LAMENTATIONS 4:1- 5:22
HEBREWS 2:1- 18
PSALM 103:1- 22
PROVERBS 26:23
How the gold has lost its luster! Even the finest gold has become dull. The sacred gemstones lie scattered in the streets! 2 See how the precious children of Jerusalem, worth their weight in gold, are now treated like pots of clay. 3 Even the jackals feed their young, but not my people Israel. They ignore their children's cries, like the ostriches of the desert. 4 The parched tongues of their little ones stick with thirst to the roofs of their mouths. The children cry for bread, but no one has any to give them. 5 The people who once ate only the richest foods now beg in the streets for anything they can get. Those who once lived in palaces now search the garbage pits for food. 6 The guilt of my people is greater than that of Sodom, where utter disaster struck in a moment with no one to help them. 7 Our princes were once glowing with health; they were as clean as snow and as elegant as jewels. 8 But now their faces are blacker than soot. No one even recognizes them. Their skin sticks to their bones; it is as dry and hard as wood. 9 Those killed by the sword are far better off than those who die of hunger, wasting away for want of food. 10 Tenderhearted women have cooked their own children and eaten them in order to survive the siege. 11 But now the anger of the LORD is satisfied. His fiercest anger has now been poured out. He started a fire in Jerusalem that burned the city to its foundations. 12 Not a king in all the earth-- no one in all the world-- would have believed an enemy could march through the gates of Jerusalem. 13 Yet it happened because of the sins of her prophets and priests, who defiled the city by shedding innocent blood. 14 They wandered blindly through the streets, so defiled by blood that no one dared to touch them. 15 "Get away!" the people shouted at them. "You are defiled! Don't touch us!" So they fled to distant lands and wandered there among foreign nations, but none would let them stay. 16 The LORD himself has scattered them, and he no longer helps them. The priests and leaders are no longer honored and respected. 17 We looked in vain for our allies to come and save us, but we were looking to nations that could offer no help at all. 18 We couldn't go into the streets without danger to our lives. Our end was near; our days were numbered. We were doomed! 19 Our enemies were swifter than the eagles. If we fled to the mountains, they found us. If we hid in the wilderness, they were waiting for us there. 20 Our king, the LORD's anointed, the very life of our nation, was caught in their snares. We had foolishly boasted that under his protection we could hold our own against any nation on earth! 21 Are you rejoicing in the land of Uz, O people of Edom? But you, too, must drink from the cup of the LORD's anger. You, too, will be stripped naked in your drunkenness. 22 O Jerusalem, your punishment will end; you will soon return from exile. But Edom, your punishment is just beginning; soon your many sins will be revealed. 5:1 LORD, remember everything that has happened to us. See all the sorrows we bear! 2 Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our homes to foreigners. 3 We are orphaned and fatherless. Our mothers are widowed. 4 We have to pay for water to drink, and even firewood is expensive. 5 Those who pursue us are at our heels; we are exhausted but are given no rest. 6 We submitted to Egypt and Assyria to get enough food to survive. 7 It was our ancestors who sinned, but they died before the hand of judgment fell. We have suffered the punishment they deserved! 8 Slaves have now become our masters; there is no one left to rescue us. 9 We must hunt for food in the wilderness at the risk of our lives. 10 Because of the famine, our skin has been blackened as though baked in an oven. 11 Our enemies rape the women and young girls in Jerusalem and throughout the towns of Judah. 12 Our princes are being hanged by their thumbs, and the old men are treated with contempt. 13 The young men are led away to work at millstones, and the children stagger under heavy loads of wood. 14 The old men no longer sit in the city gates; the young men no longer dance and sing. 15 The joy of our hearts has ended; our dancing has turned to mourning. 16 The garlands have fallen from our heads. Disaster has fallen upon us because we have sinned. 17 Our hearts are sick and weary, and our eyes grow dim with tears. 18 For Jerusalem is empty and desolate, a place haunted by jackals. 19 But LORD, you remain the same forever! Your throne continues from generation to generation. 20 Why do you continue to forget us? Why have you forsaken us for so long? 21 Restore us, O LORD, and bring us back to you again! Give us back the joys we once had! 22 Or have you utterly rejected us? Are you angry with us still?
So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. 2 The message God delivered through angels has always proved true, and the people were punished for every violation of the law and every act of disobedience. 3 What makes us think that we can escape if we are indifferent to this great salvation that was announced by the Lord Jesus himself? It was passed on to us by those who heard him speak, 4 and God verified the message by signs and wonders and various miracles and by giving gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose to do so. 5 And furthermore, the future world we are talking about will not be controlled by angels. 6 For somewhere in the Scriptures it says, "What is man that you should think of him,
and the son of man that you should care for him?
7 For a little while you made him lower than the angels,
and you crowned him with glory and honor.
