Zechariah 7 Cross References - ISV

¹ A Rebuke about Selfish FastsDuring the fourth year of the reign of King Darius, a message from the LORD came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month Kislev. ² The people of Bethel were sending Sharezer, Regem-melech, and their men to pray in the LORD’s presence ³ and to speak to the priests assigned to the Temple of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies along with the prophets, asking, “Am I to go about mourning, denying myself throughout the fifth month, as I have these many years?”
⁴ Then this message from the LORD of the Heavenly Armies came to me: ⁵ “Talk to everyone in the land, as well as to the priests. Ask them, ‘When you were fasting and mourning during the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, were you really fasting for me? ⁶ And when you eat and drink, you’re eating and drinking for your own benefit, aren’t you? ⁷ Isn’t this what the LORD proclaimed through the former prophets, when a prosperous Jerusalem was inhabited, as were its surrounding cities, the Negev, and the Shephelah?’”
⁸ The Consequence of Turning from GodThis message from the LORD came to Zechariah again: ⁹ “This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: ‘Administer true justice, and show gracious love and mercy toward each other. ¹⁰ You are not to wrong the widow, orphans, the foreigner, or the poor, and you are not to plan evil against each other. ¹¹ But they refused to pay attention, turned their backs, and stopped listening. ¹² They made their hearts hard like a diamond, to keep from obeying the Law and the messages that the LORD of the Heavenly Armies sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. ¹³ Therefore, just as when I cried out and they would not listen, so also they will cry out, and I will not listen,’ says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies. ¹⁴ ‘I will scatter them to all of the nations, which they have not known.’”
Now the earth was left desolate after them. As a result, no one came or went because they had turned a pleasant land into a desert.

¹⁴ Progress and CompletionAnd so the Jewish leaders continued their building, and prospered because of the prophecies of Haggai the prophet and Iddo’s son Zechariah. They completed the rebuilding in accordance with the commandment from the God of Israel and the edicts of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, king of Persia. ¹⁵ The Temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar during the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.

¹ IntroductionIn this document, I, Hacaliah’s son Nehemiah, recount what occurred during the twentieth year of Artaxerxes.
BackgroundIn the month of Chislev, while I was in Shushan at the palace,

¹⁰ God’s Promise to His Sinful PeopleOn the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month of the second year of the reign of King Darius, this message from the LORD came to Haggai the prophet:

²⁰ God’s Promise to ZerubbabelThis message from the LORD came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month:

¹ A Call to ReturnIn the eighth month of the second year of the reign of Darius, this message from the LORD came to Berechiah’s son Zechariah, the grandson of Iddo the prophet:

¹¹ But Moses implored the LORD his God: “LORD, why are you angry with your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a show of force?

¹² I thought, ‘The Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal but I’ve not sought the favor of the LORD,’ so I forced myself to offer the burnt offering.”

⁶ “Please!” the king begged the man of God, “Ask the LORD your God and pray for me that my hand may be restored for me!” So the man of God asked the LORD, and the king’s hand was immediately and fully restored, just like it had been before.

¹⁰ so they may approach the God of Heaven with fragrant sacrifices and pray for the life of this king and his sons.

¹⁵ You are carrying silver and gold that the King and his advisors have freely given to the God of Israel, whose Temple is in Jerusalem, ¹⁶ together with all of the silver and gold that you can raise in the province of Babylon, plus the freewill offerings given by the people and the priests, contributed for the Temple of their God, which is in Jerusalem. ¹⁷ Accordingly, you are to exercise due diligence to utilize this money to purchase bulls, rams, lambs, grain offerings, and drink offerings, and to offer them upon the altar of the Temple of your God, which is in Jerusalem. ¹⁸ Furthermore, the balance remaining of the silver and gold may be used for whatever other purpose you and your people desire, as long as such use is consistent with the will of your God. ¹⁹ Furthermore, you are to deliver to the God of Jerusalem the vessels for the service of the Temple of your God that have been given to you. ²⁰ Furthermore, provide from the royal treasury whatever else may be needed for the Temple of your God. ²¹ I, Artaxerxes, in my capacity as king, hereby decree to all royal treasuries beyond the Euphrates River that whatever Ezra the priest-scribe of the Law of the God of Heaven, may require of you are to be performed with all due diligence, ²² up to 100 silver talents, 100 measures of wheat, 100 measures of wine, 100 measures of oil, and salt without limitation. ²³ Whatever is commanded by the God of Heaven is to be done with all due diligence for the Temple of the God of Heaven, or wrath will come against the king’s realm and his sons.

²⁸ I told them, “You are consecrated to the LORD, and the vessels are also consecrated. The silver and the gold are a freely given offering to the LORD God of your ancestors. ²⁹ Guard and protect them until you disperse them to the chief priests, the descendants of Levi, and to the family leaders of Israel at Jerusalem in the chambers of the Temple of the LORD.”
³⁰ So the priests and descendants of Levi took possession of the silver, the gold, and the vessels in order to bring them to Jerusalem, to the Temple of our God.

⁷ All Kedar’s flocks will be gathered to you, the rams of Nebaioth will serve you. and they’ll come up with acceptance upon my altar, and I’ll glorify my glorious house.”

¹⁹ “Did Hezekiah king of Judah or anyone in Judah kill him? Didn’t he fear the LORD and seek the LORD’s favor, and so the LORD changed his mind about the disaster that he had spoken to them about. We’re bringing great disaster on ourselves.

¹⁰ “Go take up an offering from those who came out of the Babylonian exile, that is, from Heldai, from Tobijah, and from Jedaiah. Go along with them today into the house of Zephaniah’s son Josiah, who returned from Babylon.

²¹ and they will travel from one place to another place and say, “Let’s go quickly to pray in the presence of the LORD and to inquire of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies.’ And I will go, too.

⁹ Present the case to the Levitical priest or the judge at that time. When you have inquired and they have announced the verdict, ¹⁰ carry out the verdict that was declared to you at the place that the LORD will choose. Carefully observe all of their instructions to you ¹¹ in accordance with what the Law says, and in accordance with the verdict that will be handed to you. You must not deviate from the verdict that they declare to you either to the right or to the left.

¹⁰ They will teach your ordinances to Jacob, and your Law to Israel. They will offer incense as a pleasant aroma to you and a whole burnt offering upon your altar.

