Scripture quotations are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.
Jeremiah 11
The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying, "Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the people of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and say to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: "The man is cursed who does not obey the words of this covenant, which I commanded your ancestors in the day of my bringing them from the land of Egypt, from the furnace of iron, saying, ‘Listen to my voice and do according to all that I command you, so will you be my people, and I will be your God.’ in order to keep the oath that I swore to your ancestors, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day."’" Then I answered and said, "Let it be so, O Yahweh."
And Yahweh said to me, "Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Hear the words of this covenant and do them, for I solemnly admonished your ancestors in the day of my leading them out from the land of Egypt and up to this day, admonishing persistently, saying, "Obey my voice." But they did not obey and they did not incline their ear. Instead each one walked in the stubbornness of his evil heart. Therefore, I brought on them all the words of this covenant which I commanded them to do, and they did not do it.’"
And Yahweh said to me, "A conspiracy is found among the people of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. They have turned back to the iniquities of their former ancestors, who refused to obey my words, and they have gone after other gods, to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant that I made with their ancestors."
Therefore thus says Yahweh, "I am about to bring on them disaster from which they will not be able to escape. Though they cry out to me, yet I will not listen to them. Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they are making smoke offerings, but they will certainly not save them in the time of their trouble. For the number of your towns are your gods, O Judah, and the number of the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to the shameful things, to make smoke offerings to Baal. Therefore you must not pray for this people, and you must not lift up for them a cry of entreaty, or a prayer, for I will not listen in the time of their calling to me, in the time of their trouble.
What rights has my beloved in my house
when she has done many wicked things?
Can the flesh of holiness pass over you?
For you engage in your wickedness, then you exult.
Yahweh called your name, ‘A leafy olive tree, beautiful with fine fruit.’
With the sound of a great storm he will set fire to it,
and its branches will be good for nothing.
And Yahweh of hosts, the one who planted you,
has spoken evil against you,
because of the evil of the house of Israel and the house of Judah,
that they have done to themselves,
to provoke me to anger by making smoke offerings to Baal."
Moreover, Yahweh let it be made known to me, and I knew.
Then you showed me their deeds.
And I was like a gentle ram-lamb that is brought to slaughter,
and I did not know that they planned plans against me, saying,
"Let us destroy the tree with its fruit,
and let us cut him off from the land of the living,
so that his name will no longer be remembered."
But O Yahweh of hosts, who judges in righteousness,
who tests the inmost being, and the mind,
let me see your retribution upon them,
for to you I have revealed my legal case.
Therefore thus says Yahweh concerning the people of Anathoth who seek your life, saying, "You shall not prophesy in the name of Yahweh or you will die by our hand." Therefore thus says Yahweh of hosts: "Look, I am about to punish them. The young men will die by the sword. Their sons and their daughters will die by the famine. And a remnant will not be left for them, for I will bring disaster to the people of Anathoth, the year of their punishment."
Jeremiah 12
You will be in the right, O Yahweh, when I complain to you.
Even so, let me speak my claims with you.
Why does the way of the wicked succeed?
All those who deal treacherously with treachery are at ease.
Not only do you plant them, they take root.
They grow, but also they produce fruit.
You are near in their mouths,
but far from their inmost beings.
But you, O Yahweh, you know me,
you see me, and you test that my heart is with you.
Tear them apart like sheep for the slaughtering,
and set them apart for the day of slaughter.
How long will the land mourn, and the vegetation of every field dry up,
because of the wickedness of those who live in it?
The animals and the birds are swept away,
because they have said, "He does not see our future."
"If you run with foot soldiers and they have made you weary,
then how will you compete with horses?
If you have fallen in a peaceful land,
then how will you do in the thickets of the Jordan?
For even your relatives, and the house of your father,
even they have dealt treacherously with you,
even they call loudly after you.
You must not trust in them, though they speak kindly to you.
I have forsaken my house, I have abandoned my inheritance.
I have given the beloved one of my heart into the hand of her enemies.
My inheritance has become to me like a lion in the forest.
She has lifted up against me her voice; therefore I hate her.
The lair of the hyena is my inheritance to me,
the birds of prey are all around her.
Go, gather all of the animals of the field,
bring them to come and devour.
Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard,
they have trampled down my plot of land.
They have made my pleasant field
like the desert of desolation.
They have made it a desolation.
Desolate, it mourns to me.
All the land is made desolate,
but there is no person taking it to heart.
Upon all the barren heights in the desert destroyers have come,
for the sword of Yahweh devours,
from one end of the land to the other end of the land,
there is no peace for all flesh.
They have sown wheat and they have reaped thorns.
They are exhausted, they do not profit.
And they will be ashamed of your produce,
because of the burning anger of Yahweh."
Thus says Yahweh concerning all of the evil neighbors who touch the inheritance that I gave as an inheritance to my people Israel: "Look, I am about to drive them out from their land, and the house of Judah I will drive out from among them. And then after my driving them out, I will once again have compassion on them, and I will bring them back, each one to his inheritance, and each one to his land. And then, if they diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, ‘as Yahweh lives,’ even as they taught my people to swear by Baal, then they will live in the midst of my people. But if they do not listen, then I will completely uproot and destroy that nation." declares Yahweh.
