HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1042
J EREMIA H 7
18
19
20
21
“Therefore, listen to this, all you nations.
Take note of my people’s situation.
Listen, all the earth!
I will bring disaster on my people.
It is the fruit of their own schemes,
because they refuse to listen to me.
They have rejected my word.
There’s no use offering me sweet
frankincense from Sheba.
Keep your fragrant calamus imported
from distant lands!
I will not accept your burnt offerings.
Your sacrifices have no pleasing aroma
for me.”
Therefore, this is what the Lord says:
“I will put obstacles in my people’s path.
Fathers and sons will both fall over them.
Neighbors and friends will die together.”
— promises —
from God
“Obey me, and
I will be your God, and
you will be my people.”
J E R E M I A H 7:2 3
An Invasion from the North
22 This is what the Lord says:
“Look! A great army coming from the north!
A great nation is rising against you from
far-off lands.
23 They are armed with bows and spears.
They are cruel and show no mercy.
They sound like a roaring sea
as they ride forward on horses.
They are coming in battle formation,
planning to destroy you, beautiful
Jerusalem.*”
24
25
26
27
We have heard reports about the enemy,
and we wring our hands in fright.
Pangs of anguish have gripped us,
like those of a woman in labor.
Don’t go out to the fields!
Don’t travel on the roads!
The enemy’s sword is everywhere
and terrorizes us at every turn!
Oh, my people, dress yourselves in burlap
and sit among the ashes.
Mourn and weep bitterly, as for the loss of
an only son.
For suddenly the destroying armies will
be upon you!
“Jeremiah, I have made you a tester of metals,*
that you may determine the quality of
my people.
page 672
28
29
30
They are the worst kind of rebel,
full of slander.
They are as hard as bronze and iron,
and they lead others into corruption.
The bellows fiercely fan the flames
to burn out the corruption.
But it does not purify them,
for the wickedness remains.
I will label them ‘Rejected Silver,’
for I, the Lord, am discarding them.”
Jeremiah Speaks at the Temple
The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, 2 “Go to the entrance of the
Lord’s Temple, and give this message to the
people: ‘O Judah, listen to this message from
the Lord! Listen to it, all of you who worship
here! 3 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says:
“‘Even now, if you quit your evil ways,
I will let you stay in your own land. 4 But don’t
be fooled by those who promise you safety
simply because the Lord’s Temple is here.
They chant, “The Lord’s Temple is here! The
Lord’s Temple is here!” 5 But I will be merciful
only if you stop your evil thoughts and deeds
and start treating each other with justice; 6 only
if you stop exploiting foreigners, orphans, and
widows; only if you stop your murdering;
and only if you stop harming yourselves by
worshiping idols. 7 Then I will let you stay in
this land that I gave to your ancestors to keep
forever.
8 “‘Don’t be fooled into thinking that you will
never suffer because the Temple is here. It’s a
lie! 9 Do you really think you can steal, murder,
commit adultery, lie, and burn incense to Baal
and all those other new gods of yours, 10 and
then come here and stand before me in my
Temple and chant, “We are safe!”—only to go
right back to all those evils again? 11 Don’t you
yourselves admit that this Temple, which bears
my name, has become a den of thieves? Surely I
see all the evil going on there. I, the Lord, have
spoken!
12 “‘Go now to the place at Shiloh where I once
put the Tabernacle that bore my name. See what
I did there because of all the wickedness of my
people, the Israelites. 13 While you were doing
these wicked things, says the Lord, I spoke to
you about it repeatedly, but you would not listen. I called out to you, but you refused to answer. 14 So just as I destroyed Shiloh, I will now
destroy this Temple that bears my name, this
Temple that you trust in for help, this place that
I gave to you and your ancestors. 15 And I will
send you out of my sight into exile, just as I did
your relatives, the people of Israel.*’
7
6:23 Hebrew daughter of Zion. 6:27 As in Greek version;
Hebrew reads a tester of my people a fortress. 7:15 Hebrew of
Ephraim, referring to the northern kingdom of Israel.