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16 The Lord said to his people:[a]
“You are standing at the crossroads. So consider your path.[b]
Ask where the old, reliable paths[c] are.
Ask where the path is that leads to blessing[d] and follow it.
If you do, you will find rest for your souls.”
But they said, “We will not follow it!”
17 The Lord said,[e]
“I appointed prophets as watchmen to warn you,[f] saying,
‘Pay attention to the warning sound of the trumpet!’”[g]
But they said, “We will not pay attention!”
18 So the Lord said,[h]
“Hear, you nations!
Be witnesses and take note of what will happen to these people.[i]
19 Hear this, you peoples of the earth:[j]
‘Take note![k] I am about to bring disaster on these people.
It will come as punishment for their scheming.[l]
For they have paid no attention to what I have said,[m]
and they have rejected my law.
20 I take no delight[n] when they offer up to me[o]
frankincense that comes from Sheba
or sweet-smelling cane imported from a faraway land.
I cannot accept the burnt offerings they bring me.
I get no pleasure from the sacrifices they offer to me.’”[p]
21 So, this is what the Lord says:
“I will assuredly[q] make these people stumble to their doom.[r]
Parents and children will stumble and fall to their destruction.[s]
Friends and neighbors will die.”
22 This is what the Lord says:
“Beware! An army[t] is coming from a land in the north.
A mighty nation is stirring into action in faraway parts of the earth.
23 Its soldiers are armed with bows and spears.
They are cruel and show no mercy.
They sound like the roaring sea
as they ride forth on their horses.
Lined up in formation like men going into battle
to attack you, Daughter Zion.”[u]
24 The people cry out,[v] “We have heard reports about them.
We have become helpless with fear![w]
Anguish grips us,
agony like that of a woman giving birth to a baby!
25 Do not go out into the countryside.
Do not travel on the roads.
For the enemy is there with sword in hand.[x]
They are spreading terror everywhere.”[y]
26 So I said,[z] “Oh, my dear people,[aa] put on sackcloth
and roll in ashes.
Mourn with painful sobs
as though you had lost your only child.
For any moment now[ab] that destructive army[ac]
will come against us.”
27 The Lord said to me,[ad]
“I have made you like a metal assayer
to test my people like ore.[ae]
You are to observe them
and evaluate how they behave.”[af]
28 I reported,[ag]
“All of them are the most stubborn of rebels![ah]
They are as hard as bronze or iron.
They go about telling lies.
They all deal corruptly.
29 The fiery bellows of judgment burn fiercely.
But there is too much dross to be removed.[ai]
The process of refining them has proved useless.[aj]
The wicked have not been purged.
30 They are regarded as ‘rejected silver’[ak]
because the Lord rejects them.”
Faulty Religion and Unethical Behavior Will Lead to Judgment
7 The Lord said to Jeremiah:[al] 2 “Stand in the gate of the Lord’s temple and proclaim[am] this message: ‘Listen to the Lord’s message, all you people of Judah who have passed through these gates to worship the Lord.[an] 3 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel,[ao] says: Change the way you have been living and do what is right.[ap] If you do, I will allow you to continue to live in this land.[aq] 4 Stop putting your confidence in the false belief that says,[ar] “We are safe![as] The temple of the Lord is here! The temple of the Lord is here! The temple of the Lord is here!”[at] 5 You must change[au] the way you have been living and do what is right. You must treat one another fairly.[av] 6 Stop oppressing resident foreigners who live in your land, children who have lost their fathers, and women who have lost their husbands.[aw] Stop killing innocent people[ax] in this land. Stop paying allegiance to[ay] other gods. That will only bring about your ruin.[az] 7 If you stop doing these things,[ba] I will allow you to continue to live in this land[bb] that I gave to your ancestors as a lasting possession.[bc]
8 “‘But just look at you![bd] You are putting your confidence in a false belief[be] that will not deliver you.[bf] 9 You steal.[bg] You murder. You commit adultery. You lie when you swear on oath. You sacrifice to the god Baal. You pay allegiance to[bh] other gods whom you have not previously known. 10 Then you come and stand in my presence in this temple I have claimed as my own[bi] and say, “We are safe!” You think you are so safe that you go on doing all those hateful sins![bj] 11 Do you think this temple I have claimed as my own[bk] is to be a hideout for robbers?[bl] You had better take note![bm] I have seen for myself what you have done! says the Lord. 12 So, go to the place in Shiloh where I allowed myself to be worshiped[bn] in the early days. See what I did to it[bo] because of the wicked things my people Israel did. 13 You also have done all these things, says the Lord, and I have spoken to you over and over again.[bp] But you have not listened! You have refused to respond when I called you to repent![bq] 14 So I will destroy this temple that I have claimed as my own,[br] this temple that you are trusting to protect you. I will destroy this place that I gave to you and your ancestors,[bs] just like I destroyed Shiloh.[bt] 15 And I will drive you out of my sight just like I drove out your relatives, the people of Israel.’[bu]
16 “But as for you, Jeremiah,[bv] do not pray for these people. Do not raise a cry of prayer[bw] for them! Do not plead with me to save them,[bx] because I will not listen to you. 17 Do you see[by] what they are doing in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 Children are gathering firewood, fathers are building fires with it, and women are mixing dough to bake cakes to offer to the goddess they call the Queen of Heaven.[bz] They are also pouring out drink offerings to other gods. They seem to do all this just[ca] to trouble me. 19 But I am not really the one being troubled![cb] says the Lord. Rather they are bringing trouble on themselves to their own shame![cc] 20 So, the Sovereign Lord[cd] says, my raging fury will be poured out on this land.[ce] It will be poured out on human beings and animals, on trees and crops.[cf] And it will burn like a fire that cannot be extinguished.
