12 August - Jeremiah 18-22

Jude Wed Aug 08, 2018 4:12 am

My soul doth magnify my YAH, and my spirit hath rejoiced in EL my Saviour; For HE that is mighty hath done to me great things; and Holy is HIS Name. Now unto HIM who is ever present in my helpless estate; who is able to keep me from falling and to present me faultless before the presence of His Glory with exceeding joy, unto the King Eternal, Immortal, Invisible, the only wise EL our Saviour be honour and glory and majesty, dominion and power both now and for ever Halleluyah!

JEREMIAH 18

1The word which came to Yirmeyahu from יהוה, saying,

2“Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I let you hear My words.”

3So I went down to the potter’s house, and saw him doing a piece of work on the wheel.

4And the vessel that he made of clay was ruined in the hand of the potter, so he remade it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.

5Then the word of יהוה came to me, saying,

6“O house of Yisra’ĕl, am I not able to do with you as this potter?” declares יהוה. “Look, as the clay is in the hand of the potter, so are you in My hand, O house of Yisra’ĕl!

7“The moment I speak concerning a nation and concerning a reign, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it,

8and that nation shall turn from its evil because I have spoken against it, then I shall repent of the evil that I thought to do to it.

9“And the moment I speak concerning a nation and concerning a reign, to build and to plant it,

10and it shall do evil in My eyes in not obeying My voice, then I shall repent concerning the good with which I spoke of doing to it.

11“And now, speak to the men of Yehuḏah and to the inhabitants of Yerushalayim, saying, ‘Thus said יהוה, “See, I am forming evil and devising a plan against you. Return now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your deeds good.” ’ ”

12But they shall say, “It is no use! For we walk according to our own plans, and we do each one the stubbornness of his evil heart.”a

13Therefore thus said יהוה, “Ask now among the nations, who has heard the like of this? The maiden of Yisra’ĕl has done what is most horrible.

14“Does the snow of Leḇanon cease from the rock of the field? Or the cool flowing waters from afar dry up?

15“But My people have forgotten Me, they have burned incense to what is false, and they have stumbled from their ways, from the ancient paths, to walk in bypaths and not on a highway,

16to make their land become a ruin, a hissing forever – everyone who passes by it is appalled and shakes his head.

17“I shall scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I shall show them the back and not the face in the day of their calamity.”

18Then they said, “Come and let us devise plans against Yirmeyahu, for the Torah shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not listen to any of his words.”

19Attend to me, O יהוה, and listen to the voice of my adversaries!

20Should good be repaid with evil? For they have dug a pit for my life. Remember that I stood before You to speak good for them, and to turn away Your wrath from them.

21So give their children over to scarcity of food, and hand them over to the power of the sword. Let their wives become widows and bereaved of their children. Let their men be put to death, their young men be smitten by the sword in battle.

22Let a cry be heard from their houses, when You bring a raiding party suddenly upon them. For they have dug a pit to take me, and laid snares for my feet.

23But You, O יהוה, You know all their counsel against me, to slay me. Do not pardon their crookedness, nor blot out their sin from Your presence, and let them be overthrown before You. Deal with them in the time of Your displeasure.

JEREMIAH 19

1Thus said יהוה, “Go and get a potter’s earthen jug, and take some of the elders of the people and some of the elders of the priests.

2“Then you shall go out to the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, which is by the entry of the Potsherd Gate, and shall proclaim there the words that I speak to you,

3and shall say, ‘Hear the word of יהוה, O sovereigns of Yehuḏah and inhabitants of Yerushalayim. Thus said יהוה of hosts, the Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, “See, I am bringing evil on this place, that makes the ears tingle of all who hear it.

4“Because they have forsaken Me and have profaned this place, and have burned incense in it to other mighty ones whom neither they, their fathers, nor the sovereigns of Yehuḏah have known, and they have filled this place with the blood of the innocents,

5and have built the high places of Ba‛al, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings to Ba‛al, which I did not command or speak, nor did it come into My heart.

6“Therefore see, the days are coming,” declares יהוה, “that this place shall no more be called Topheth or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but rather the Valley of Slaughter.

7“And I shall pour out the counsel of Yehuḏah and Yerushalayim in this place, and I shall make them fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hands of those who seek their lives. And I shall give their corpses as meat for the birds of the heavens and for the beasts of the earth.

8“And I shall make this city a ruin, and a hissing – everyone who passes by it is appalled and hisses because of all its plagues.

9“And I shall make them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and eat one another’s flesh in the siege and in the distress with which their enemies and those who seek their lives distress them.” ’

10“And you shall break the jug before the eyes of the men who go with you,

11and shall say to them, ‘Thus said יהוה of hosts, “Even so I break this people and this city, as one breaks a potter’s vessel, which one is unable to repair again. And let them bury them in Topheth till there is no place to bury.

