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The Survivors Ask the Lord for Advice but Refuse to Follow It
42 Then all the army officers, including Johanan son of Kareah and Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah[a] and all the people of every class,[b] went to the prophet Jeremiah. 2 They said to him, “Please grant our request[c] and pray to the Lord your God for all those of us who are still left alive here.[d] For, as you yourself can see, there are only a few of us left out of the many there were before.[e] 3 Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.” 4 The prophet Jeremiah answered them, “Agreed![f] I will indeed pray to the Lord your God as you have asked. I will tell you everything the Lord replies in response to you.[g] I will not keep anything back from you.” 5 They answered Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not do just as[h] the Lord your God sends you to tell us to do. 6 We will obey what the Lord our God to whom we are sending you tells us to do. It does not matter whether we like what he tells us or not. We will obey what he tells us to do so that things will go well for us.”[i]
7 Ten days later the Lord’s message came to Jeremiah. 8 So Jeremiah summoned Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him and all the people of every class.[j] 9 Then Jeremiah said to them, “You sent me to the Lord God of Israel to make your request known to him. Here is what he says to you:[k] 10 ‘If you will only stay[l] in this land, I will build you up. I will not tear you down. I will firmly plant you.[m] I will not uproot you. For I am filled with sorrow because of the disaster that I have brought on you. 11 Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon whom you now fear.[n] Do not be afraid of him because I will be with you to save you and to rescue you from his power. I, the Lord, affirm it![o] 12 I will have compassion on you so that he in turn will have mercy on you and allow you to return to your land.’
13 “You must not disobey the Lord your God by saying, ‘We will not stay in this land.’ 14 You must not say, ‘No, we will not stay. Instead we will go and live in the land of Egypt where we will not face war,[p] or hear the enemy’s trumpet calls,[q] or starve for lack of food.’[r] 15 If you people who remain in Judah do that, then listen to the Lord’s message. This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel,[s] has said, ‘If you are so determined[t] to go to Egypt that you go and settle there, 16 the wars you fear will catch up with you there in the land of Egypt. The starvation you are worried about will follow you there to[u] Egypt. You will die there.[v] 17 All the people who are determined to go and settle in Egypt will die from war, starvation, or disease. No one will survive or escape the disaster I will bring on them.’ 18 For[w] the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel,[x] says, ‘If you go to Egypt, I will pour out my wrath on you just as I poured out my anger and wrath on the citizens of Jerusalem. You will become an object of horror and ridicule, an example of those who have been cursed and that people use in pronouncing a curse.[y] You will never see this place again.’[z]
19 “The Lord has told you people who remain in Judah, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’ Be very sure of this: I warn you[aa] here and now.[ab] 20 You are making a fatal mistake.[ac] For you sent me to the Lord your God and asked me, ‘Pray to the Lord our God for us. Tell us what the Lord our God says, and we will do it.’[ad] 21 This day[ae] I have told you what he said.[af] But you do not want to obey the Lord your God by doing what he sent me to tell you.[ag] 22 So now be very sure of this: You will die from war, starvation, or disease in the place where you want to go and live.”
43 Jeremiah finished telling all the people all these things the Lord their God had sent him to tell them.[ah] 2 Then Azariah[ai] son of Hoshaiah, Johanan son of Kareah, and other arrogant men said to Jeremiah, “You are telling a lie! The Lord our God did not send you to tell us, ‘You must not go to Egypt and settle there.’ 3 But Baruch son of Neriah is stirring you up against us.[aj] He wants to hand us over to[ak] the Babylonians[al] so that they will kill us or carry us off into exile in Babylon.” 4 So Johanan son of Kareah, all the army officers, and all the rest of the people did not obey the Lord’s command to stay in the land of Judah. 5 Instead Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers led off all the Judean remnant who had come back to live in the land of Judah from all the nations where they had been scattered.[am] 6 They also led off all the men, women, children, and royal princesses[an] that Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, had left with Gedaliah,[ao] the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan; this included the prophet Jeremiah and Baruch son of Neriah. 7 They went on to Egypt[ap] because they refused to obey the Lord, and came to Tahpanhes.[aq]
Jeremiah Predicts that Nebuchadnezzar Will Plunder Egypt and Its Gods
8 At Tahpanhes the Lord’s message came to Jeremiah: 9 “Take some large stones[ar] and bury them in the mortar of the clay pavement[as] at the entrance of Pharaoh’s residence[at] here in Tahpanhes. Do it while the people of Judah present there are watching.[au] 10 Then tell them,[av] ‘The Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel,[aw] says, “I will bring[ax] my servant[ay] King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I will set his throne over these stones that I[az] have buried. He will pitch his royal tent[ba] over them. 11 He will come and attack Egypt. Those who are destined to die of disease will die of disease. Those who are destined to be carried off into exile will be carried off into exile. Those who are destined to die in war will die in war.[bb] 12 He will set fire[bc] to the temples of the gods of Egypt. He will burn their gods or carry them off as captives.[bd] He will pick Egypt clean like a shepherd picks the lice from his clothing.[be] He will leave there unharmed.[bf] 13 He will demolish the sacred pillars in the temple of the sun[bg] in Egypt and will burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt.”’”
