JEREMIAH 26:1-27:22
2 THESSALONIANS 3:1-18
PSALM 85:1-13
PROVERBS 25:16
JEREMIAH 26:1-27:22
This message came to Jeremiah from the LORD early in the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah. 2 The LORD said, " Stand out in front of the Temple of the LORD, and make an announcement to the people who have come there to worship from all over Judah. Give them my entire message; include every word. 3 Perhaps they will listen and turn from their evil ways. Then I will be able to withhold the disaster I am ready to pour out on them because of their sins. 4 " Say to them, ` This is what the LORD says: If you will not listen to me and obey the law I have given you, 5 and if you will not listen to my servants, the prophets--for I sent them again and again to warn you, but you would not listen to them--6 then I will destroy this Temple as I destroyed Shiloh, the place where the Tabernacle was located. And I will make Jerusalem an object of cursing in every nation on earth.' " 7 The priests, the prophets, and all the people listened to Jeremiah as he spoke in front of the LORD's Temple. 8 But when Jeremiah had finished his message, saying everything the LORD had told him to say, the priests and prophets and all the people at the Temple mobbed him. " Kill him!" they shouted. 9 " What right do you have to prophesy in the LORD's name that this Temple will be destroyed like Shiloh? What do you mean, saying that Jerusalem will be destroyed?" And all the people threatened him as he stood in front of the Temple. 10 When the officials of Judah heard what was happening, they rushed over from the palace and sat down at the New Gate of the Temple to hold court. 11 The priests and prophets presented their accusations to the officials and the people. " This man should die!" they said. " You have heard with your own ears what a traitor he is, for he has prophesied against this city." 12 Then Jeremiah spoke in his own defense. " The LORD sent me to prophesy against this Temple and this city," he said. " The LORD gave me every word that I have spoken. 13 But if you stop your sinning and begin to obey the LORD your God, he will cancel this disaster that he has announced against you. 14 As for me, I am helpless and in your power--do with me as you think best. 15 But if you kill me, rest assured that you will be killing an innocent man! The responsibility for such a deed will lie on you, on this city, and on every person living in it. For it is absolutely true that the LORD sent me to speak every word you have heard." 16 Then the officials and the people said to the priests and prophets, " This man does not deserve the death sentence, for he has spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God." 17 Then some of the wise old men stood and spoke to the people there. 18 They said, " Think back to the days when Micah of Moresheth prophesied during the reign of King Hezekiah of Judah. He told the people of Judah, ` This is what the LORD Almighty says: Mount Zion will be plowed like an open field; Jerusalem will be reduced to rubble! A great forest will grow on the hilltop, where the Temple now stands.' 19 But did King Hezekiah and the people kill him for saying this? No, they turned from their sins and worshiped the LORD. They begged him to have mercy on them. Then the LORD held back the terrible disaster he had pronounced against them. If we kill Jeremiah, who knows what will happen to us?" 20 (At this time, Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath-jearim was also prophesying for the LORD. And he predicted the same terrible disaster against the city and nation as Jeremiah did. 21 When King Jehoiakim and the army officers and officials heard what he was saying, the king sent someone to kill him. But Uriah heard about the plot and escaped to Egypt. 22 Then King Jehoiakim sent Elnathan son of Acbor to Egypt along with several other men to capture Uriah. 23 They took him prisoner and brought him back to King Jehoiakim. The king then killed Uriah with a sword and had him buried in an unmarked grave.) 24 Ahikam son of Shaphan also stood with Jeremiah and persuaded the court not to turn him over to the mob to be killed.27:1 THIS message came to Jeremiah from the LORD early in the reign of Zedekiah son of Josiah, king of Judah. 2 The LORD said to me, " Make a yoke, and fasten it on your neck with leather thongs. 3 Then send messages to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon through their ambassadors to King Zedekiah in Jerusalem. 4 Give them this message for their masters: ` This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: 5 By my great power I have made the earth and all its people and every animal. I can give these things of mine to anyone I choose. 6 Now I will give your countries to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who is my servant. I have put everything, even the wild animals, under his control. 7 All the nations will serve him and his son and his grandson until his time is up. But then many nations and great kings will conquer and rule over Babylon. 