21 “The Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel,[cg] says to the people of Judah:[ch] ‘You might as well go ahead and add the meat of your burnt offerings to that of the other sacrifices and eat it, too![ci] 22 Consider this:[cj] When I spoke to your ancestors after I brought them out of Egypt, I did not merely give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices. 23 I also explicitly commanded them:[ck] “Obey me. If you do, I[cl] will be your God and you will be my people. Live exactly the way I tell you[cm] and things will go well with you.” 24 But they did not listen to me or pay any attention to me. They followed the stubborn inclinations of their own wicked hearts. They acted worse and worse instead of better.[cn] 25 From the time your ancestors departed the land of Egypt until now,[co] I sent my servants the prophets to you again and again,[cp] day after day.[cq] 26 But your ancestors[cr] did not listen to me nor pay attention to me. They became obstinate[cs] and were more wicked than even their own forefathers.’”
27 Then the Lord said to me,[ct] “When you tell them all this, they will not listen to you. When you call out to them, they will not respond to you. 28 So tell them: ‘This is a nation that has not obeyed the Lord their God and has not accepted correction. Faithfulness is nowhere to be found in it. These people do not even profess it anymore.[cu] 29 So mourn,[cv] you people of this nation.[cw] Cut off your hair and throw it away. Sing a song of mourning on the hilltops. For the Lord has decided to reject[cx] and forsake this generation that has provoked his wrath!’”[cy]
30 The Lord says, “I have rejected them because[cz] the people of Judah have done what I consider evil.[da] They have set up their disgusting idols in the temple[db] that I have claimed for my own[dc] and have defiled it. 31 They have also built places of worship[dd] in a place called Topheth[de] in the Valley of Ben Hinnom so that they can sacrifice their sons and daughters by fire. That is something I never commanded them to do! Indeed, it never even entered my mind to command such a thing![df] 32 So, watch out!”[dg] says the Lord. “The time will soon come when people will no longer call those places Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom. But they will call that valley[dh] the Valley of Slaughter, and they will bury so many people in Topheth they will run out of room.[di] 33 Then the dead bodies of these people will be left on the ground for the birds and wild animals to eat.[dj] There will not be any survivors to scare them away. 34 I will put an end to the sounds of joy and gladness or the glad celebration of brides and grooms throughout the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem. For the whole land will become a desolate wasteland.”
8 The Lord says, “When that time comes,[dk] the bones of the kings of Judah and its leaders, the bones of the priests and prophets, and of all the other people who lived in Jerusalem will be dug up from their graves. 2 They will be spread out and exposed to the sun, the moon, and the stars.[dl] These are things they[dm] adored and served, things to which they paid allegiance,[dn] from which they sought guidance and worshiped. The bones of these people[do] will never be regathered and reburied. They will be like manure used to fertilize the ground.[dp] 3 However, I will leave some of these wicked people alive and banish them to other places. But wherever these people who survive may go, they will wish they had died rather than lived,”[dq] says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.[dr]
Willful Disregard of God Will Lead to Destruction
4 The Lord said to me,[ds]
“Tell them, ‘The Lord says,
Do people not get back up when they fall down?
Do they not turn around when they go the wrong way?[dt]
5 Why, then, do these people of Jerusalem[du]
continually turn away from me in apostasy?
They hold fast to their deception.[dv]
They refuse to turn back to me.[dw]
6 I have listened to them very carefully,[dx]
but they do not speak honestly.
None of them regrets the evil he has done.
None of them says, “I have done wrong!”[dy]
All of them persist in their own wayward course[dz]
like a horse charging recklessly into battle.
7 Even the stork knows
when it is time to move on.[ea]
The turtledove, swallow, and crane[eb]
recognize[ec] the normal times for their migration.
