scribe, which was in the upper courtyard at the opening of the New Gate of the house of the LORD, Baruch read from the scroll the words of Jeremiah in the hearing of all the people.
When Micaiah son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, heard all the words of the LORD from the scroll, he went down to the scribe's chamber in the king's palace, where all the officials were sitting: Elishama the scribe, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Achbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the other officials. And Micaiah reported to them all the words he had heard Baruch read from the scroll in the hearing of the people.
Then all the officials sent word to Baruch through Jehudi son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, saying, "Bring the scroll that you read in the hearing of the people, and come here."
So Baruch son of Neriah took the scroll and went to them.
"Please sit down," they said, "and read it in our hearing."
So Baruch read it in their hearing.
When they had heard all these words, they turned to one another in fear and said to Baruch, "Surely we must report all these words to the king."
"Tell us now," they asked Baruch, "how did you write all these words? Was it at Jeremiah's dictation?"
"It was at his dictation," Baruch replied. "He recited all these words to me and I wrote them in ink on the scroll."
Then the officials said to Baruch, "You and Jeremiah must hide yourselves and tell no one where you are."
So the officials went to the king in the courtyard. And having stored the scroll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe, they reported everything to the king.
Then the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and he took it from the chamber of Elishama the scribe. And Jehudi read it in the hearing of the king and all the officials who were standing beside him.
Since it was the ninth month, the king was sitting in his winter quarters with a fire burning before him. And as soon as Jehudi had read three or four columns, Jehoiakim would cut them off with a scribe's knife and throw them into the firepot, until the entire scroll had been consumed by the fire.
Yet in hearing all these words, the king and his servants did not become frightened or tear their garments. Even though Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them. Instead, the king commanded Jerahmeel, a son of the king, as well as Seraiah son of Azriel and Shelemiah son of Abdeel, to seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet. But the LORD had hidden them.
After the king had burned the scroll containing the words that Baruch had written at Jeremiah's dictation, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: "Take another scroll and rewrite on it the very words that were on the original scroll, which Jehoiakim king of Judah has burned.
You are to proclaim concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah that this is what the LORD says: You have burned the scroll and said, 'Why have you written on it that the king of Babylon would surely come and destroy this land and deprive it of man and beast?'
Therefore this is what the LORD says about Jehoiakim king of Judah: He will have no one to sit on David's throne, and his body will be thrown out and exposed to heat by day and frost by night. I will punish him and his descendants and servants for their iniquity. I will bring on them, on the residents of Jerusalem, and on the men of Judah, all the calamity about which I warned them but they did not listen."
Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to the scribe Baruch son of Neriah, and at Jeremiah's dictation he wrote on it all the words of the scroll that Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire. And many similar words were added to them.
This is the word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Baruch son of Neriah when he wrote these words on a scroll at the dictation of Jeremiah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah:
"This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to you, Baruch: You have said, 'Woe is me because the LORD has added sorrow to my pain! I am worn out with groaning and have found no rest.'?"
Thus Jeremiah was to say to Baruch: "This is what the LORD says: Throughout the land I will demolish what I have built and uproot what I have planted. But as for you, do you seek great things for yourself? Stop seeking! For I will bring disaster on every living creature, declares the LORD, but wherever you go, I will grant your life as a spoil of war."
A song of ascents. Of David.
Behold, how good and pleasant it is
when brothers live together in harmony!
It is like fine oil on the head,
running down on the beard,
running down Aaron's beard
over the collar of his robes.
It is like the dew of Hermon
falling on the mountains of Zion.
For there the LORD has bestowed the blessing
of life forevermore.
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to control his whole body.
When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can guide the whole animal. Consider ships as well. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot is inclined.
In the same way, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it boasts of great things. Consider how small a spark sets a great forest ablaze. The tongue also is a fire, a world of wickedness among the parts of the body. It pollutes the whole person, sets the course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, this should not be! Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree grow olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good conduct, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast in it or deny the truth. Such wisdom does not come from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every evil practice.
But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap the fruit of righteousness.