The Daily Audio Bible
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Idolatry Has Brought Ruin on Israel
10 Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel. 2 Thus says the Lord:
Do not learn the way of the nations
or be dismayed at the signs of the heavens,
for the nations are dismayed at them.(A)
3 For the customs of the peoples are false:
a tree from the forest is cut down
and worked with an ax by the hands of an artisan;(B)
4 they deck it with silver and gold;
they fasten it with hammers and nails
so that it cannot move.(C)
5 Their idols[a] are like scarecrows in a cucumber field,
and they cannot speak;
they have to be carried,
for they cannot walk.
Do not be afraid of them,
for they cannot do evil,
nor is it in them to do good.(D)
6 There is none like you, O Lord;
you are great, and your name is great in might.(E)
7 Who would not fear you, O King of the nations?
For that is your due;
among all the wise ones of the nations
and in all their kingdoms
there is no one like you.(F)
8 They are both stupid and foolish;
the instruction given by idols
is no better than wood
9 Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish
and gold from Uphaz.
They are the work of the artisan and of the hands of the goldsmith;
their clothing is blue and purple;
they are all the product of skilled workers.(H)
10 But the Lord is the true God;
he is the living God and the everlasting King.
At his wrath the earth quakes,
and the nations cannot endure his indignation.[c](I)
11 Thus shall you say to them: The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens.[d](J)
12 It is he who made the earth by his power,
who established the world by his wisdom
and by his understanding stretched out the heavens.(K)
13 When he utters his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens,
and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth.
He makes lightning for the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.(L)
14 Everyone is stupid and without knowledge;
goldsmiths are all put to shame by their idols,
for their images are false,
and there is no breath in them.(M)
15 They are worthless, a work of delusion;
at the time of their punishment they shall perish.
16 The portion of Jacob is not like these,
for he is the one who formed all things,
and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance;
the Lord of hosts is his name.(N)
The Coming Exile
17 Gather up your bundle from the ground,
O you who live under siege!
18 For thus says the Lord:
I am going to sling out the inhabitants of the land
at this time,
and I will bring distress on them,
so that they shall feel it.
19 Woe is me because of my hurt!
My wound is severe.
But I said, “Truly this is my punishment,
and I must bear it.”(O)
20 My tent is destroyed,
and all my cords are broken;
my children have gone from me,
and they are no more;
there is no one to spread my tent again
and to set up my curtains.(P)
21 For the shepherds are stupid
and do not inquire of the Lord;
therefore they have not prospered,
and all their flock is scattered.(Q)
22 Hear, a noise! Listen, it is coming—
a great commotion from the land of the north
to make the cities of Judah a desolation,
a lair of jackals.(R)
23 I know, O Lord, that the way of humans is not in their control,
that mortals as they walk cannot direct their steps.(S)
24 Correct me, O Lord, but in just measure;
not in your anger, or you will bring me to nothing.(T)
25 Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not know you
and on the peoples that do not call on your name,
for they have devoured Jacob;
they have devoured him and consumed him
and have laid waste his habitation.(U)
Israel and Judah Have Broken the Covenant
11 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 3 You shall say to them, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Cursed be anyone who does not heed the words of this covenant,(V) 4 which I commanded your ancestors when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron smelter, saying, ‘Listen to my voice, and do all that I command you. So shall you be my people, and I will be your God,(W) 5 that I may perform the oath that I swore to your ancestors, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as at this day.’ ” Then I answered, “So be it, Lord.”(X)
6 And the Lord said to me: Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: Hear the words of this covenant and do them. 7 For I solemnly warned your ancestors when I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, warning them persistently, even to this day, saying, “Obey my voice.”(Y) 8 Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but everyone walked in the stubbornness of an evil will. So I brought upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not.(Z)
9 And the Lord said to me: Conspiracy exists among the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.(AA) 10 They have turned back to the iniquities of their ancestors of old, who refused to heed my words; they have gone after other gods to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken the covenant that I made with their ancestors.(AB) 11 Therefore, thus says the Lord, assuredly I am going to bring disaster upon them that they cannot escape; though they cry out to me, I will not listen to them.(AC) 12 Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they make offerings, but they will never save them in the time of their trouble.(AD) 13 For your gods have become as many as your towns, O Judah, and as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars to shame you have set up, altars to make offerings to Baal.