⁸ Jerusalem is Burned and the Temple DemolishedOn the seventh day of the fifth month, which was during the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar’s reign as king of Babylon, captain of the guard Nebuzaradan, a servant of the king of Babylon, arrived in Jerusalem ⁹ and set fire to the LORD’s Temple, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem. He even incinerated the lavish homes.

⁹ A Declaration to RejoiceBecause all the people were weeping as they listened to the words of the Law, Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the descendants of Levi who taught the people told everyone, “This day is holy to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep.” ¹⁰ He also told them, “Go eat the best food, drink the best wine, and give something to those who have nothing, since this day is holy to our Lord. Don’t be sorrowful, because the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
¹¹ The descendants of Levi also calmed all the people by saying, “Be still, for the day is holy. Don’t be sorrowful!”

¹ The People Confess Their SinsOn the twenty-fourth day of this same month, the Israelis gathered together while fasting, wearing sackcloth, and covering themselves with dust. ² The remnant of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners. Then they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their ancestors. ³ While they stood there, they read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for one fourth of the day, and they confessed and worshipped the LORD their God for another fourth of the day.

⁴ a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

¹² On that day the Lord GOD of the Heavenly Armies called for weeping and mourning, for shaving heads and wearing sackcloth. ¹³ But look! There is joy and festivity, slaughtering of cattle and killing of sheep, eating meat and drinking wine. “Let us eat and drink, you say, because we die tomorrow.”

¹² The Destruction of the TempleIn the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month—it was the nineteenth year of the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon—Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard who served the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem. ¹³ He burned the LORD’s Temple, the king’s house, and all the houses in Jerusalem. He also burned every public building with fire. ¹⁴ All the Chaldean troops who were with the captain of the guard tore down all the walls around Jerusalem.

²³ Duties of Ministry“They are to teach my people how to discern what is holy in contrast to what is common, showing them how to discern between what is unclean and clean. ²⁴ When disputes arise, they are to serve as a judge, adjudicating matters according to my ordinances. They are to enforce my laws, my statutes, all of my appointed festivals, and they are to sanctify my Sabbaths.

⁶ My people are destroyed because they lack knowledge of me. Because you rejected that knowledge, I will reject you as a priest for me. Since you forget the Law of your God, I will also forget your children.

¹⁷ As they serve between the porch and the altar, let the priests and ministers of the LORD weep and pray: ‘Spare your people, LORD, and do not make your heritage a disgrace so that nations ridicule them. Why should they say among the people, “Where is their God?”’”

¹¹ “This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: ‘Ask the priests about what the Law says:

⁵ “Talk to everyone in the land, as well as to the priests. Ask them, ‘When you were fasting and mourning during the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, were you really fasting for me?

¹⁹ “This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: ‘The fasts that occur in the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months will be joyful and glad times for the house of Judah, replete with cheerful festivals. Therefore, love truth and peace.’”

¹² And so the land will mourn, families by families, alone by themselves—the family of the house of David by itself with their wives by themselves, the family of the house of Nathan by itself with their wives by themselves, ¹³ the family of the house of Levi by itself with their wives by themselves, the family of Shimei by itself with their wives by themselves— ¹⁴ all of the surviving families by themselves, along with their wives by themselves.

⁷ For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, because he’s the messenger of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies.

¹⁵ Jesus asked them, “The wedding guests can’t mourn as long as the groom is with them, can they? But the time will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.”

⁵ Do not withhold yourselves from each other unless you agree to do so just for a set time, in order to devote yourselves to prayer. Then you should come together again so that Satan does not tempt you through your lack of self-control.

⁸ Come close to God, and he will come close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹ Be miserable, mourn, and cry. Let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into gloom. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves in the Lord’s presence, and he will exalt you.

¹⁶ Therefore, the Lord GOD of the Heavenly Armies will send a wasting disease among Assyria’s sturdy warriors, and under its glory a conflagration will be kindled, like a blazing bonfire.

²³ When all the captains of the armies, along with their men, heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah, these men visited Gedaliah at Mizpah: Nethaniah’s son Ishmael, Kareah’s son Johanan, Tanhumeth the Netophathite’s son Seraiah, and Jaazaniah, who was descended from the Maacathites.

¹¹ “How do your voluminous sacrifices benefit me?” the LORD is asking. “I’ve had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts. I don’t enjoy the blood of bulls, lambs, or goats. ¹² “When you come to present yourselves in my presence, who has required you to trample on my courts?

⁴ “Look! You fast only for quarreling, and for fighting, and for hitting with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and have your voice heard on high. ⁵ “Is this the kind of fast that I have chosen, merely a day for a person to humble himself? Is it merely for bowing down one’s head like a bulrush, for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is this what you call a fast, an acceptable day to the LORD? ⁶ Isn’t this the fast that I have been choosing: to loose the bonds of injustice, and to untie the cords of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?

¹¹ This entire land will be a desolation and a waste, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.

¹ Gedaliah is AssassinatedIn the seventh month, Nethaniah’s son Ishmael, the grandson of Elishama, a member of the royal family and one of the chief officers of the king, came to Ahikam’s son Gedaliah at Mizpah, along with ten men. While they were dining together there at Mizpah, ² Nethaniah’s son Ishmael and the ten men with him got up and killed Ahikam’s son Gedaliah, the grandson of Shaphan, with swords and killed the man whom the king of Babylon had appointed over the land. ³ Ishmael also struck down all the Judeans who were with him (that is, with Gedaliah) at Mizpah, along with the Chaldean soldiers who were found there.
⁴ Now on the day after Gedaliah was killed, when as yet no one knew about it,

¹² And the angel of the LORD replied, “LORD of the Heavenly Armies, how long will it be until you show mercy to Jerusalem and to the cities of Judah, with whom you have been angry for these past seventy years?”

³ and to speak to the priests assigned to the Temple of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies along with the prophets, asking, “Am I to go about mourning, denying myself throughout the fifth month, as I have these many years?”

⁶ And when you eat and drink, you’re eating and drinking for your own benefit, aren’t you?

¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before people in such a way that they will see your good actions and glorify your Father in heaven.”
¹⁷ Jesus Fulfills the Law and the Prophets“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I didn’t come to destroy them, but to fulfill them, ¹⁸ because I tell all of you with certainty that until heaven and earth disappear, not one letter or one stroke of a letter will disappear from the Law until everything has been accomplished.

