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Jerusalem’s Imminent Judgment
12 The word of the Lord came to me again, saying: 13 Son of man, when the land sins against Me by trespassing grievously, then I will stretch out My hand against it, and break the staff of the bread, and send famine against it, and cut off man and beast from it. 14 Even though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they could deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, says the Lord God.
15 If I cause wild beasts to pass through the land, and they destroy it so that it becomes desolate, that no man may pass through because of the beasts, 16 though these three men were in it, as I live, says the Lord God, they could deliver neither their sons nor their daughters. They alone would be delivered, but the land would be desolate.
17 Or if I bring a sword on that land, and say, “Let the sword go through the land and cut off man and beast from it,” 18 though these three men were in it, as I live, says the Lord God, they would deliver neither their sons nor their daughters, but they alone would deliver themselves.
19 Or if I send a pestilence into that land and pour out My fury on it in blood to cut off from it man and beast, 20 though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, says the Lord God, they would deliver neither their sons nor their daughters. They would deliver only their own souls by their righteousness.
21 For thus says the Lord God: How much more when I send My four sore judgments on Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the wild beasts, and the pestilence, to cut off man and beast from it. 22 Yet a remnant shall be left in it who shall be brought out, both sons and daughters. They shall come out to you, and you shall see their way and their deeds. Then you shall be comforted concerning the disaster that I have brought against Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it. 23 Then they shall comfort you when you see their ways and their deeds. And you shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, says the Lord God.
Jerusalem as a Useless Vine
15 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 2 Son of man, how is the wood of the vine tree better than any wood of a branch which is among the trees of the forest? 3 Can wood be taken from it to do any work, or can men take a peg of it to hang any vessel on it? 4 If it has been cast into the fire for fuel and the fire has devoured both ends of it and the middle of it is burned, is it useful for any work? 5 When it was whole, it was not made into anything. How much less is it useful for any work when the fire has devoured it and it is burned!
6 Therefore thus says the Lord God: As the wood of the vine tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so I will give the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 7 I will set My face against them. Though they go out from one fire, yet the fire shall devour them. Then you shall know that I am the Lord when I set My face against them. 8 I will make the land desolate, because they have committed a trespass, says the Lord God.
Jerusalem as an Adulterous Bride
16 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 2 Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, 3 and say, Thus says the Lord God to Jerusalem: Your birth and your nativity are from the land of Canaan. Your father was an Amorite, and your mother a Hittite. 4 As for your birth, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water to cleanse you. You were not rubbed with salt, nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. 5 No eye pitied you to do any of these to you, to have compassion on you. But you were cast out in the open field, to the loathing of your person, in the day that you were born.
6 When I passed by you and saw you polluted in your own blood, I said to you when you were in your blood, “Live!” Indeed, I said to you when you were in your blood, “Live!” 7 I have caused you to multiply as the bud of the field, and you have increased and become tall, and you have reached the age of fine ornaments. Your breasts were fashioned and your hair had grown, yet you were naked and bare.
8 Now when I passed by you and looked upon you, you were old enough for love. So I spread My garment over you and covered your nakedness. Indeed, I swore to you, and entered into a covenant with you, says the Lord God, and you became Mine.
9 Then I washed you with water. Indeed, I thoroughly washed away your blood from you, and I anointed you with oil. 10 I clothed you also with embroidered work, and put sandals of porpoise skin on your feet, and girded you about with fine linen, and covered you with silk. 11 I decked you also with ornaments, and put bracelets on your hands, and a chain on your neck. 12 I put a jewel on your forehead, and earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head. 13 Thus you were decked with gold and silver. And your raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and embroidered work. You ate fine flour, and honey, and oil. And you were exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. 14 Then your renown went out among the nations for your beauty. For it was perfect through My comeliness which I had put upon you, says the Lord God.
15 But you trusted in your own beauty, and played the harlot because of your renown, and poured out your fornications on every willing passerby. 16 Of your garments you took and decked your high places with various colors and played the harlot on them, which should never come about or happen. 17 You have also taken your fair jewels made of My gold and My silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself images of men that you might commit harlotry with them. 18 Then you took your embroidered garments and covered them. And you have set My oil and My incense before them. 19 My bread also which I gave you, fine flour, and oil, and honey, with which I fed you, you have even set before them for a sweet savor. And thus it was, says the Lord God.
