Immerse: Prophets - Flipbook - Page 250
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IMMERSE
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PROPHETS
15:19–16:11
This is how the Lord responds:
“If you return to me, I will restore you
so you can continue to serve me.
If you speak good words rather than worthless ones,
you will be my spokesman.
You must influence them;
do not let them influence you!
They will fight against you like an attacking army,
but I will make you as secure as a fortified wall of bronze.
They will not conquer you,
for I am with you to protect and rescue you.
I, the Lord, have spoken!
Yes, I will certainly keep you safe from these wicked men.
I will rescue you from their cruel hands.”
The Lord gave me another message. He said, “Do not get married or have
children in this place. For this is what the Lord says about the children
born here in this city and about their mothers and fathers: They will die
from terrible diseases. No one will mourn for them or bury them, and they
will lie scattered on the ground like manure. They will die from war and
famine, and their bodies will be food for the vultures and wild animals.”
This is what the Lord says: “Do not go to funerals to mourn and show
sympathy for these people, for I have removed my protection and peace
from them. I have taken away my unfailing love and my mercy. Both the
great and the lowly will die in this land. No one will bury them or mourn
for them. Their friends will not cut themselves in sorrow or shave their
heads in sadness. No one will offer a meal to comfort those who mourn for
the dead—not even at the death of a mother or father. No one will send a
cup of wine to console them.
“And do not go to their feasts and parties. Do not eat and drink with
them at all. For this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of
Israel, says: In your own lifetime, before your very eyes, I will put an end
to the happy singing and laughter in this land. The joyful voices of bride
grooms and brides will no longer be heard.
“When you tell the people all these things, they will ask, ‘Why has the
Lord decreed such terrible things against us? What have we done to de
serve such treatment? What is our sin against the Lord our God?’
“Then you will give them the Lord’s reply: ‘It is because your ancestors
were unfaithful to me. They worshiped other gods and served them. They