² So whenever you give to the poor, don’t blow a trumpet before you like the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets so that they will be praised by people. I tell all of you with certainty, they have their full reward!

⁵ Teaching about Prayer
“And whenever you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to stand in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they will be seen by people. I tell all of you with certainty, they have their full reward!

¹⁶ Teaching about Fasting“Whenever you fast, don’t be gloomy like the hypocrites, because they put on sad faces to show others they are fasting. I tell all of you with certainty, they have their full reward!

⁵ “They do everything to be seen by people. They increase the size of their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments.

⁶ The one who observes a special day, observes it to honor the Lord. The one who eats, eats to honor the Lord, since he gives thanks to God. And the one who does not eat, refrains from eating to honor the Lord; yet he, too, gives thanks to God.
⁷ For none of us lives for himself, and no one dies for himself. ⁸ If we live, we live to honor the Lord; and if we die, we die to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. ⁹ For this reason the Messiah died and returned to life, so that he might become the Lord of both the dead and the living.

¹⁷ For God’s kingdom does not consist of food and drink, but of righteousness, peace, and joy produced by the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ For the person who serves the Messiah in this way is pleasing to God and approved by people.

³¹ Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.

¹⁵ He died for all people, so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for the one who died and rose for them.

²³ Whatever you do, work at it wholeheartedly as though you were doing it for the Lord and not merely for people.

⁷ Then you and your household will eat in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice with all the works of your hand with which he blessed you.

²⁶ You may spend the money to your heart’s content to buy livestock, flocks, wine, strong drink, and whatever you desire. You and your household may eat there and rejoice in the presence of the LORD your God.”

⁷ The LORD told Samuel, “Don’t look at his appearance or his height, for I’ve rejected him. Truly, God does not see what man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.”

²² and they ate and drank in the LORD’s presence with great joy.
Solomon is Anointed King
They crowned David’s son Solomon king a second time and anointed him to serve as Commander-in-Chief to the LORD and Zadok to serve as priest.

⁹ The Deceitfulness of the Human Heart“The heart is more deceitful than anything. It is incurable— who can know it? ¹⁰ I am the LORD who searches the heart, who tests the inner depths to give to each person according to what he deserves, according to the fruit of his deeds.

¹³ They offer me meat from the sacrifices of my offerings, and they eat from it, but the LORD does not accept them. He will now remember their transgression and pay them back for their sins; to Egypt they will return.

⁴ They won’t present wine offerings to the LORD, nor will they please him. Their sacrifices will seem like food for mourners— everyone who eats them will become unclean; none of them will enter the Temple of the LORD.

²⁰ When you gather in the same place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. ²¹ For as you eat, each of you rushes to eat his own supper, and one person goes hungry while another gets drunk.

²⁶ For as often as you eat this bread and drink from this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
²⁷ Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks from the cup in an unworthy manner will be held responsible for the Lord’s body and blood. ²⁸ A person must examine himself and then eat the bread and drink from the cup, ²⁹ because whoever eats and drinks without recognizing the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself.

¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether by speech or action, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

³ including the Negev, the Arabah, the valley of Jericho, and the city of the palm trees as far as Zoar.

¹⁶ An Invitation to Reconciliation“Wash yourselves, and make yourselves clean; remove your evil behavior from my presence; stop practicing what is evil. ¹⁷ Learn to practice what is good; seek justice, alleviate oppression, defend orphans in court, and plead the widow’s case. ¹⁸ “Please come, and let’s reason together,” implores the LORD. “Even though your sins are like scarlet, they’ll be white like snow. Though they’re like crimson, they’ll become like wool. ¹⁹ If you’re willing and obedient, you’ll eat the best that the land produces; ²⁰ but if you refuse and rebel, you’ll be devoured by the sword, because the LORD has spoken.”

³ Pay attention to me, come to me; and listen, so that you may live; then I’ll make an everlasting covenant with you, as promised by my faithful, sure love for David.

⁶ Steps to Reconciliation“Seek the LORD while he may be found, call upon him while he is near. ⁷ Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous person his thoughts. Let him return to the LORD, So he’ll have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he’ll pardon abundantly.

⁵ but rather, truly change your ways and your deeds. If you truly practice justice between each person and his neighbor,

²³ but I did give them this command: ‘Obey me and I’ll be your God, and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways that I command you so it will go well for you.’

²⁶ They’ll come from the cities of Judah, from the places around Jerusalem, from the territory of Benjamin, from the Shephelah, from the hill country, and from the Negev, bringing burnt offerings, sacrifices, grain offerings, and incense, and bringing thanksgiving offerings to the LORD’s Temple.

²¹ I spoke to you when you were secure, but you said, “I won’t listen!” This has been your way since your youth, for you haven’t obeyed me.

⁴⁴ People will buy fields for money, sign deeds, seal them, and call witnesses in the land of Benjamin, in the areas around Jerusalem, in the towns of Judah, the towns of the hill country, the towns of the Shephelah, and the towns of the Negev, for I’ll restore their fortunes,’ declares the LORD.”

¹³ In the towns of the hill country, in the towns of the Shephelah, in the towns of the Negev, in the territory of Benjamin, in the areas around Jerusalem, and in the towns of Judah flocks will again pass under the hands of the one who counts them,’ says the LORD.”

² “Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I’ve spoken to you about Israel, about Judah, and about all the nations, since I first spoke to you in the time of Josiah until the present time. ³ Perhaps the house of Judah will hear about all the calamity that I’m planning to bring on them, and so each of them will turn from his wicked way and I’ll forgive their iniquities and sins.”

³⁰ A Command to Repent“Therefore, Israel, I’m going to judge you according to the behavior of each and every one of you,” declares the Lord GOD. “So repent and turn from all your sins so that sin won’t keep on being a stumbling block for you. ³¹ Stop your transgressing—the deeds by which you’ve rebelled—and then make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, you house of Israel? ³² I don’t take pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,” declares the LORD. “So repent, so you may live!”