Jeremiah 13
Thus Yahweh said to me: "Go and buy for yourself a loincloth of linen and put it on your loins, but you must not place it in water." So I bought the loincloth according to the word of Yahweh and I put it on my loins.
Now the word of Yahweh came to me a second time, saying, "Take the loincloth that you bought, that is on your loins, and stand up, go to the Euphrates and hide it there in the cleft of the rock." So I went and hid it by the Euphrates just as Yahweh had commanded me.
And then, after a long time, then Yahweh said to me, "Stand up, go to the Euphrates and take from there the loincloth that I commanded you to hide there." Then I went to the Euphrates and I dug, and I took the loincloth from the place where I had hidden it, and look, the loincloth was ruined; it was not good for anything.
And then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, "Thus says Yahweh: ‘So I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. This evil people, who refuse to listen to my words, who go in the stubbornness of their hearts, and have gone after other gods, to serve them, and to bow in worship to them, let them be like this loincloth which is not good for anything. For as the loincloth clings to the loins of a person, so I caused to cling to me all the house of Israel and all the house of Judah,’ declares Yahweh, ‘to be for me a people, and a name, and a praise, and a glory, but they would not listen.’
"Therefore, you shall say to them this word, ‘Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: "Every jar must be filled with wine."’ And they will say to you, ‘Do we not certainly know that every jar should be filled with wine?’ Then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh: "Look, I am about to fill all the inhabitants of this land, and the kings who sit on David’s throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with drunkenness. And I will smash them, each one against his brother, and the fathers and the sons together," declares Yahweh. "I will not have compassion, and I will not take pity, and I will not show compassion from destroying them."’"
Listen, and pay attention,
you must not be haughty, for Yahweh has spoken.
Give glory to Yahweh your God before he brings darkness,
and before your feet stumble on the mountains at twilight.
And you will hope for light, but he makes it as gloom,
he makes it as thick darkness.
But if you will not listen to it,
my inner self will weep in secret places,
because of the presence of your pride.
And my eyes will weep bitterly,
and they will melt in tears,
because the flock of Yahweh has been taken captive.
"Say to the king and to the queen mother, ‘Take a lower seat,
for your beautiful crown has come down from your head.’
The towns of the Negev are shut up,
and there is no one who opens them.
All of Judah is deported;
it is deported in completeness.
Lift up your eyes
and see those coming from the north.
Where is the flock that was given to you,
your magnificent flock?
What will you say when he sets over you—
and you have taught them—allies as head over you?
Will not labor pains take hold of you,
like a woman giving birth?
And if you say in your heart,
‘Why have these things happened to me?’
Because of the greatness of your iniquity your skirts are uncovered;
your heels have endured violence.
Can a Cushite change his skin,
or a leopard his spots?
Then you also will be able to do good,
who are accustomed to doing evil.
And I will scatter them
like stubble scattered by the wind of the desert.
This is your lot,
the portion of your measure from me," declares Yahweh,
"because you have forgotten me,
and you have trusted in the lie.
So in turn I will bare your skirts over your face,
and your shame will become visible.
Your adulteries, and your neighings,
the shameful behavior of your fornications
on the hills in the countryside,
I have seen your abominations.
Woe to you, O Jerusalem!
How long will you continue to be unclean?"
2 Corinthians 12
It is necessary to boast; it is not profitable, but I will proceed to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in Christ fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or outside the body I do not know, God knows—such a man was caught up to the third heaven, and I know this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows— that he was caught up to paradise and heard words not to be spoken, which it is not permitted for a person to speak. On behalf of such a person I will boast, but on behalf of myself I will not boast, except in my weaknesses. For if I want to boast, I will not be foolish, because I will be telling the truth, but I am refraining, so that no one can credit to me more than what he sees in me or hears anything from me, even because of the extraordinary degree of the revelations. Therefore, so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan, in order that it would torment me so that I would not exalt myself. Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would depart from me. And he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, because the power is perfected in weakness." Therefore rather I will boast most gladly in my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may reside in me. Therefore I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in calamities, in persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.
I have become a fool! You compelled me, for I ought to have been commended by you, for I am in no way inferior to the preeminent apostles, even if I am nothing. Indeed, the signs of an apostle have been done among you with all patient endurance, both signs and wonders and deeds of power. For in what respect are you made worse off more than the rest of the churches, except that I myself was not a burden to you? Forgive me this wrong! Behold, this third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be a burden to you. For I am not seeking your possessions, but you. For children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. But I will spend and be expended most gladly for your lives. If I love you much more, am I to be loved less? But let it be. I have not been a burden to you, but because I was crafty, I took you by cunning. I have not taken advantage of you through anyone whom I sent to you, have I? I urged Titus to go, and I sent the brother with him. Titus did not take advantage of you, did he? Did we not conduct ourselves in the same spirit? Did we not walk in the same footsteps? Have you been thinking all this time that we are defending ourselves to you? We are speaking in Christ before God, and all these things, dear friends, are for your edification. For I am afraid lest somehow when I arrive, I will not find you as I want, and I may be found by you as you do not want. I am afraid lest somehow there will be strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, pride, disorder. I am afraid lest when I come again my God will humiliate me in your presence, and I will grieve over many of those who sinned previously and have not repented because of their impurity and sexual immorality and licentiousness that they have practiced.