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Jeremiah 2:31-4:18 (Contemporary English Version)
31Now listen to what I say!
Did I abandon you in the desert
or surround you with darkness?
You are my people,
yet you have told me,
"We'll do what we want,
and we refuse
to worship you!"
32A bride could not forget
to wear her jewelry
to her wedding,
but you have forgotten me
day after day.
33You are so clever
at finding lovers
that you could give lessons
to a prostitute.
34You killed innocent people
for no reason at all.
And even though their blood
can be seen on your clothes,
35you claim to be innocent,
and you want me to stop
being angry with you.
So I'll take you to court,
and we'll see who is right.
36When Assyria let you down,
you ran to Egypt,
but you'll find no help there,
37and you will leave
in great sadness. a] I won't let you find help
from those you trust.
Jeremiah 3
Sin and Shame
1The LORD said to the people of Israel:
If a divorced woman marries,
can her first husband
ever marry her again?
No, because this
would pollute the land.
But you have more gods
than a prostitute has lovers.
Why should I take you back?
2Just try to find one hilltop
where you haven't gone
to worship other gods
by having sex. b] You sat beside the road
like a robber in ambush,
except you offered yourself
to every passerby.
Your sins of unfaithfulness
have polluted the land.
3So I, the LORD, refused
to let the spring rains fall.
But just like a prostitute,
you still have no shame
for what you have done.
4You call me your father
or your long-lost friend;
5you beg me to stop being angry,
but you won't stop sinning.
The LORD Asks Israel To Come Back to Him
6When Josiah c] was king, the LORD said: Jeremiah, the kingdom of Israel d] was like an unfaithful wife who became a prostitute on the hilltops and in the shade of large trees. e] 7-8I knew that the kingdom of Israel had been unfaithful and committed many sins, yet I still hoped she might come back to me. But she didn't, so I divorced her and sent her away. Her sister, the kingdom of Judah, saw what happened, but she wasn't worried in the least, and I watched her become unfaithful like her sister. 9The kingdom of Judah wasn't sorry for being a prostitute, and she didn't care that she had made both herself and the land unclean by worshiping idols of stone and wood. 10And worst of all, the people of Judah pretended to come back to me. 11Even the people of Israel were honest enough not to pretend.
12Jeremiah, shout toward the north:
Israel, I am your LORD--
come back to me!
You were unfaithful
and made me furious,
but I am merciful,
and so I will forgive you.
13Just admit that you rebelled
and worshiped foreign gods
under large trees everywhere.
14You are unfaithful children,
but you belong to me.
Come home!
I'll take one or two of you
from each town and clan
and bring you to Zion.
15Then I'll appoint wise rulers
who will obey me,
and they will care for you
like shepherds.
16You will increase in numbers,
and there will be no need
to remember the sacred chest
or to make a new one. f]
17The whole city of Jerusalem
will be my throne. g]
All nations will come here
to worship me,
and they will no longer follow
their stubborn, evil hearts.
18Then, in countries to the north,
you people of Judah and Israel
will be reunited,
and you will return to the land
I gave your ancestors.
19I have always wanted
to treat you as my children
and give you the best land,
the most beautiful on earth.
I wanted you to call me "Father"
and not turn from me.
20But instead, you are like a wife
who broke her wedding vows.
You have been unfaithful to me.
I, the LORD, have spoken.
The People Confess Their Sins
The LORD said:
21Listen to the noise
on the hilltops!
It's the people of Israel,
weeping and begging me
to answer their prayers.
They forgot about me
and chose the wrong path.
22I will tell them, "Come back,
and I will cure you
of your unfaithfulness."
They will answer,
"We will come back, because you
are the LORD our God.
23On hilltops, we worshiped idols
and made loud noises,
but it was all for nothing--
only you can save us.
24Since the days of our ancestors
when our nation was young,
that shameful god Baal h]
has taken our crops and livestock,
our sons and daughters.
25We have rebelled against you
just like our ancestors,
and we are ashamed of our sins."
Jeremiah 4
How Israel Can Return to the LORD
1The LORD said:
Israel, if you really want
to come back to me,
get rid
of those disgusting idols.
2Make promises only in my name,
and do what you promise!
Then all nations will praise me,
and I will bless them.
3People of Jerusalem and Judah,
don't be so stubborn!
Your hearts have become hard,
like unplowed ground
where thornbushes grow.
4With all your hearts,
keep the agreement
I made with you.
But if you are stubborn
and keep on sinning,
my anger will burn like a fire
that cannot be put out.
Disaster Is Coming
The LORD said:
5"Sound the trumpets, my people.
Warn the people of Judah, i] `Run for your lives!
6Head for Jerusalem
or another walled town!'
"Jeremiah, tell them I'm sending
disaster from the north.
7An army will come out,
like a lion from its den.
It will destroy nations
and leave your towns empty
and in ruins."
8Then I said
to the people of Israel,
"Put on sackcloth! j] Mourn and cry out,
`The LORD is still angry
with us.' "
9The LORD said,
"When all this happens,
the king and his officials,
the prophets and the priests
will be shocked and terrified."
10I said, "You are the LORD God. So why have you fooled everyone, especially the people of Jerusalem? Why did you promise peace, when a knife is at our throats?"
The Coming Disaster
11-12When disaster comes, the LORD will tell you people of Jerusalem,
"I am sending a windstorm
from the desert--
not a welcome breeze. k]
And it will sweep you away
as punishment for your sins.
13Look! The enemy army
swoops down like an eagle;
their cavalry and chariots
race faster
than storm clouds
blown by the wind."