⁶ Furthermore, we haven’t listened to your servants, the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, to our officials, to our ancestors, and to all of the people of the land. ⁷ ‘To you, Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us, open humiliation—even to this day, to the men of Judah, the residents of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, both those who are nearby and those who are far away in all the lands to which you drove them because of their unfaithful acts that they committed against you. ⁸ ‘Open humiliation belongs to us, LORD, to our kings, our officials, and our ancestors, because we’ve sinned against you. ⁹ But to the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we’ve rebelled against him ¹⁰ and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God by walking in his laws that he gave us through his servants the prophets. ¹¹ And all Israel flouted your Law, turning aside from it and not obeying your voice. Because we’ve sinned against him, the curse has been poured upon us, along with the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God. ¹² ‘He has confirmed his accusation that he spoke against us and against our rulers who governed us by bringing upon us great calamity, because nowhere in the universe has anything been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. ¹³ As it’s written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has befallen us, but we still haven’t sought the LORD our God by turning from our lawlessness to pay attention to your truth. ¹⁴ So the LORD watched for the right time to bring the calamity upon us, because the LORD our God is righteous regarding everything he does, but we have not obeyed his voice.

¹ A Call to Repentance “Return, Israel, to the LORD your God, for you have fallen due to your own iniquity. ² Bring a prepared speech with you as you return to the LORD. Say to him: ‘Take away all our iniquity, and accept what is good. Then we will present the fruit of our lips. ³ Assyria won’t save us; we won’t be riding on horses, Nor will we be saying anymore to the work of our hands, “You are our God.” Indeed, in you the orphan finds mercy.’

¹⁴ ‘Pursue good and not evil, so that you may live, and this is what will happen: The LORD God of the Heavenly Armies will be with you, as you have been claiming. ¹⁵ Hate evil and love good, and establish justice in court— perhaps the LORD, the God of the Heavenly Armies, will be gracious to the survivors of Joseph.’”

⁶ The Nature of True RighteousnessHow am I to present myself in the LORD’s presence and bow in the presence of the High God? Should I present myself with burnt offerings, with year-old calves? ⁷ Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with endless rivers of oil? Am I to give my firstborn to pay for my rebellion, the fruit of my body in exchange for my soul? ⁸ He has made it clear to you, mortal man, what is good and what the LORD is requiring from you— to act with justice, to treasure the LORD’s gracious love, and to walk humbly in the company of your God.

¹ A Plea for Repentance to the People “Gather together! Yes, indeed, gather together, you shameless nation! ² Before the decree is carried out, before the day flies away like chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD visits you, before the Day of the LORD’s wrath surprises you, ³ seek the LORD, all you humble people of the land, who do what he commands. Seek righteousness! Seek humility! Maybe you will be protected in the Day of the LORD’s anger.”
The Coming Destruction of Philistine Cities

³ So tell them, ‘This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: “Return to me,” declares the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, “and I will return to you. ⁴ Don’t be like your ancestors, to whom the former prophets proclaimed: ‘This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: “It’s time to turn from your evil lifestyles and from your evil actions,” ‘but they would neither listen nor pay attention to me,’” declares the LORD.’ ⁵ “Your ancestors—where are they? And the prophets—do they live forever? ⁶ But my words and my statutes that I gave as commands to my servants the prophets—did they not overwhelm your ancestors? And they returned to me: ‘The LORD of the Heavenly Armies acted toward us just as he planned to do—in keeping with our lifestyles and in keeping with our actions.’”

¹⁵ “You are not to be unjust in deciding a case. You are not to show partiality to the poor or honor the great. Instead, decide the case of your neighbor with righteousness.”

³⁵ “You are not to act unjustly in deciding a case or when measuring weight and quantity. ³⁶ You are to maintain just balances and reliable standards for weights, dry volumes, and liquid volumes. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. ³⁷ Observe all my statutes and all my ordinances in order to practice them. I am the LORD.”

¹⁸ He executes justice for the orphan and the widows, loves the foreigner, and gives them food and clothing.”
¹⁹ Love Others“You are to love the foreigner, because you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.

⁷ Care for the Poor“If there should be a poor man among your relatives in one of the cities of the land that the LORD your God is about to give you, don’t be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your poor relative. ⁸ Instead, be sure to open your hand to him and lend him enough to lessen his need. ⁹ Be careful not to think this wicked thought to yourselves: ‘The seventh year, the year of remission, is drawing near,’ and you show ill will toward your poor relative and not give to him. He may then call to the LORD on account of you, and you will be guilty of sin. ¹⁰ You must certainly give to him and not feel regret for doing so. Because of this, the LORD your God will bless all your works and everything you do. ¹¹ Since poor people won’t cease to exist in the land, therefore I’m commanding you: Be sure to be generous to your poor and needy relatives in your land.”
¹² Releasing Slaves“When a fellow Hebrew male or female slave is sold to you and serves you for six years, then in the seventh year you are to set them free. ¹³ But when you set them free, don’t send them away empty-handed. ¹⁴ Provide for them liberally from your flock, threshing floor, and wine vat. As the LORD your God has blessed you, so give to them.

¹⁸ Pursue Justice“Appoint judges and civil servants according to your tribes in all your cities that the LORD your God is about to give you, so they may judge the people impartially. ¹⁹ You must not twist justice, show favoritism, or take bribes, because a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the speech of the righteous. ²⁰ You are to pursue justice—and only justice—so you may live and possess the land that the LORD your God is about to give you.”

² “How long will you judge partially by showing favor on the wicked? Interlude ³ “Defend the poor and the fatherless. Vindicate the afflicted and the poor. ⁴ Rescue the poor and the needy, delivering them from the power of the wicked.

³ To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

⁶ Isn’t this the fast that I have been choosing: to loose the bonds of injustice, and to untie the cords of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? ⁷ Isn’t it to share your bread with the hungry, and to bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him with clothing, and not to raise yourself up from your own flesh and blood?”
⁸ God’s Reward“Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will spring up quickly; and your vindication will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will guard your back. ⁹ Then you’ll call, and the LORD will answer; you’ll cry for help, and he’ll respond, ‘Here I am.’ “If you do away with the yoke among you, and pointing fingers and malicious talk; ¹⁰ if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the needs of afflicted souls, then your light will rise in darkness, and your night will be like noonday.

¹² This is what the LORD says, house of David: “Judge appropriately every morning, and deliver those who have been robbed from the oppressor, so my anger does not break out like fire and burn with no one to put it out because of your evil deeds.

⁹ An Exhortation to Honest Business“This is what the Lord GOD says, ‘Enough of you, you regent princes of Israel! Abandon your violence and destruction. Practice what is just and right instead! Stop confiscating property from my people!’ declares the Lord GOD.