8 You gave him authority over all things."
Now when it says "all things," it means nothing is left out. But we have not yet seen all of this happen. 9 What we do see is Jesus, who "for a little while was made lower than the angels" and now is "crowned with glory and honor" because he suffered death for us. Yes, by God's grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone in all the world. 10 And it was only right that God-- who made everything and for whom everything was made-- should bring his many children into glory. Through the suffering of Jesus, God made him a perfect leader, one fit to bring them into their salvation. 11 So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. 12 For he said to God, "I will declare the wonder of your name to my brothers and sisters.
I will praise you among all your people."
13 He also said, "I will put my trust in him." And in the same context he said, "Here I am-- together with the children God has given me." 14 Because God's children are human beings-- made of flesh and blood-- Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death. 15 Only in this way could he deliver those who have lived all their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. 16 We all know that Jesus came to help the descendants of Abraham, not to help the angels. 17 Therefore, it was necessary for Jesus to be in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. He then could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. 18 Since he himself has gone through suffering and temptation, he is able to help us when we are being tempted.
A psalm of David.
1 Praise the LORD, I tell myself;
with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.
2 Praise the LORD, I tell myself,
and never forget the good things he does for me.
3 He forgives all my sins
and heals all my diseases.
4 He ransoms me from death
and surrounds me with love and tender mercies.
5 He fills my life with good things.
My youth is renewed like the eagle's!
6 The LORD gives righteousness
and justice to all who are treated unfairly.
7 He revealed his character to Moses
and his deeds to the people of Israel.
8 The LORD is merciful and gracious;
he is slow to get angry and full of unfailing love.
9 He will not constantly accuse us,
nor remain angry forever.
10 He has not punished us for all our sins,
nor does he deal with us as we deserve.
11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
12 He has removed our rebellious acts
as far away from us as the east is from the west.
13 The LORD is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
14 For he understands how weak we are;
he knows we are only dust.
15 Our days on earth are like grass;
like wildflowers, we bloom and die.
16 The wind blows, and we are gone--
as though we had never been here.
17 But the love of the LORD remains forever
with those who fear him.
His salvation extends to the children's children
18 of those who are faithful to his covenant,
of those who obey his commandments!
19 The LORD has made the heavens his throne;
from there he rules over everything.
20 Praise the LORD, you angels of his,
you mighty creatures who carry out his plans,
listening for each of his commands.
21 Yes, praise the LORD, you armies of angels
who serve him and do his will!
22 Praise the LORD, everything he has created,
everywhere in his kingdom.
As for me-- I, too, will praise the LORD.
Smooth words may hide a wicked heart, just as a pretty glaze covers a common clay pot
HEBREWS 2:1- 18
PSALM 103:1- 22
PROVERBS 26:23
How the gold has lost its luster! Even the finest gold has become dull. The sacred gemstones lie scattered in the streets! 2 See how the precious children of Jerusalem, worth their weight in gold, are now treated like pots of clay. 3 Even the jackals feed their young, but not my people Israel. They ignore their children's cries, like the ostriches of the desert. 4 The parched tongues of their little ones stick with thirst to the roofs of their mouths. The children cry for bread, but no one has any to give them. 5 The people who once ate only the richest foods now beg in the streets for anything they can get. Those who once lived in palaces now search the garbage pits for food. 6 The guilt of my people is greater than that of Sodom, where utter disaster struck in a moment with no one to help them. 7 Our princes were once glowing with health; they were as clean as snow and as elegant as jewels. 8 But now their faces are blacker than soot. No one even recognizes them. Their skin sticks to their bones; it is as dry and hard as wood. 9 Those killed by the sword are far better off than those who die of hunger, wasting away for want of food. 10 Tenderhearted women have cooked their own children and eaten them in order to survive the siege. 11 But now the anger of the LORD is satisfied. His fiercest anger has now been poured out. He started a fire in Jerusalem that burned the city to its foundations. 12 Not a king in all the earth-- no one in all the world-- would have believed an enemy could march through the gates of Jerusalem. 13 Yet it happened because of the sins of her prophets and priests, who defiled the city by shedding innocent blood. 14 They wandered blindly through the streets, so defiled by blood that no one dared to touch them. 15 "Get away!" the people shouted at them. "You are defiled! Don't touch us!" So they fled to distant lands and wandered there among foreign nations, but none would let them stay. 16 The LORD himself has scattered them, and he no longer helps them. The priests and leaders are no longer honored and respected. 17 We looked in vain for our allies to come and save us, but we were looking to nations that could offer no help at all. 18 We couldn't go into the streets without danger to our lives. Our end was near; our days were numbered. We were doomed! 19 Our enemies were swifter than the eagles. If we fled to the mountains, they found us. If we hid in the wilderness, they were waiting for us there. 20 Our king, the LORD's anointed, the very life of our nation, was caught in their snares. We had foolishly boasted that under his protection we could hold our own against any nation on earth! 21 Are you rejoicing in the land of Uz, O people of Edom? But you, too, must drink from the cup of the LORD's anger. You, too, will be stripped naked in your drunkenness. 