14 As for you, do not pray for this people or lift up a cry or prayer on their behalf, for I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their trouble.(AE) 15 What right has my beloved in my house, when she has done vile deeds? Can vows[e] and sacrificial flesh avert your doom? Can you then exult?(AF) 16 The Lord once called you, “A green olive tree, fair with goodly fruit,” but with the roar of a great tempest he will set fire to it, and its branches will be consumed.(AG) 17 The Lord of hosts, who planted you, has pronounced evil against you because of the evil that the house of Israel and the house of Judah have done, provoking me to anger by making offerings to Baal.(AH)
Jeremiah’s Life Threatened
18 It was the Lord who made it known to me, and I knew;
then you showed me their deeds.
19 But I was like a gentle lamb
led to the slaughter.
And I did not know it was against me
that they devised schemes, saying,
“Let us destroy the tree with its fruit;
let us cut him off from the land of the living,
so that his name will no longer be remembered!”(AI)
20 But you, O Lord of hosts, who judge righteously,
who try the heart and the mind,
let me see your retribution upon them,
for to you I have committed my cause.(AJ)
21 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the people of Anathoth who seek your life and say, “You shall not prophesy in the name of the Lord, or you will die by our hand”(AK)— 22 therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: I am going to punish them; the young men shall die by the sword; their sons and their daughters shall die by famine, 23 and not even a remnant shall be left of them. For I will bring disaster upon the people of Anathoth, the year of their punishment.(AL)
Rules for Christian Households
18 Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.(A) 19 Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly.
20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is your acceptable duty in the Lord.(B) 21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, or they may lose heart. 22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters[a] in everything, not with a slavery performed merely for looks, to please people, but wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord.[b](C) 23 Whatever task you must do, work as if your soul depends on it, as for the Lord and not for humans, 24 since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you serve the Lord Christ.(D) 25 For the wrongdoer will be paid back for whatever wrong has been done, and there is no partiality.(E) 4 1
Further Instructions
2 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving.(F) 3 At the same time, pray for us as well, that God will open to us a door for the word, that we may declare the mystery of Christ, for which I am in prison,(G) 4 so that I may reveal it clearly, as I should.
5 Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time.[c](H) 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone.(I)
Final Greetings and Benediction
7 Tychicus will tell you all the news about me; he is a beloved brother, a faithful minister, and a fellow servant in the Lord.(J) 8 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know how we are[d] and that he may encourage your hearts; 9 he is coming with Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you about everything here.(K)
10 Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, as does Mark the cousin of Barnabas, concerning whom you have received instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him.(L) 11 And Jesus who is called Justus greets you. These are the only ones of the circumcision among my coworkers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me. 12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ,[e] greets you. He is always striving in his prayers on your behalf, so that you may stand mature and fully assured[f] in everything that God wills.(M) 13 For I testify for him that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. 14 Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas greet you.(N) 15 Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters in Laodicea and to Nympha and the church in her[g] house.(O) 16 And when this letter has been read among you, have it read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and see that you read also the letter from Laodicea. 17 And say to Archippus, “See that you complete the task that you have received in the Lord.”(P)
18 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.[h](Q)
56 Yet they tested the Most High God
and rebelled against him.
They did not observe his decrees(A)
57 but turned away and were faithless like their ancestors;
they twisted like a treacherous bow.(B)
58 For they provoked him to anger with their high places;
they moved him to jealousy with their idols.(C)
59 When God heard, he was full of wrath,
and he utterly rejected Israel.
60 He abandoned his dwelling at Shiloh,
the tent where he dwelt among mortals,(D)
61 and delivered his power to captivity,
his glory to the hand of the foe.(E)
62 He gave his people to the sword
and vented his wrath on his heritage.(F)
63 Fire devoured their young men,
and their young women had no marriage song.(G)
64 Their priests fell by the sword,
and their widows made no lamentation.(H)
65 Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,
like a warrior shouting because of wine.(I)
66 He put his adversaries to rout;
he put them to everlasting disgrace.(J)
67 He rejected the tent of Joseph;
he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
68 but he chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion, which he loves.(K)
69 He built his sanctuary like the high heavens,
like the earth, which he has founded forever.(L)
70 He chose his servant David
and took him from the sheepfolds;(M)
71 from tending the nursing ewes he brought him
to be the shepherd of his people Jacob,
of Israel, his inheritance.(N)
72 With upright heart he tended them
and guided them with skillful hand.(O)
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.