¹² Sow in righteousness in your own interest, reap in gracious love, break up your own unprepared ground; It is now time to inquire of the LORD, until he comes to pour out righteousness for you. ¹³ You have plowed evil; you have reaped unrighteousness; you have eaten the fruit of hypocrisy; because you trusted in your own direction, and in the number of your mighty forces.

²⁴ “But let justice roll on like many waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing river.

⁸ He has made it clear to you, mortal man, what is good and what the LORD is requiring from you— to act with justice, to treasure the LORD’s gracious love, and to walk humbly in the company of your God.

⁷ Isn’t this what the LORD proclaimed through the former prophets, when a prosperous Jerusalem was inhabited, as were its surrounding cities, the Negev, and the Shephelah?’”

¹⁶ Here’s what you must do: tell the truth to your neighbors, administer true and peaceful justice in your courtrooms, ¹⁷ don’t plot evil in your heart against a neighbor, and don’t tolerate false testimonies, because I hate all these things,’ declares the LORD.”

²³ “How terrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your mint, dill, and cummin, but have neglected the more important matters of the Law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These are the things you should have practiced, without neglecting the others.

⁴² “How terrible it will be for you Pharisees! You give a tenth of your mint, spices, and every kind of herb, but you neglect justice and the love of God. These are the things you should have practiced, without neglecting the others.

⁵¹ “Surely our Law does not condemn a person without first hearing from him and finding out what he is doing, does it?”

¹³ For the one who has shown no mercy will be judged without mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
¹⁴ Faith is Shown by ActionsWhat good does it do, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith but does not prove it with actions? This kind of faith cannot save him, can it? ¹⁵ Suppose a brother or sister does not have any clothes or daily food ¹⁶ and one of you tells them, “Go in peace! Stay warm and eat heartily.” If you do not provide for their bodily needs, what good does it do? ¹⁷ In the same way, faith by itself, if it does not prove itself with actions, is dead.

²¹ “You are not to wrong or oppress an alien, because you were aliens in the land of Egypt.
²² “You are not to mistreat any widow or orphan. ²³ If you do mistreat them, they’ll certainly cry out to me, and I’ll immediately hear their cry. ²⁴ And I’ll be angry and will kill you with swords, and your wives will become widows and your children orphans.

⁹ You are not to oppress the resident alien, because you were aliens in the land of Egypt.”

¹⁴ Don’t take advantage of a hired person who is poor and needy, whether he’s your fellow citizen or a foreigner who lives in your city. ¹⁵ Pay his wages that same day before the sun sets, because he is poor and his livelihood depends on it. Otherwise, he may cry out to the LORD against you, and you will incur guilt.”
¹⁶ Practicing Justice“Fathers must not be put to death on account of their children’s sin; nor shall children die on account of their fathers’ sin. Each person is to be put to death for his own sin.
¹⁷ “Don’t deny justice to a foreigner or to an orphan, nor take a widow’s garment as collateral for a loan. ¹⁸ Remember to observe this because you were slaves in Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you from there. That is why I am commanding you to do this.

¹⁹ “‘Cursed is the one who perverts justice due the foreigner, the orphan, or the widow.’“Then all the people are to respond by saying, ‘Amen!’

¹¹ Though they plot evil against you and devise schemes, they will not succeed.

⁴ He devises iniquity on his bed and is determined to follow a path that is not good. He does not resist evil.

⁴ May he defend the afflicted of the people and deliver the children of the poor, but crush the oppressor.

² who craft evil plans in their minds, inciting wars every day.

²⁹ Do not plan to harm your neighbor, when he is living peacefully beside you.

¹⁸ a heart crafting evil plans, feet running swiftly to wickedness,

²² Don’t rob the poor person because he is poor, and don’t crush the helpless in court, ²³ for the LORD will plead their case and ruin the lives of those who ruin them.

¹⁰ Don’t move ancient boundaries or invade fields belonging to orphans; ¹¹ for strong is their Redeemer who will take up their case against you.

¹⁶ An Invitation to Reconciliation“Wash yourselves, and make yourselves clean; remove your evil behavior from my presence; stop practicing what is evil. ¹⁷ Learn to practice what is good; seek justice, alleviate oppression, defend orphans in court, and plead the widow’s case.

²³ Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves. All of them are lovers of bribes and are runners after gifts. They don’t bring justice to orphans, and the widow’s case never comes up for review in their court.”

²⁸ and have grown fat and sleek. There is no limit to their evil deeds. They don’t argue the case of the orphan to secure justice. They don’t defend the rights of the poor.

¹⁹ I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. I didn’t know that they had devised schemes against me. They told themselves, “Let’s destroy the tree with its fruit. Let’s eliminate him from the land of the living, so his name won’t be remembered again.” ²⁰ LORD of the Heavenly Armies, the righteous judge, the one who tests feelings and the heart, let me see your vengeance on them, for I’ve committed my cause to you.

¹⁸ Jeremiah Reacts to the Plot against HimThen they said, “Come, let’s make up a plot against Jeremiah. After all, the priest’s instruction, the wise man’s counsel, and the prophet’s message won’t be destroyed. So let’s verbally attack him. Pay no attention to anything he says!”

¹⁵ Are you a king because you try to outdo everyone with cedar? Your father ate and drank and upheld justice and righteousness, did he not? And then it went well for him. ¹⁶ He judged the case of the poor and needy. And then it went well for him. Isn’t this what it means to know me? ¹⁷ But your eyes and heart are on nothing but your dishonest gain, shedding the blood of innocent people, and practicing oppression and extortion.”

⁷ They’ve treated mothers and fathers among you with contempt. They’ve oppressed the foreigner among you. They’ve maltreated the orphan and the widow among you.

¹² They take bribes among you to shed blood. You’ve taken usury and exacted interest. You’ve gained control over your neighbor through extortion. And you’ve forgotten me,” declares the Lord GOD.

²⁹ The people of the land were vigorously oppressive and took possession of plunder by violence. They’ve afflicted the poor and the needy and unjustly treated the foreigner.

¹ Judgment on the Women of Israel “Listen to this message, you fat cows from Bashan, who live on the Samaritan mountains, who oppress the poor, who rob the needy, and who constantly ask your husbands for one more drink!”