22 O Jerusalem, your punishment will end; you will soon return from exile. But Edom, your punishment is just beginning; soon your many sins will be revealed. 5:1 LORD, remember everything that has happened to us. See all the sorrows we bear! 2 Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our homes to foreigners. 3 We are orphaned and fatherless. Our mothers are widowed. 4 We have to pay for water to drink, and even firewood is expensive. 5 Those who pursue us are at our heels; we are exhausted but are given no rest. 6 We submitted to Egypt and Assyria to get enough food to survive. 7 It was our ancestors who sinned, but they died before the hand of judgment fell. We have suffered the punishment they deserved! 8 Slaves have now become our masters; there is no one left to rescue us. 9 We must hunt for food in the wilderness at the risk of our lives. 10 Because of the famine, our skin has been blackened as though baked in an oven. 11 Our enemies rape the women and young girls in Jerusalem and throughout the towns of Judah. 12 Our princes are being hanged by their thumbs, and the old men are treated with contempt. 13 The young men are led away to work at millstones, and the children stagger under heavy loads of wood. 14 The old men no longer sit in the city gates; the young men no longer dance and sing. 15 The joy of our hearts has ended; our dancing has turned to mourning. 16 The garlands have fallen from our heads. Disaster has fallen upon us because we have sinned. 17 Our hearts are sick and weary, and our eyes grow dim with tears. 18 For Jerusalem is empty and desolate, a place haunted by jackals. 19 But LORD, you remain the same forever! Your throne continues from generation to generation. 20 Why do you continue to forget us? Why have you forsaken us for so long? 21 Restore us, O LORD, and bring us back to you again! Give us back the joys we once had! 22 Or have you utterly rejected us? Are you angry with us still?
So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. 2 The message God delivered through angels has always proved true, and the people were punished for every violation of the law and every act of disobedience. 3 What makes us think that we can escape if we are indifferent to this great salvation that was announced by the Lord Jesus himself? It was passed on to us by those who heard him speak, 4 and God verified the message by signs and wonders and various miracles and by giving gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose to do so. 5 And furthermore, the future world we are talking about will not be controlled by angels. 6 For somewhere in the Scriptures it says, "What is man that you should think of him,
and the son of man that you should care for him?
7 For a little while you made him lower than the angels,
and you crowned him with glory and honor.
8 You gave him authority over all things."
Now when it says "all things," it means nothing is left out. But we have not yet seen all of this happen. 9 What we do see is Jesus, who "for a little while was made lower than the angels" and now is "crowned with glory and honor" because he suffered death for us. Yes, by God's grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone in all the world. 10 And it was only right that God-- who made everything and for whom everything was made-- should bring his many children into glory. Through the suffering of Jesus, God made him a perfect leader, one fit to bring them into their salvation. 11 So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. 12 For he said to God, "I will declare the wonder of your name to my brothers and sisters.
I will praise you among all your people."
13 He also said, "I will put my trust in him." And in the same context he said, "Here I am-- together with the children God has given me." 14 Because God's children are human beings-- made of flesh and blood-- Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death. 15 Only in this way could he deliver those who have lived all their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. 16 We all know that Jesus came to help the descendants of Abraham, not to help the angels. 17 Therefore, it was necessary for Jesus to be in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. He then could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. 18 Since he himself has gone through suffering and temptation, he is able to help us when we are being tempted.
A psalm of David.
1 Praise the LORD, I tell myself;
with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.
2 Praise the LORD, I tell myself,
and never forget the good things he does for me.
3 He forgives all my sins
and heals all my diseases.
4 He ransoms me from death
and surrounds me with love and tender mercies.
5 He fills my life with good things.
My youth is renewed like the eagle's!
6 The LORD gives righteousness
and justice to all who are treated unfairly.
7 He revealed his character to Moses
and his deeds to the people of Israel.
8 The LORD is merciful and gracious;
he is slow to get angry and full of unfailing love.
9 He will not constantly accuse us,
nor remain angry forever.
10 He has not punished us for all our sins,
nor does he deal with us as we deserve.
11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
12 He has removed our rebellious acts
as far away from us as the east is from the west.
13 The LORD is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
14 For he understands how weak we are;
he knows we are only dust.
15 Our days on earth are like grass;
like wildflowers, we bloom and die.
16 The wind blows, and we are gone--
as though we had never been here.
17 But the love of the LORD remains forever
with those who fear him.
His salvation extends to the children's children
18 of those who are faithful to his covenant,
of those who obey his commandments!
19 The LORD has made the heavens his throne;
from there he rules over everything.
20 Praise the LORD, you angels of his,
you mighty creatures who carry out his plans,
listening for each of his commands.
21 Yes, praise the LORD, you armies of angels
who serve him and do his will!
22 Praise the LORD, everything he has created,
everywhere in his kingdom.
As for me-- I, too, will praise the LORD.
Smooth words may hide a wicked heart, just as a pretty glaze covers a common clay pot