But my people pay no attention
to[ed] what I, the Lord, require of them.[ee]
8 Be careful not to allow anyone to captivate you[a] through an empty, deceitful philosophy[b] that is according to human traditions and the elemental spirits[c] of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him all the fullness of deity lives[d] in bodily form, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head over every ruler and authority. 11 In him you also were circumcised—not, however,[e] with a circumcision performed by human hands, but by the removal[f] of the fleshly body,[g] that is,[h] through the circumcision done by Christ. 12 Having been buried with him in baptism, you also have been raised with him through your[i] faith in the power[j] of God who raised him from the dead. 13 And even though you were dead in your[k] transgressions and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he nevertheless[l] made you alive with him, having forgiven all your transgressions. 14 He has destroyed[m] what was against us, a certificate of indebtedness[n] expressed in decrees opposed to us. He has taken it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 Disarming[o] the rulers and authorities, he has made a public disgrace of them, triumphing over them by the cross.[p]
16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you with respect to food or drink, or in the matter of a feast, new moon, or Sabbath days— 17 these are only[q] the shadow of the things to come, but the reality[r] is Christ![s] 18 Let no one who delights in false humility[t] and the worship of angels pass judgment on you. That person goes on at great lengths[u] about what he has supposedly seen, but he is puffed up with empty notions by his fleshly mind.[v] 19 He has not held fast[w] to the head from whom the whole body, supported[x] and knit together through its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God.[y]
20 If you have died with Christ to the elemental spirits[z] of the world, why do you submit to them as though you lived in the world? 21 “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!” 22 These are all destined to perish with use, founded as they are[aa] on human commands and teachings.[ab] 23 Even though they have the appearance of wisdom[ac] with their self-imposed worship and humility achieved by an[ad] unsparing treatment of the body—a wisdom with no true value—they in reality result in fleshly indulgence.[ae]
Psalm 78[a]
A well-written song[b] by Asaph.
78 Pay attention, my people, to my instruction.
Listen to the words I speak.[c]
2 I will sing a song that imparts wisdom;
I will make insightful observations about the past.[d]
3 What we have heard and learned[e]—
that which our ancestors[f] have told us—
4 we will not hide from their[g] descendants.
We will tell the next generation
about the Lord’s praiseworthy acts,[h]
about his strength and the amazing things he has done.
5 He established a rule[i] in Jacob;
he set up a law in Israel.
He commanded our ancestors
to make his deeds known to their descendants,[j]
6 so that the next generation, children yet to be born,
might know about them.
They will grow up and tell their descendants about them.[k]
7 Then they will place their confidence in God.
They will not forget the works of God,
and they will obey[l] his commands.
8 Then they will not be like their ancestors,
who were a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation that was not committed
and faithful to God.[m]
9 The Ephraimites[n] were armed with bows,[o]
but they retreated in the day of battle.[p]
10 They did not keep their covenant with God,[q]
and they refused to obey[r] his law.
11 They forgot what he had done,[s]
the amazing things he had shown them.
12 He did amazing things in the sight of their ancestors,
in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.[t]
13 He divided the sea and led them across it;
he made the water stand in a heap.
14 He led them with a cloud by day,
and with the light of a fire all night long.
15 He broke open rocks in the wilderness,
and gave them enough water to fill the depths of the sea.[u]
16 He caused streams to flow from the rock,
and made the water flow like rivers.
17 Yet they continued to sin against him,
and rebelled against the Most High[v] in the desert.
18 They willfully challenged God[w]
by asking for food to satisfy their appetite.
19 They insulted God, saying,[x]
“Is God really able to give us food[y] in the wilderness?
20 Yes,[z] he struck a rock and water flowed out;
streams gushed forth.
But can he also give us food?
Will he provide meat for his people?”
21 When[aa] the Lord heard this, he was furious.
A fire broke out against Jacob,
and his anger flared up[ab] against Israel,
22 because they did not have faith in God,
and did not trust his ability to deliver them.[ac]
23 He gave a command to the clouds above,
and opened the doors in the sky.
24 He rained down manna for them to eat;
he gave them the grain of heaven.[ad]
25 Man ate the food of the mighty ones.[ae]
He sent them more than enough to eat.[af]
26 He brought the east wind through the sky,
and by his strength led forth the south wind.
27 He rained down meat on them like dust,
birds as numerous as the sand on the seashores.[ag]
28 He caused them to fall right in the middle of their camp,
all around their homes.
29 They ate until they were beyond full;[ah]
he gave them what they desired.
30 They were not yet filled up;[ai]
their food was still in their mouths,
31 when the anger of God flared up against them.
He killed some of the strongest of them;
he brought the young men of Israel to their knees.
26 Like a kiss on the lips[a]
is the one who gives an honest answer.
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