JEREMIAH 44:24-47:7
2 TIMOTHY 2:22-3:17
PSALM 94:1-23
PROVERBS 26:6-8
JEREMIAH 44:24-47:7
Then Jeremiah said to them all, including the women, " Listen to this message from the LORD, all you citizens of Judah who live in Egypt. 25 The LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You and your wives have said that you will never give up your devotion and sacrifices to the Queen of Heaven, and you have proved it by your actions. Then go ahead and carry out your promises and vows to her! 26 " But listen to this message from the LORD, all you Judeans now living in Egypt: I have sworn by my great name, says the LORD, that my name will no longer be spoken by any of the Judeans in the land of Egypt. None of you may invoke my name or use this oath: ` As surely as the Sovereign LORD lives!' 27 For I will watch over you to bring you disaster and not good. You will suffer war and famine until all of you are dead. 28 " Only a small number will escape death and return to Judah from Egypt. Then all those who came to Egypt will find out whose words are true, mine or theirs! 29 And this is the proof I give you, says the LORD, that all I have threatened will happen to you and that I will punish you here: 30 I will turn Pharaoh Hophra, king of Egypt, over to his enemies who want to kill him, just as I turned King Zedekiah of Judah over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I, the LORD, have spoken!"45:1 THE prophet Jeremiah gave a message to Baruch son of Neriah in the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, after Baruch had written down everything Jeremiah had dictated to him. He said, 2 " This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to you, Baruch: 3 You have said, ` I am overwhelmed with trouble! Haven't I had enough pain already? And now the LORD has added more! I am weary of my own sighing and can find no rest.' 4 " Baruch, this is what the LORD says: I will destroy this nation that I built. I will uproot what I planted. 5 Are you seeking great things for yourself? Don't do it! But don't be discouraged. I will bring great disaster upon all these people, but I will protect you wherever you go. I, the LORD, have spoken!"46:1 THE following messages were given to Jeremiah the prophet from the LORD concerning foreign nations. 2 This message concerning Egypt was given in the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, the king of Judah, on the occasion of the battle of Carchemish when Pharaoh Neco, king of Egypt, and his army were defeated beside the Euphrates River by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.3 " Buckle on your armor and advance into battle! 4 Harness the horses, and prepare to mount them. Put on your helmets, sharpen your spears, and prepare your armor. 5 But look! The Egyptian army flees in terror. The bravest of its fighting men run without a backward glance. They are terrorized at every turn, says the LORD. 6 The swiftest cannot flee; the mightiest warriors cannot escape. By the Euphrates River to the north they stumble and fall. 7 " Who is this, rising like the Nile River at floodtime, overflowing all the land? 8 It is the Egyptian army, boasting that it will cover the earth like a flood, destroying every foe. 9 Then come, you horses and chariots and mighty warriors of Egypt! Come, all you allies from Ethiopia, Libya, and Lydia who are skilled with the shield and bow! 10 For this is the day of the Lord, the LORD Almighty, a day of vengeance on his enemies. The sword will devour until it is satisfied, yes, drunk with your blood! The Lord, the LORD Almighty, will receive a sacrifice today in the north country beside the Euphrates River. 11 Go up to Gilead to get ointment, O virgin daughter of Egypt! But your many medicines will bring you no healing. 12 The nations have heard of your shame. The earth is filled with your cries of despair. Your mightiest warriors will stumble across each other and fall together." 13 Then the LORD gave the prophet Jeremiah this message about King Nebuchadnezzar's plans to attack Egypt. 14 " Shout it out in Egypt! Publish it in the cities of Migdol, Memphis, and Tahpanhes! Mobilize for battle, for the sword of destruction will devour everyone around you. 15 Why have your warriors fled in terror? They cannot stand because the LORD has driven them away. 16 They stumble and fall over each other and say among themselves, ` Come, let's go back to our homeland where we were born. Let's get away from the sword of the enemy!' 17 There they will say, ` Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, is a loudmouth who missed his opportunity!' 18 " As surely as I live," says the King, whose name is the LORD Almighty, " one is coming against Egypt who is as tall as Mount Tabor or Mount Carmel by the sea! 19 Pack up! Get ready to leave for exile, you citizens of Egypt! The city of Memphis will be destroyed, without a single person living there. 20 Egypt is as sleek as a young cow, but a gadfly from the north is on its way! 21 Egypt's famed mercenaries have become like fattened calves. They turn and run, for it is a day of great disaster for Egypt, a time of great punishment. 22 Silent as a serpent gliding away, Egypt flees. The invading army marches in; they come against her with axes like woodsmen. 23 They will cut down her people like trees," says the LORD, " for they are more numerous than grasshoppers. 24 Egypt will be humiliated; she will be handed over to men from the north."25 The LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: " I will punish Amon, the god of Thebes, and all the other gods of Egypt. I will punish its rulers and Pharaoh, too, and all who trust in him. 26 I will hand them over to those who want them killed--to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and his army. But afterward the land will recover from the ravages of war. I, the LORD, have spoken! 