Then you will answer,
"We are doomed!"
14But Jerusalem, there is still time
for you to be saved.
Wash the evil from your hearts
and stop making sinful plans,
15before a message of disaster
arrives
from the hills of Ephraim
and the town of Dan. l]
16-17The LORD said,
"Tell the nations that my people
have rebelled against me.
And so an army will come
from far away
to surround Jerusalem
and the towns of Judah.
I, the LORD, have spoken.
18"People of Judah,
your hearts will be in pain,
but it's your own fault
that you will be punished."
Footnotes:
Jeremiah 2:37 in great sadness: Or "as prisoners."
Jeremiah 3:2 hilltop. . . sex: See the note at 2.20.
Jeremiah 3:6 Josiah: Ruled 640-609 B.C.
Jeremiah 3:6 Israel: The northern kingdom (see the note at 2.4).
Jeremiah 3:6 prostitute. . . trees: See the note at 2.20.
Jeremiah 3:16 make a new one: The sacred chest was probably destroyed or taken away by the Babylonians when they captured Jerusalem in 586 B.C.
Jeremiah 3:17 sacred chest. . . throne: The sacred chest was thought to be God's throne on earth.
Jeremiah 3:24 that shameful god Baal: The Hebrew text has "The Shame," which was sometimes used as a way of making fun of the Canaanite god Baal.
Jeremiah 4:5 Judah: Hebrew "Judah and Jerusalem."
Jeremiah 4:8 sackcloth: A rough, dark-colored cloth made from goat or camel hair and used to make grain sacks. It was worn in times of trouble or sorrow.
Jeremiah 4:11 a welcome breeze: Hebrew "a wind to blow away the husks." Farmers used a special shovel to pitch grain and husks into the air. Wind would blow away the light husks, and the grain would fall back to the ground, where it could be gathered up.
Jeremiah 4:15 Ephraim. . . Dan: The hills of Ephraim were to the north of Jerusalem, and Dan was even farther north. They would be reached by the invading army first.
Colossians 1:1-20 (Contemporary English Version)
Colossians 1
1From Paul, chosen by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from Timothy, who is also a follower.
2To God's people who live in Colossae and are faithful followers of Christ.
I pray that God our Father will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!
A Prayer of Thanks
3Each time we pray for you, we thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
4We have heard of your faith in Christ and of your love for all of God's people,
5because what you hope for is kept safe for you in heaven. You first heard about this hope when you believed the true message, which is the good news.
6The good news is spreading all over the world with great success. It has spread in that same way among you, ever since the first day you learned the truth about God's wonderful kindness
7from our good friend Epaphras. He works together with us for Christ and is a faithful worker for you. a]
8He is also the one who told us about the love that God's Spirit has given you.
The Person and Work of Christ
9We have not stopped praying for you since the first day we heard about you. In fact, we always pray that God will show you everything he wants you to do and that you may have all the wisdom and understanding that his Spirit gives.
10Then you will live a life that honors the Lord, and you will always please him by doing good deeds. You will come to know God even better.
11His glorious power will make you patient and strong enough to endure anything, and you will be truly happy.
12I pray that you will be grateful to God for letting you b] have part in what he has promised his people in the kingdom of light.
13God rescued us from the dark power of Satan and brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son,
14who forgives our sins and sets us free.
15Christ is exactly like God,
who cannot be seen.
He is the first-born Son,
superior to all creation.
16Everything was created by him,
everything in heaven
and on earth,
everything seen and unseen,
including all forces
and powers,
and all rulers
and authorities.
All things were created
by God's Son,
and everything was made
for him.
17God's Son was before all else,
and by him everything
is held together.
18He is the head of his body,
which is the church.
He is the very beginning,
the first to be raised
from death,
so that he would be
above all others.
19God himself was pleased
to live fully in his Son.
20And God was pleased
for him to make peace
by sacrificing his blood
on the cross,
so that all beings in heaven
and on earth
would be brought back to God.
Footnotes:
Colossians 1:7 you: Some manuscripts have " us."
Colossians 1:12 you: Some manuscripts have " us."
Psalm 76:1-12 (Contemporary English Version)
Psalm 76
(A song and a psalm for the music leader. Use stringed instruments.)
God Always Wins
1You, our God,
are famous in Judah
and honored in Israel.
2Your home is on Mount Zion
in the city of peace.
3There you destroyed
fiery arrows, shields, swords,
and all the other weapons.
4You are more glorious than
the eternal mountains. a]
5Brave warriors were robbed
of what they had taken,
and now they lie dead,
unable to lift an arm.
6God of Jacob, when you roar,
enemy chariots and horses
drop dead in their tracks.
7Our God, you are fearsome,
and no one can oppose you
when you are angry.
8From heaven you announced
your decisions as judge!
And all who live on this earth
were terrified and silent
9when you took over as judge,
ready to rescue
everyone in need.
10Even the most angry people
will praise you
when you are furious. b]
11Everyone, make your promises
to the LORD your God
and do what you promise.
The LORD is fearsome,
and all of his servants
should bring him gifts.
12God destroys the courage
of rulers and kings
and makes cowards of them.
Footnotes:
Psalm 76:4 the eternal mountains: One ancient translation; Hebrew " the mountains of victims (of wild animals)."
Psalm 76:10 furious: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 10.
Proverbs 24:21-22 (Contemporary English Version)
-30-
21 My children, you must respect
the LORD and the king,
and you must not make friends
with anyone
who rebels
against either of them.
22Who knows what sudden disaster
the LORD or a ruler
might bring?
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