¹¹ ‘Therefore, since you trample the poor continuously, taxing his grain, building houses of stone in which you won’t live and planting fine vineyards from which you won’t drink— ¹² and because I know that your transgressions are many, and your sins are numerous as you oppose the righteous, taking bribes as a ransom, and turning away the poor in court—

¹ God’s Warning to His People “Woe to those who are crafting iniquity, planning evil well into the night! When morning’s light comes, they carry out their plans because they have the power to do so. ² They covet fields and seize them; they covet houses, and grab them, too. They harass the valiant man, along with his household, an individual and his estate. ³ “Therefore this is what the LORD says, ‘I’m crafting evil against this family, from which you can’t escape. You won’t strut around arrogantly, because the times are evil.’

¹ “He will say, ‘Listen, you leaders of Jacob, you officials of the house of Israel! You should know justice, should you not?— ² you who despise good and love evil, who tear off the skin of my people, along with the flesh from their bones. ³ You eat the flesh of my people, flaying their skin from them. You break their bones, chopping them in pieces like meat for a pot, like meat destined for a soup kettle.’ ⁴ “Then they will cry to the LORD, but he will not listen to them. In fact, he will hide his face from them at that time, because they were so wicked in what they were doing.”

¹ The LORD’s Rebuke to Jerusalem Woe to this filthy, polluted, and oppressive city! ² It won’t obey anyone. It won’t accept discipline. It does not trust in the LORD. It does not approach God. ³ Its national officials are roaring lions; its judges are like wolves of the night that don’t leave the bones for the morning.

¹⁷ don’t plot evil in your heart against a neighbor, and don’t tolerate false testimonies, because I hate all these things,’ declares the LORD.”

⁵ The Judgment of God“I’ll come near to you for judgment. I’ll be a witness, quick to speak against sorcerers, against adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who defraud the laborer of his wage, against those who defraud the widow and the orphan, against those who deprive the alien of justice, and against those who don’t fear me,” says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies.

¹³ “How terrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door to the kingdom from heaven in people’s faces. You don’t go in yourselves, and you don’t allow those who are trying to enter to go in.

²¹ because it’s from within, from the human heart, that evil thoughts come, as well as sexual immorality, stealing, murder, ²² adultery, greed, wickedness, cheating, shameless lust, envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness. ²³ All these things come from inside and make a person unclean.”

¹⁰ thieves, greedy people, drunks, slanderers, and robbers will not inherit the kingdom of God.

¹⁴ Instead, each person is tempted by his own desire, being lured and trapped by it. ¹⁵ When that desire becomes pregnant, it gives birth to sin; and when that sin grows up, it gives birth to death.

⁴ Look! The wages that you kept back from the workers who harvested your fields are shouting out against you, and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.

¹⁵ Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life present in him.

³ Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him, “This is what the LORD God of the Hebrews says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, so they may serve me.

¹³ Nevertheless, the LORD had warned both Israel and Judah by means of every prophet and seer: “Turn away from your evil practices and keep my commandments and statutes according to the entire Law that I gave your ancestors and that I sent to you through my servants, the prophets.” ¹⁴ But they would not listen. Instead, they were stubborn, just like their ancestors had been, who did not believe in the LORD their God. ¹⁵ They rejected the LORD’s statutes, the covenant that he had made with their ancestors, and his warnings that he gave them. They pursued meaninglessness—and became meaningless themselves—as they followed the lifestyles of the nations that surrounded them, a practice that the LORD had warned them not to do.

¹⁰ Manasseh Repents and is RestoredThe LORD kept on speaking to Manasseh and to his people, but they paid no attention to him,

¹⁷ They would not listen, and did not remember the miracles you did among them. Instead, they became stubborn and appointed a leader to return them to their slavery. “But you are a God of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and rich in gracious love; therefore you did not abandon them.

²⁶ “Then they disobeyed, rebelled against you, and threw your Law behind their backs. They murdered your prophets who had admonished the people to return to you, committing terrible blasphemies.

²⁹ You admonished them to return to your Law, but they acted arrogantly, and would not listen to your commands. They sinned against your regulations, which if anyone obeys, he will live by them. They turned away, being stubborn and stiff-necked, and they did not listen.

⁴ Their venom is like a poisonous snake; even like a deaf serpent that shuts its ears, ⁵ refusing to hear the voice of the snake charmer, the cunning enchanter.

²⁴ The Consequences of Refusing Wisdom“Because I called out to you and you refused to respond— I appealed, but no one paid attention— ²⁵ because you neglected all my advice and did not want my correction, ²⁶ I will laugh at your calamity. I will mock when what you fear comes, ²⁷ when what you dread comes like a storm, and your calamity comes on like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. ²⁸ “Then they will call out to me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. ²⁹ “Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD; ³⁰ they did not want my advice, and they rejected all my correction. ³¹ They will eat the fruit of their way, and they will be filled with their own devices. ³² Indeed, the waywardness of the naïve will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them.

¹⁰ Dull the mind of this people, deafen their ears, and blind their eyes. By doing so, they won’t see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their minds, turn back, and be healed.”

¹⁶ Israel Refuses to RepentThis is what the LORD says: “Stand beside the roads and watch. Ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is. Walk in it and find rest for yourselves. But they said, ‘We won’t walk in it!’ ¹⁷ I appointed watchmen over you. Listen for the sound of the trumpet. But they said, ‘We won’t listen!’

²⁴ But they didn’t listen, nor did they pay attention. They pursued their own plans, stubbornly following their own evil desires. They went backward and not forward.

⁵ Why has this people turned away? Why does Jerusalem continue in apostasy? They hold on to deceit and refuse to repent.

¹⁰ They have turned back to the iniquities of their ancestors of old who refused to listen to my words. They followed other gods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah broke my covenant which I made with their ancestors.”

¹⁰ This evil people that refuses to listen to my words, that stubbornly pursues their own desires, and that follows other gods to serve and worship them, will be like this belt that is not good for anything.

²³ But they didn’t listen, nor did they pay attention. They were determined not to listen and not to accept instruction.

⁵ and listen to the words of my servants, the prophets, whom I’ve sent to you over and over—but you wouldn’t listen— ⁶ then I’ll make this house like Shiloh and make this city into a curse to all the nations of the earth.’”’”

¹⁵ I’ve sent you all my servants, the prophets, sending them again and again. I’ve said, ‘Each of you turn from his evil behavior and make your deeds right. Don’t follow other gods to serve them. Then you will remain in the land that I gave to you and to your ancestors.’ But you haven’t paid attention and you haven’t obeyed me.