8 So you must submit to Babylon's king and serve him; put your neck under Babylon's yoke! I will punish any nation that refuses to be his slave, says the LORD. I will send war, famine, and disease upon that nation until Babylon has conquered it. 9 " ` Do not listen to your false prophets, fortune-tellers, interpreters of dreams, mediums, and sorcerers who say, " The king of Babylon will not conquer you." 10 They are all liars, and I will drive you from your land and send you far away to die. 11 But the people of any nation that submits to the king of Babylon will be allowed to stay in their own country to farm the land as usual. I, the LORD, have spoken!' " 12 Then I repeated this same message to King Zedekiah of Judah. " If you want to live, submit to the king of Babylon and his people," I said. 13 " Why do you insist on dying--you and your people? Why should you choose war, famine, and disease, which the LORD will bring against every nation that refuses to submit to Babylon's king? 14 Do not listen to the false prophets who keep telling you, ` The king of Babylon will not conquer you.' They are liars. 15 This is what the LORD says: I have not sent these prophets! They are telling you lies in my name, so I will drive you from this land. You will all die--you and all these prophets, too."16 Then I spoke to the priests and the people and said, " This is what the LORD says: Do not listen to your prophets who claim that soon the gold utensils taken from my Temple will be returned from Babylon. It is all a lie! 17 Do not listen to them. Surrender to the king of Babylon, and you will live. Why should this whole city be destroyed? 18 If they really are the LORD's prophets, let them pray to the LORD Almighty about the gold utensils that are still left in the LORD's Temple and in the king's palace and in the palaces of Jerusalem. Let them pray that these remaining articles will not be carried away with you to Babylon! 19 " For this is what the LORD Almighty says about the bronze pillars in front of the Temple, the bronze Sea in the Temple courtyard, the bronze water carts, and all the other ceremonial articles. 20 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon left them here when he exiled Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, to Babylon, along with all the other important people of Judah and Jerusalem. 21 Yes, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says about the precious things kept in the Temple and in the palace of Judah's king: 22 They will all be carried away to Babylon and will stay there until I send for them, says the LORD. But someday I will bring them back to Jerusalem again."
2 THESSALONIANS 3:1-18
Finally, dear brothers and sisters,* I [Paul] ask you to pray for us. Pray first that the Lord's message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes, just as when it came to you. 2 Pray, too, that we will be saved from wicked and evil people, for not everyone believes in the Lord. 3 But the Lord is faithful; he will make you strong and guard you from the evil one. 4 And we are confident in the Lord that you are practicing the things we commanded you, and that you always will. 5 May the Lord bring you into an ever deeper understanding of the love of God and the endurance that comes from Christ. 6 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we give you this command with the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ: Stay away from any Christian who lives in idleness and doesn't follow the tradition of hard work we gave you. 7 For you know that you ought to follow our example. We were never lazy when we were with you. 8 We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We worked hard day and night so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9 It wasn't that we didn't have the right to ask you to feed us, but we wanted to give you an example to follow. 10 Even while we were with you, we gave you this rule: " Whoever does not work should not eat." 11 Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and wasting time meddling in other people's business. 12 In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we appeal to such people--no, we command them: Settle down and get to work. Earn your own living. 13 And I say to the rest of you, dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good. 14 Take note of those who refuse to obey what we say in this letter. Stay away from them so they will be ashamed. 15 Don't think of them as enemies, but speak to them as you would to a Christian who needs to be warned.16 May the Lord of peace himself always give you his peace no matter what happens. The Lord be with you all. 17 Now here is my greeting, which I write with my own hand--PAUL. I do this at the end of all my letters to prove that they really are from me. 18 May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
PSALM 85:1-13
For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah.
1 LORD, you have poured out amazing blessings on your land!
You have restored the fortunes of Israel.
2 You have forgiven the guilt of your people--
yes, you have covered all their sins.
Interlude3 You have withdrawn your fury.
You have ended your blazing anger.
4 Now turn to us again, O God of our salvation.
Put aside your anger against us.
5 Will you be angry with us always?
Will you prolong your wrath to distant generations?
6 Won't you revive us again,
so your people can rejoice in you?
7 Show us your unfailing love, O LORD,
and grant us your salvation.
8 I listen carefully to what God the LORD is saying,
for he speaks peace to his people, his faithful ones.
But let them not return to their foolish ways.
9 Surely his salvation is near to those who honor him;
our land will be filled with his glory.
10 Unfailing love and truth have met together.
Righteousness and peace have kissed!
11 Truth springs up from the earth,
and righteousness smiles down from heaven.
12 Yes, the LORD pours down his blessings.
Our land will yield its bountiful crops.
13 Righteousness goes as a herald before him,
preparing the way for his steps.
PROVERBS 25:16
Do you like honey? Don't eat too much of it, or it will make you sick!