20 Moreover you have taken your sons and your daughters, whom you have borne to Me, and these you have sacrificed to them to be devoured. Were your harlotries so small a matter? 21 You have slain My children and delivered them up to idols by causing them to pass through the fire. 22 Besides all your abominations and your harlotries you have not remembered the days of your youth when you were naked and bare and were polluted in your blood.
23 After all your wickedness (Woe, woe to you! says the Lord God) 24 you also built for yourself a shrine and have made yourself a high place in every street. 25 You have built yourself a high place at the head of every street, and have made your beauty to be abhorred, and have spread your legs to every passerby to multiply your harlotries. 26 You have also committed fornication with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors, and increased your harlotries to provoke Me to anger. 27 Therefore I have stretched out My hand against you and have diminished your ordinary food and delivered you to the will of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines who are ashamed of your lewd conduct. 28 You have played the harlot also with the Assyrians because you were insatiable. Indeed, you have played the harlot with them, and yet could not be satisfied. 29 You have moreover multiplied your fornication with the land of merchants, Chaldea. And yet you were not satisfied even with this.
30 How weak is your heart, says the Lord God, seeing you do all these things, the works of an imperious harlot. 31 When you built your shrine at the head of every street and made your high place in every square, you have not been as a harlot in that you scorned payment.
32 You have been as a wife who commits adultery, who takes strangers instead of her husband! 33 Men give gifts to all harlots. But you give your gifts to all your lovers, and hire them that they may come to you on every side for your harlotry. 34 Thus you are different from other women in your harlotries in that no one follows you to commit harlotries, because you give money, and no money is given to you. Thus you are different.
35 Therefore, O harlot, hear the word of the Lord. 36 Thus says the Lord God, Because your filthiness was poured out and your nakedness discovered through your harlotries with your lovers, and with all the idols of your abominations, and by the blood of your children, which you gave to idols, 37 therefore I will gather all your lovers with whom you have taken pleasure and all those whom you have loved with all those whom you have hated. I will even gather them from all around against you and will reveal your nakedness to them so that they may see all your nakedness. 38 I will judge you as women who commit adultery or shed blood are judged. And I will bring on you the blood of fury and jealousy. 39 I will also give you into their hand, and they shall throw down your shrines, and shall break down your high places. They shall strip you also of your clothes, and shall take your fair jewels, and leave you naked and bare. 40 They shall also bring up a company against you, and they shall stone you with stones, and thrust you through with their swords. 41 They shall burn your houses with fire and execute judgments on you in the sight of many women. And I will cause you to cease from playing the harlot, and you also shall give no hire anymore.
18 For there is then an annulling of the previous commandment due to its weakness and uselessness. 19 For the law made nothing perfect, but now a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.
20 And He was not made a priest without an oath. 21 (Other priests were made without an oath, but this One with an oath by the One who said to Him:
“The Lord has sworn
and will not relent,
‘You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.’ ”[a])
22 Through this oath Jesus became the guarantor of a better covenant.
23 And the former priests were numerous because they were hindered from serving because of death. 24 But He, because He lives forever, has an everlasting priesthood. 25 Therefore He is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, because He at all times lives to make intercession for them.
26 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, for He is holy, innocent, undefiled, separate from sinners, and is higher than the heavens. 27 Unlike those high priests, He does not need to offer daily sacrifices—first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for He did this once for all when He offered up Himself. 28 For the law appoints men who are weak as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints a Son who is made perfect forever.
Psalm 106(A)
1 Praise the Lord!
Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good,
for His mercy endures forever.
2 Who can recount the mighty acts of the Lord
or declare all His praise?
3 Blessed are those who keep justice
and who do righteousness at all times.
4 Remember me, O Lord, when You give favor to Your people;
visit me with Your deliverance,
5 that I may see the goodness over Your chosen ones,
that I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation,
that I may glory with Your inheritance.
6 We have sinned with our fathers;
we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedly.
7 Our fathers did not consider
Your wonders in Egypt;
they did not remember the greatness of Your mercy,
but rebelled against Him at the sea, by the Red Sea.
8 Nevertheless He saved them for His name’s sake,
that He might make His mighty power known.
9 He rebuked the Red Sea, and it was dried up,
so He led them through the depths as through the wilderness.
10 He saved them from the hand of him who hated them
and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
11 The waters covered their enemies;
there was not one of them left.
12 Then they believed His words;
they sang His praise.
4 Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous,
but who is able to stand before envy?
5 Open rebuke is better
than secret love.
6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend,
but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.