³¹ I’ll punish him, his descendants, and his officials for their iniquity. I’ll bring on them, on the residents of Jerusalem, and on the men of Judah all the calamity about which I’ve warned them, but they would not listen.”’”

¹⁶ “As for the message that you reported to us in the name of the LORD, we won’t listen to you!

⁷ But the house of Israel won’t listen to you, since they weren’t willing to listen to me. That’s because the entire house of Israel is hard-headed and hard-hearted.

⁵ we’ve sinned, we’ve practiced evil, we’ve acted wickedly, and we’ve rebelled, turning away from your commands and from your regulations.

¹⁶ For Israel is as obstinate as a stubborn mule! Nevertheless, will not the LORD feed them like a lamb in a broad pasture?

² It won’t obey anyone. It won’t accept discipline. It does not trust in the LORD. It does not approach God.

⁴ Don’t be like your ancestors, to whom the former prophets proclaimed: ‘This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: “It’s time to turn from your evil lifestyles and from your evil actions,” ‘but they would neither listen nor pay attention to me,’” declares the LORD.’

⁵¹ “You stubborn people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do.

⁵⁷ But they shouted out loud, stopped listening, and together they all rushed at him,

³⁸ but my righteous one will live by faith, and if he turns back, my soul will take no pleasure in him.” ³⁹ Now, we do not belong to those who turn back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.

²⁵ See to it that you do not ignore the one who is speaking. For if the hearers did not escape when they ignored the one who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we turn away from the one who is from heaven!

¹⁶ but they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words, and scoffed at his prophets, until there was no remedy for the wrath of the LORD that arose to punish his people.

²⁹ You admonished them to return to your Law, but they acted arrogantly, and would not listen to your commands. They sinned against your regulations, which if anyone obeys, he will live by them. They turned away, being stubborn and stiff-necked, and they did not listen. ³⁰ You were patient with them for many years, warning them by your Spirit through your prophets. But they would not listen, so you turned them over to the control of people in other lands.

⁴ He is wise in heart and strong in will— who can be stubborn against him and succeed?

¹⁷ You hate instruction and toss my words behind you.

⁴ Because I knew that you are obstinate, and because your neck is an iron sinew, and your forehead is bronze,

³ The Prophet SpeaksLORD, don’t your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they didn’t flinch. You brought them to an end, but they refused to receive discipline. They made their faces harder than stone, and they refused to repent.

¹ Judah’s Sin and Its Consequence The sin of Judah is engraved with an iron stylus. It is inscribed with a diamond point on the tablet of their heart and on the horns of their altars.

⁴ They’re stubborn and strong willed. I’m sending you to them to tell them what the LORD says.

⁷ But the house of Israel won’t listen to you, since they weren’t willing to listen to me. That’s because the entire house of Israel is hard-headed and hard-hearted. ⁸ So pay attention! I’m going to make you just as obstinate and unyielding as they are. ⁹ I’m making you harder than flint—like diamond! So you are not to fear them or be intimidated by how they look at you, since they’re a rebellious group.”

¹⁹ then I’ll give them a united heart, placing a new spirit within them. I’ll remove their stubborn heart and give them a heart that’s sensitive to me.

²⁶ “‘“I’m going to give you a new heart, and I’m going to give you a new spirit within all of your deepest parts. I’ll remove that rock-hard heart of yours and replace it with one that’s sensitive to me.

¹¹ And all Israel flouted your Law, turning aside from it and not obeying your voice. Because we’ve sinned against him, the curse has been poured upon us, along with the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God. ¹² ‘He has confirmed his accusation that he spoke against us and against our rulers who governed us by bringing upon us great calamity, because nowhere in the universe has anything been done like what has been done to Jerusalem.

¹⁵ for this people’s heart has become dull, and their ears are hard of hearing. They have shut their eyes so that they might not see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’

¹² so that ‘they may see clearly but not perceive, and they may hear clearly but not understand, otherwise they might turn around and be forgiven.’”

¹² The ones on the path are the people who listen, but then the devil comes and takes the word away from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.

¹⁹ And this is the basis for judgment: The light has come into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light because their actions were evil. ²⁰ Everyone who practices wickedness hates the light and does not come to the light, so that his actions may not be exposed.

⁵¹ “You stubborn people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. ⁵² Which of the prophets did your ancestors fail to persecute? They killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers.

²⁷ For this people’s minds have become stupid, and their ears can barely hear, and they have shut their eyes so that they may never see with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn and let me heal them.”’

¹⁵ who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, who have persecuted us, and who please neither God nor any group of people, ¹⁶ as they try to keep us from telling the gentiles how they can be saved. As a result, they are constantly adding to the number of sins they have committed. However, wrath has overtaken them at last!

¹⁰ and every type of evil to deceive those who are dying, those who refused to love the truth that would save them. ¹¹ For this reason, God will send them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie. ¹² Then all who have not believed the truth but have taken pleasure in unrighteousness will be condemned.

¹¹ They tried to find out what era or specific time the Spirit of the Messiah in them kept referring to when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. ¹² It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you in regard to the things that have now been announced to you by those who brought you the good news through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. These are things that even the angels desire to look into.

²¹ because no prophecy ever originated through a human decision. Instead, men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

⁸ Listen, My people and I will warn you. Israel, if only you would obey me! ⁹ You must neither have a foreign god over you or worship a strange god. ¹⁰ I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, open your mouth that I may fill it. ¹¹ Yet my people didn’t obey my voice; Israel didn’t submit to me. ¹² So I allowed them to continue in their stubbornness, living by their own advice.

²⁴ The Consequences of Refusing Wisdom“Because I called out to you and you refused to respond— I appealed, but no one paid attention— ²⁵ because you neglected all my advice and did not want my correction, ²⁶ I will laugh at your calamity. I will mock when what you fear comes, ²⁷ when what you dread comes like a storm, and your calamity comes on like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. ²⁸ “Then they will call out to me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.

¹³ Whoever refuses to hear the cry of the poor will also cry himself, but he won’t be answered.

⁹ If someone quits listening to the Law even his prayer is detestable.

¹⁵ When you spread out your hands in prayer, I’ll hide my eyes from you. Even though you pray repeatedly, I won’t listen. Your hands are full of blood, your fingers drenched with iniquity.”

² Why is it that when I came, no one was there? Why was there no answer when I called? Was my arm too short to redeem you? Do I lack the strength to rescue you? Look! By my mere rebuke I dry up the sea, I turn rivers into a desert. Their fish stink for lack of water and die of thirst.