The Lord Will Punish the Judean Exiles in Egypt for Their Idolatry
44 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah concerning[bh] all the Judeans who were living in the land of Egypt, those in Migdol, Tahpanhes, Memphis, and in the region of southern Egypt:[bi] 2 “The Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel,[bj] says, ‘You have seen all the disaster I brought on Jerusalem and all the towns of Judah. Indeed, they now lie in ruins and are deserted.[bk] 3 This happened because of the wickedness the people living there did.[bl] They made me angry[bm] by worshiping and offering sacrifices to[bn] other gods whom neither they nor you nor your ancestors[bo] previously knew.[bp] 4 I sent my servants the prophets to you people over and over again[bq] warning you not to do this disgusting thing I hate.[br] 5 But the people of Jerusalem and Judah[bs] would not listen or pay any attention. They would not stop the wickedness they were doing nor quit sacrificing to other gods.[bt] 6 So my anger and my wrath were poured out and burned like a fire through the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem. That is why they have become the desolate ruins that they are today.’
7 “So now the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel,[bu] asks, ‘Why will you do such great harm to yourselves? Why should every man, woman, child, and baby of yours be destroyed from the midst of Judah? Why should you leave yourselves without a remnant? 8 That is what will result from your making me angry by what you are doing.[bv] You are making me angry by sacrificing to other gods here in the land of Egypt where you live. You will be destroyed for doing that! You will become an example used in curses[bw] and an object of ridicule among all the nations of the earth.[bx] 9 Have you forgotten all the wicked things that have been done in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem by your ancestors, by the kings of Judah and their[by] wives, and by you and your wives? 10 To this day your people[bz] have shown no contrition! They have not revered me nor followed the laws and statutes I commanded[ca] you and your ancestors.’
11 “Because of this, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘I am determined to bring disaster on you,[cb] even to the point of destroying all the Judeans here.[cc] 12 I will see to it that all the Judean remnant that was determined to go[cd] and live in the land of Egypt will be destroyed. Here in the land of Egypt they will fall in battle[ce] or perish from starvation. People of every class[cf] will die in war or from starvation. They will become an object of horror and ridicule, an example of those who have been cursed and that people use in pronouncing a curse.[cg] 13 I will punish those who live in the land of Egypt with war, starvation, and disease, just as I punished Jerusalem. 14 None of the Judean remnant who have come to live in the land of Egypt will escape or survive to return to the land of Judah. Though they long to return and live there, none of them shall return except a few fugitives.’”[ch]
15 Then all the men who were aware that their wives were sacrificing to other gods, as well as all their wives, answered Jeremiah—there was a great crowd of them representing all the people who lived in northern and southern Egypt[ci]— 16 “We will not listen to what you claim the Lord has spoken to us![cj] 17 Instead we will do everything we vowed we would do.[ck] We will sacrifice and pour out drink offerings to the goddess called the Queen of Heaven[cl] just as we and our ancestors, our kings, and our leaders previously did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of food, were well off, and had no troubles.[cm] 18 But ever since we stopped sacrificing and pouring out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven, we have been in great need. Our people have died in wars or of starvation.”[cn] 19 The women added,[co] “We did indeed sacrifice and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven. But it was with the full knowledge and approval of our husbands that we made cakes in her image and poured out drink offerings to her.”[cp]
20 Then Jeremiah replied to all the people, both men and women, who responded to him in this way:[cq] 21 “The Lord did indeed remember and call to mind what you did! He remembered the incense you and your ancestors, your kings, your leaders, and all the rest of the people of the land offered to other gods[cr] in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem.[cs] 22 Finally the Lord could no longer endure your wicked deeds and the disgusting things you did. That is why your land has become the desolate, uninhabited ruin that it is today. That is why it has become a proverbial example used in curses.[ct] 23 You have sacrificed to other gods. You have sinned against the Lord! You have not obeyed the Lord! You have not followed his laws, his statutes, and his decrees. That is why this disaster that is evident to this day has happened to you.”[cu]
Serving Faithfully Despite Hardship
2 So you, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And what you heard me say[a] in the presence of many witnesses[b] entrust to faithful people[c] who will be competent[d] to teach others as well. 3 Take your share of suffering[e] as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one in military service gets entangled in matters of everyday life; otherwise he will not please[f] the one who recruited him. 5 Also, if anyone competes as an athlete, he will not be crowned as the winner[g] unless he competes according to the rules.[h] 6 The farmer who works hard ought to have the first share of the crops. 7 Think about what I am saying and[i] the Lord will give you understanding of all this.[j]
8 Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David;[k] such is my gospel,[l] 9 for which I suffer hardship to the point of imprisonment[m] as a criminal, but God’s message[n] is not imprisoned![o] 10 So I endure all things for the sake of those chosen by God,[p] that they too may obtain salvation in Christ Jesus and its eternal glory.[q] 11 This saying[r] is trustworthy:[s]
If we died with him, we will also live with him.