12“This is what I shall do to this place,” declares יהוה, “and to its inhabitants, so as to make this city like Topheth.

13“And the houses of Yerushalayim and the houses of the sovereigns of Yehuḏah shall be as unclean as the place of Topheth, because of all the houses on whose roofs they have burned incense to all the host of the heavens, and poured out drink offerings to other mighty ones.” ’ ”

14And when Yirmeyahu returned from Topheth, where יהוה had sent him to prophesy, he stood in the courtyard of the House of יהוה and said to all the people,

15“Thus said יהוה of hosts, the Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, ‘See, I am bringing on this city and on all her towns all the evil that I have pronounced against it, because they have stiffened their necks so as not to hear My words.’ ”

JEREMIAH 20

1And Pashhur son of Immĕr, the priest who was also chief governor in the House of יהוה, heard that Yirmeyahu prophesied these words,

2And Pashhur smote Yirmeyahu the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the high gate of Binyamin, which was by the House of יהוה.

3And it came to be on the next day that Pashhur brought Yirmeyahu out of the stocks, and Yirmeyahu said to him, “יהוה has not called your name Pashhur, but Mag̅or-Missaḇiḇ.

4“For thus said יהוה, ‘See, I am making you a fear to yourself and to all your friends. And they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, while your eyes see it. And I shall give all Yehuḏah into the hand of the sovereign of Baḇel, and he shall exile them to Baḇel and slay them with the sword.

5‘And I shall give all the wealth of this city and all its labour, and all its valuables, and all the treasures of the sovereigns of Yehuḏah, I give into the hand of their enemies, who shall plunder them, seize them, and shall bring them to Baḇel.

6‘And you, Pashhur, and all who dwell in your house, shall go into captivity, and enter into Baḇel. And there you shall die, and be buried there, you and all your friends, to whom you have prophesied falsehood.’ ”

7O יהוה, You enticed me, and I was enticed. You are stronger than I, and have prevailed. I have been ridiculed all day long, everyone mocks me.

8For when I speak, I cry out, proclaiming violence and ruin. Because the word of יהוה was made to me a reproach and a derision daily.

9Whenever I said, “Let me not mention Him, nor speak in His Name again,” it was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones. And I became weary of holding it back, and was helpless.

10For I heard many mocking, “Fear on every side!” “Expose,” they say, “yea, let us expose him!” All my friends watched for my stumbling, saying, “He might be lured away, so that we prevail against him, and take our revenge on him.”

11But יהוה is with me like a mighty, awesome one. Therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and not prevail. They shall be greatly ashamed, for they have not acted wisely – an everlasting reproach never to be forgotten.

12But, O יהוה of hosts, trying the righteous, and seeing the kidneys and heart, let me see Your vengeance on them, for I have revealed my cause to You.

13Sing to יהוה! Praise יהוה! For He has delivered the being of the poor from the hand of evil ones.

14Cursed be the day in which I was born! Let the day not be blessed in which my mother bore me!

15Let the man be cursed who brought news to my father, saying, “A male child has been born to you,” making him very glad.

16And let that man be like the cities which יהוה overthrew, and repented not. Let him hear the cry in the morning and the shouting at noon,

17because I was not slain from the womb, so that my mother should have been my grave and her womb forever great.

18Why did I come forth from the womb to see toil and sorrow, and spend my days in shame?

JEREMIAH 21

1The word that came to Yirmeyahu from יהוה when Sovereign Tsiḏqiyahu sent to him Pashhur son of Malkiyah, and Tsephanyah the son of Ma‛asĕyah, the priest, saying,

2“Please inquire of יהוה on our behalf, for Neḇuḵaḏretstsar sovereign of Baḇel has started fighting against us. It might be that יהוה deals with us according to all His wondrous works, so that he withdraws from us.”

3But Yirmeyahu said to them, “Say this to Tsiḏqiyahu,

4‘Thus said יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, “See, I am turning back the weapons of battle that are in your hands, with which you fight against the sovereign of Baḇel and the Chaldeans who besiege you outside the wall. And I shall gather them inside this city.

5“And I Myself shall fight against you with an outstretched hand, and with a strong arm, even in displeasure and rage and great wrath.

6“And I shall smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast – let them die of a great pestilence.

7“And afterward,” declares יהוה, “I give Tsiḏqiyahu sovereign of Yehuḏah, his servants and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence and the sword and the scarcity of food, into the hand of Neḇuḵaḏretstsar sovereign of Baḇel, into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their life. And he shall smite them with the edge of the sword. He shall not pardon them, nor spare nor have compassion.” ’

8“You shall also say to this people, ‘Thus said יהוה, “See, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.

9“Whoever stays in this city dies by the sword, by scarcity of food, and by pestilence. But whoever goes out and shall go over to the Chaldeans who besiege you, is going to live, and his life shall be as a prize to him.