¹¹ Therefore, this is what the LORD says: “I’m about to bring disaster on them from which they won’t be able to escape. They’ll cry out to me, but I won’t listen to them.

¹² Although they fast, I won’t listen to their cry, and although they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I won’t accept them. Instead, I’ll put an end to them with the sword, with famine, and with a plague.”

³ “Son of Man, these men have taken idols into their hearts. They’ve placed the stumbling block that is their own iniquity right in front of their faces. Should I be consulted by them at all?

³ “Tell the elders of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord GOD asks, “Did you come to inquire of me? As long as I live, I won’t let myself be sought by you,” declares the Lord GOD.’

⁴ “Then they will cry to the LORD, but he will not listen to them. In fact, he will hide his face from them at that time, because they were so wicked in what they were doing.”

¹¹ Later, the other bridesmaids arrived and said, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us!’
¹² “But he replied, ‘I tell all of you with certainty, I don’t know you!’

²⁵ After the homeowner gets up and closes the door, you can stand outside, knock on the door, and say again and again, ‘Lord, open the door for us!’ But he will answer you, ‘I don’t know where you come from.’

³⁴ O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones to death those who have been sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you people were unwilling! ³⁵ Look! Your house is left vacant to you. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘How blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

⁴² “If you had only known today what could have brought you peace! But now it is hidden from your sight, ⁴³ because the days will come when your enemies will build walls around you, surround you, and close you in on every side. ⁴⁴ They will level you to the ground—you and those who live within your city limits. They will not leave one stone on another within your walls, because you didn’t recognize the time when you were visited.”

³ You ask for something but do not get it because you ask for it for the wrong reason—for your own pleasure.

²² I’ll send wild beasts against you from the open country to deprive you of your children, destroy your cattle, and decrease your number so that your roads become desolate.

³³ Captivity among the Nations“I’ll scatter you among the nations and draw the sword after you so that your land becomes desolate and your towns become ruins.

²⁷ Moreover, the LORD will scatter you among the nations, and you’ll be fewer in number in the nations where the LORD your God will drive you.

³³ “A people whom you don’t know will devour what your land and labor produces. You’ll be only oppressed and discouraged continuously

⁴⁹ “The LORD will raise a distant nation against you from the other side of the earth. Swooping down like a vulture,

⁶⁴ Scattering among the Nations“He’ll scatter you among the peoples from one end of the earth to the other, and there you’ll serve other gods made of wood and stones, which neither you nor your ancestors have known.

²¹ All of this fulfilled what the LORD had predicted through Jeremiah. And so the land enjoyed its Sabbaths, and the length of the land’s desolation lasted until a 70-year long Sabbath had been completed.

⁹ Before your clay pots are placed on a fire of burning thorns— whether green or ablaze— wrath will sweep them away like a storm.

¹³ The nations roar like the rushing of many waters, but the LORD will rebuke them, and they will run far away, chased like chaff blown down from the mountains or like thick dust that rolls along, blown along by a wind storm.

¹ Elam and Media are RebukedA message concerning the pasture by the Sea. “Like whirlwinds in the Negev sweep on, it comes from the desert, from a distant land.

¹⁵ “Take notice! The LORD will come with fire, and his chariot will be like a whirlwind, to pay back his anger—yes, his anger!— in fury, and his menacing rebukes in flames of fire.

¹¹ The Scorching Wind of JudgmentAt that time, it will be told this people and to Jerusalem, “A scorching wind from the barren heights in the desert is coming toward my people, and it’s not for winnowing or cleansing. ¹² A wind too strong for that is coming at my bidding. Now I’m judging them as I speak.”

¹⁵ People of Israel, I’m now bringing a nation from far away to attack you,” declares the LORD. “It is an enduring nation, an ancient nation, a nation whose language you don’t know. And you won’t understand what they say.

¹⁹ Look, the storm of the LORD’s wrath has gone forth, a whirling tempest, and it will swirl down around the head of the wicked.

³² ‘This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: “Look, disaster is going from nation to nation, a great storm is being stirred up from the most distant parts of the earth.
³³ “Those slain by the LORD on that day will extend from one end of the earth to the other. They won’t be mourned for or gathered up or buried. They’ll be like dung on the surface of the ground.

²³ The Coming JudgmentLook, the storm of the LORD! His wrath has gone forth, a twisting storm. It will swirl around the head of the wicked.

¹⁹ Then the officials told Baruch, “Go, hide yourself, both you and Jeremiah, and don’t let anyone know where you are.”

⁶ My wrath and my anger were poured out, and they burned in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem so that they have become a ruin and a desolate place, as is the case today.’

³⁰ in Nebuchadnezzar’s twenty-third year, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took 745 people from Judah into exile. All the people taken into exile numbered 4,600.

⁹ The Insignificant Horn“A somewhat insignificant horn emerged from one of them. It moved rapidly against the south, against the east, and against the Glory.

¹⁶ Lord, in view of all your righteous acts, please turn your anger and wrath away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain. Because of our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors, Jerusalem and your people have become an embarrassment to all of those around us. ¹⁷ ‘So now, O God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his requests, and look with favor on your desolate sanctuary, for the sake of the Lord. ¹⁸ Turn your ear and listen, O God. Open your eyes and look at our desolation and at the city that is called by your name. We’re not presenting our requests before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great compassion.

¹⁴ So I will send down fire upon the wall of Rabbah, and it will devour their fortified citadels with an alarm sounding in the time of battle, and with a whirlwind in the time of storm.

³ The LORD is slow to anger and powerful, and he will never let the guilty go unpunished. The LORD’s path is in the windstorm and hurricane; thunderclouds are dust beneath his feet.

¹⁴ With his own lances you pierced the heads of his warriors, who came out like a windstorm to scatter us— their joy is to devour the afflicted who are in hiding.

⁶ “I have destroyed nations— their fortifications are deserted. I have turned their main thoroughfares into wastelands where no one will travel. Their cities are desolate; as a result, not one man remains— no, not even a single resident.

⁶ “‘Come now! Come now! Flee from the land of the north,’ declares the LORD, ‘for I have dispersed you like the four winds of heaven,’ declares the LORD.

¹⁴ Israel’s LORD AppearsThe LORD will appear over them— his arrow will shoot like lightning. The Lord GOD will blow the trumpet, and go out with the southern windstorm.