12 If we endure, we will also reign with him.[t]
If we deny[u] him,[v] he will also deny us.
13 If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, since he cannot deny himself.[w]
Dealing with False Teachers
14 Remind people[x] of these things and solemnly charge them[y] before the Lord[z] not to wrangle over words. This is of no benefit; it just brings ruin on those who listen.[aa] 15 Make every effort to present yourself before God as a proven worker who does not need to be ashamed, teaching the message of truth accurately.[ab] 16 But avoid profane chatter,[ac] because those occupied with it will stray further and further into ungodliness,[ad] 17 and their message will spread its infection[ae] like gangrene. Hymenaeus and Philetus are in this group.[af] 18 They have strayed from the truth[ag] by saying that the resurrection has already occurred, and they are undermining some people’s faith. 19 However, God’s solid foundation remains standing, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,”[ah] and “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord[ai] must turn away from evil.”
20 Now in a wealthy home[aj] there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also ones made of wood and of clay, and some are for honorable use, but others for ignoble use.[ak] 21 So if someone cleanses himself of such behavior,[al] he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart, useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.
Psalm 92[a]
A psalm; a song for the Sabbath day.
92 It is fitting[b] to thank the Lord,
and to sing praises to your name, O Most High.[c]
2 It is fitting[d] to proclaim your loyal love in the morning,
and your faithfulness during the night,
3 to the accompaniment of a ten-stringed instrument and a lyre,
to the accompaniment of the meditative tone of the harp.
4 For you, O Lord, have made me happy by your work.
I will sing for joy because of what you have done.[e]
5 How great are your works, O Lord!
Your plans are very intricate![f]
6 The spiritually insensitive do not recognize this;
the fool does not understand this.[g]
7 When the wicked sprout up like grass,
and all the evildoers glisten,[h]
it is so that they may be annihilated.[i]
8 But you, O Lord, reign[j] forever.
9 Indeed,[k] look at your enemies, O Lord.
Indeed,[l] look at how your enemies perish.
All the evildoers are scattered.
10 You exalt my horn like that of a wild ox.[m]
I am covered[n] with fresh oil.
11 I gloat in triumph over those who tried to ambush me;[o]
I hear the defeated cries of the evil foes who attacked me.[p]
12 The godly[q] grow like a palm tree;
they grow high like a cedar in Lebanon.[r]
13 Planted in the Lord’s house,
they grow in the courts of our God.
14 They bear fruit even when they are old;
they are filled with vitality and have many leaves.[s]
15 So they proclaim that the Lord, my Protector,
is just and never unfair.[t]
Psalm 93[u]
93 The Lord reigns.
He is robed in majesty.
The Lord is robed;
he wears strength around his waist.[v]
Indeed, the world is established; it cannot be moved.
2 Your throne has been secure from ancient times;
you have always been king.[w]
3 The waves[x] roar, O Lord,
the waves roar,
the waves roar and crash.[y]
4 Above the sound of the surging water,[z]
and the mighty waves of the sea,
the Lord sits enthroned in majesty.[aa]
5 The rules you set down[ab] are completely reliable.[ac]
Holiness[ad] aptly adorns your house, O Lord, forever.[ae]
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