10“For I have set My face against this city for evil and not for good,” declares יהוה. “It is given into the hand of the sovereign of Baḇel, and he shall burn it with fire.” ’

11“And to the house of the sovereign of Yehuḏah, say, ‘Hear the word of יהוה,

12‘O house of Dawiḏ! Thus said יהוה, “Render right-ruling in the morning, and deliver him who has been robbed out of the hand of the oppressor, lest My wrath go out like fire and burn, with no one to quench it, because of the evil of your deeds.

13“See, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley, rock of the plain,” declares יהוה, “who are saying, ‘Who would come down against us? And who would come into our dwellings?’

14“And I shall punish you according to the fruit of your deeds,” declares יהוה. “And I shall kindle a fire in its forest, and it shall consume all that is around her.”

JEREMIAH 22

1Thus said יהוה, “Go down to the house of the sovereign of Yehuḏah. And there you shall speak this word,

2and shall say, ‘Hear the word of יהוה, O sovereign of Yehuḏah, you who sit on the throne of Dawiḏ, you and your servants and your people who enter these gates!

3‘Thus said יהוה, “Do right-ruling and righteousness, and deliver him who is robbed out of the hand of the oppressor. Do not maltreat nor do violence to the stranger, the fatherless, or the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place.

4“For if you certainly do this word, then there shall enter in by the gates of this house sovereigns sitting on the throne of Dawiḏ, riding on horses and in chariots, he and his servants and his people.

5“But if you do not obey these words, I swear by Myself,” declares יהוה, “that this house shall become a ruin.” ’ ”

6For thus said יהוה to the house of the sovereign of Yehuḏah, “You are like Gil‛aḏ to Me, the head of Leḇanon. But I shall make you a wilderness, and cities which are not inhabited.

7“And I shall prepare destroyers against you, each with his weapons. And they shall cut down your choice cedars and throw them into the fire.

8“And many gentiles shall pass by this city, and they shall say to one another, ‘Why has יהוה done so to this great city?’

9“Then they shall say, ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of יהוה their Elohim, and bowed themselves to other mighty ones and served them.’ ”

10Do not weep for the dead, nor mourn for him. Weep bitterly for him who goes away, for he shall never come back nor see the land of his birth.

11For thus said יהוה concerning Shallum son of Yoshiyahu, sovereign of Yehuḏah, who reigned instead of Yoshiyahu his father, who went from this place, “He shall never come back,

12but he shall die in the place where they have exiled him, and not see this land again.

13“Woe to him who builds his house without righteousness and his rooms without right-ruling, who uses his neighbour’s service without wages and does not give him his wages,

14who says, ‘I am going to build myself a wide house with spacious rooms, and cut out windows for it, panelling it with cedar and painting it in red.’

15“Do you reign because you enclose yourself in cedar? Did not your father eat and drink, and do right-ruling and righteousness? Then it was well with him.

16“He defended the cause of the poor and needy – then it was well. Was this not to know Me?” declares יהוה.

17“But your eyes and your heart are only upon your own greedy gain, and on shedding innocent blood, and on oppression and on doing violence.”

18Therefore thus said יהוה concerning Yehoyaqim son of Yoshiyahu, sovereign of Yehuḏah, “Let them not lament for him: ‘Alas, my brother!’ or ‘Alas, my sister!’ Let them not lament for him: ‘Alas, master!’ or ‘Alas, his excellency!’

19“He shall be buried with the burial of a donkey, dragged and thrown outside the gates of Yerushalayim.

20“Go up to Leḇanon, and cry out, and lift up your voice in Bashan. And cry from Aḇarim, for all your lovers are destroyed.

21“I have spoken to you in your ease, but you said, ‘I do not listen.’ This has been your way from your youth, for you did not obey My voice.

22“Let all your shepherds be devoured by the wind, and your lovers go into captivity. Then you shall be ashamed and humiliated for all your evil.

23“You who dwell in Leḇanon, being nested in the cedars, how you shall groan when pangs come upon you, like the pains of a woman giving birth!

24“As I live,” declares יהוה, “though Konyahu son of Yehoyaqim, sovereign of Yehuḏah, were the signet on My right hand, I would still pull you off from there;

25and I shall give you into the hand of those who seek your life, and into the hand of those whose face you fear, into the hand of Neḇuḵaḏretstsar sovereign of Baḇel and the hand of the Chaldeans.

26“And I shall hurl you out, and your mother who bore you, into another land where you were not born, and there you shall die.

27“But they shall not return to the land to which their being yearns to return.

28“Is this man Konyahu a despised broken pot, or an undesirable vessel? Why are they hurled out, he and his descendants, and cast into a land which they do not know?

29“O land, land, land! Hear the word of יהוה!

30“Thus said יהוה, ‘Write this man down as childless, a strong man who is not to prosper in his days, for none of his descendants shall prosper, sitting on the throne of Dawiḏ, or rule any more in Yehuḏah.’ ”