JEREMIAH 21

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Jerusalem Will Fall to Nebuchadnezzar  21:1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchiah and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, saying, 2 “Inquire of the Lord for us, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps the Lord will deal with us according to all his wonderful deeds and will make him withdraw from us.”
    3 Then Jeremiah said to them: “Thus you shall say to Zedekiah, 4 ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands and with which you are fighting against the king of Babylon and against the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the walls. And I will bring them together into the midst of this city. 5 I myself will fight against you with outstretched hand and strong arm, in anger and in fury and in great wrath. 6 And I will strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast. They shall die of a great pestilence. 7 Afterward, declares the Lord, I will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people in this city who survive the pestilence, sword, and famine into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of their enemies, into the hand of those who seek their lives. He shall strike them down with the edge of the sword. He shall not pity them or spare them or have compassion.’
    8 “And to this people you shall say: ‘Thus says the Lord: Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. 9 He who stays in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you shall live and shall have his life as a prize of war. 10 For I have set my face against this city for harm and not for good, declares the Lord: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.’ Message to the House of David11 “And to the house of the king of Judah say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, 12 O house of David! Thus says the Lord:

“‘Execute justice in the morning,

and deliver from the hand of the oppressor

him who has been robbed,

lest my wrath go forth like fire,

and burn with none to quench it,

because of your evil deeds.’”
13

“Behold, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley,

O rock of the plain,declares the Lord;you who say, ‘Who shall come down against us,or who shall enter our habitations?’ 14

I will punish you according to the fruit of your deeds,declares the Lord;I will kindle a fire in her forest,and it shall devour all that is around her.”

JEREMIAH 22

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  22:1 Thus says the Lord: “Go down to the house of the king of Judah and speak there this word, 2 and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, who sits on the throne of David, you, and your servants, and your people who enter these gates. 3 Thus says the Lord: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place. 4 For if you will indeed obey this word, then there shall enter the gates of this house kings who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their servants and their people. 5 But if you will not obey these words, I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that this house shall become a desolation. 6 For thus says the Lord concerning the house of the king of Judah:

“‘You are like Gilead to me,

like the summit of Lebanon,

yet surely I will make you a desert,

an uninhabited city. 7

I will prepare destroyers against you,

each with his weapons,

and they shall cut down your choicest cedars

and cast them into the fire.
    8 “‘And many nations will pass by this city, and every man will say to his neighbor, Why has the Lord dealt thus with this great city? 9 And they will answer, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and worshiped other gods and served them.’”
10

Weep not for him who is dead,

nor grieve for him,

but weep bitterly for him who goes away,

for he shall return no more

to see his native land. Message to the Sons of Josiah11 For thus says the Lord concerning Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, and who went away from this place: “He shall return here no more, 12 but in the place where they have carried him captive, there shall he die, and he shall never see this land again.”
13

“Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness,

and his upper rooms by injustice,

who makes his neighbor serve him for nothing

and does not give him his wages, 14

who says, ‘I will build myself a great house

with spacious upper rooms,’

who cuts out windows for it,

paneling it with cedar

and painting it with vermilion. 15

Do you think you are a king

because you compete in cedar?

Did not your father eat and drink

and do justice and righteousness?

Then it was well with him. 16

He judged the cause of the poor and needy;

then it was well.

Is not this to know me?

declares the Lord. 17

But you have eyes and heart

only for your dishonest gain,

for shedding innocent blood,

and for practicing oppression and violence.”
    18 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:

“They shall not lament for him, saying,

‘Ah, my brother!’ or ‘Ah, sister!’

They shall not lament for him, saying,

‘Ah, lord!’ or ‘Ah, his majesty!’ 19

With the burial of a donkey he shall be buried,

dragged and dumped beyond the gates of Jerusalem.”
20

“Go up to Lebanon, and cry out,

and lift up your voice in Bashan;

cry out from Abarim,

for all your lovers are destroyed. 21

I spoke to you in your prosperity,

but you said, ‘I will not listen.’

This has been your way from your youth,

that you have not obeyed my voice. 22

The wind shall shepherd all your shepherds,

and your lovers shall go into captivity;

then you will be ashamed and confounded

because of all your evil. 23

O inhabitant of Lebanon,

nested among the cedars,

how you will be pitied when pangs come upon you,

pain as of a woman in labor!”
    24 “As I live, declares the Lord, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet ring on my right hand, yet I would tear you off 25 and give you into the hand of those who seek your life, into the hand of those of whom you are afraid, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of the Chaldeans. 26 I will hurl you and the mother who bore you into another country, where you were not born, and there you shall die. 27 But to the land to which they will long to return, there they shall not return.”
28

Is this man Coniah a despised, broken pot,

a vessel no one cares for?

Why are he and his children hurled and cast

into a land that they do not know? 29

O land, land, land,

hear the word of the Lord! 30

Thus says the Lord:

“Write this man down as childless,

a man who shall not succeed in his days,

for none of his offspring shall succeed

in sitting on the throne of David

and ruling again in Judah.”

PROVERBS 13

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13:1

A wise son hears his father’s instruction,

but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. 2

From the fruit of his mouth a man eats what is good,

but the desire of the treacherous is for violence. 3

Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life;

he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. 4

The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,

while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied. 5

The righteous hates falsehood,

but the wicked brings shame and disgrace. 6

Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless,

but sin overthrows the wicked. 7

One pretends to be rich, yet has nothing;

another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth. 8

The ransom of a man’s life is his wealth,

but a poor man hears no threat. 9

The light of the righteous rejoices,

but the lamp of the wicked will be put out. 10

By insolence comes nothing but strife,

but with those who take advice is wisdom. 11

Wealth gained hastily will dwindle,

but whoever gathers little by little will increase it. 12

Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. 13

Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself,

but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded. 14

The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,

that one may turn away from the snares of death. 15

Good sense wins favor,

but the way of the treacherous is their ruin. 16

Every prudent man acts with knowledge,

but a fool flaunts his folly. 17

A wicked messenger falls into trouble,

but a faithful envoy brings healing. 18

Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction,

but whoever heeds reproof is honored. 19

A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul,

but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools. 20

Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise,

but the companion of fools will suffer harm. 21

Disaster pursues sinners,

but the righteous are rewarded with good. 22

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,

but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous. 23

The fallow ground of the poor would yield much food,

but it is swept away through injustice. 24

Whoever spares the rod hates his son,

but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him. 25

The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite,

but the belly of the wicked suffers want.

2 PETER 1

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Greeting  1:1 Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
    To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
    2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. Confirm Your Calling and Election3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
    12 Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. 13 I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, 14 since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things. Christ’s Glory and the Prophetic Word16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.