27 " But do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant; do not be dismayed, Israel. For I will bring you home again from distant lands, and your children will return from their exile. Israel will return and will have peace and quiet, and nothing will make them afraid. 28 Fear not, Jacob, my servant," says the LORD, " for I am with you. I will destroy the nations to which I have exiled you, but I will not destroy you. But I must discipline you; I cannot let you go unpunished."47:1 THIS is the LORD's message to the prophet Jeremiah concerning the Philistines of Gaza, before it was captured by the Egyptian army. 2 This is what the LORD says: " A flood is coming from the north to overflow the land. It will destroy the land and everything in it--cities and people alike. People will scream in terror, and everyone in the land will weep. 3 Hear the clatter of hooves and the rumble of wheels as the chariots rush by. Terrified fathers run madly, without a backward glance at their helpless children. 4 " The time has come for the Philistines to be destroyed, along with their allies from Tyre and Sidon. Yes, the LORD is destroying the Philistines, those colonists from Crete. 5 The city of Gaza will be demolished; Ashkelon will lie in ruins. You remnant of the Mediterranean plain, how long will you lament and mourn? 6 " Now, O sword of the LORD, when will you be at rest again? Go back into your sheath; rest and be still! 7 But how can it be still when the LORD has sent it on an errand? For the city of Ashkelon and the people living along the sea must be destroyed."
2 TIMOTHY 2:22-3:17
Run from anything that stimulates youthful lust. Follow anything that makes you want to do right. Pursue faith and love and peace, and enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts. 23 Again I say, don't get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. 24 The Lord's servants must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone. They must be able to teach effectively and be patient with difficult people. 25 They should gently teach those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people's hearts, and they will believe the truth. 26 Then they will come to their senses and escape from the Devil's trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.3:1 YOU should also know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. 3 They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control; they will be cruel and have no interest in what is good. 4 They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. 5 They will act as if they are religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. You must stay away from people like that. 6 They are the kind who work their way into people's homes and win the confidence of vulnerable women who are burdened with the guilt of sin and controlled by many desires. 7 Such women are forever following new teachings, but they never understand the truth. 8 And these teachers fight the truth just as Jannes and Jambres fought against Moses. Their minds are depraved, and their faith is counterfeit. 9 But they won't get away with this for long. Someday everyone will recognize what fools they are, just as happened with Jannes and Jambres. 10 But you know what I teach, Timothy, and how I live, and what my purpose in life is. You know my faith and how long I have suffered. You know my love and my patient endurance. 11 You know how much persecution and suffering I have endured. You know all about how I was persecuted in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra--but the Lord delivered me from all of it. 12 Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 13 But evil people and impostors will flourish. They will go on deceiving others, and they themselves will be deceived.14 But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. 15 You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. 17 It is God's way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do.
PSALM 94:1-23
O LORD, the God to whom vengeance belongs,
O God of vengeance, let your glorious justice be seen!
2 Arise, O judge of the earth.
Sentence the proud to the penalties they deserve.
3 How long, O LORD?
How long will the wicked be allowed to gloat?
4 Hear their arrogance!
How these evildoers boast!
5 They oppress your people, LORD,
hurting those you love.
6 They kill widows and foreigners
and murder orphans.
7 " The LORD isn't looking," they say,
" and besides, the God of Israel doesn't care."
8 Think again, you fools!
When will you finally catch on?
9 Is the one who made your ears deaf?
Is the one who formed your eyes blind?
10 He punishes the nations--won't he also punish you?
He knows everything--doesn't he also know what you are doing?
11 The LORD knows people's thoughts,
that they are worthless!
12 Happy are those whom you discipline, LORD,
and those whom you teach from your law.
13 You give them relief from troubled times
until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 The LORD will not reject his people;
he will not abandon his own special possession.
15 Judgment will come again for the righteous,
and those who are upright will have a reward.
16 Who will protect me from the wicked?
Who will stand up for me against evildoers?
17 Unless the LORD had helped me,
I would soon have died.
18 I cried out, " I'm slipping!"
and your unfailing love, O LORD, supported me.
19 When doubts filled my mind,
your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.
20 Can unjust leaders claim that God is on their side--
leaders who permit injustice by their laws?
21 They attack the righteous
and condemn the innocent to death.
22 But the LORD is my fortress;
my God is a mighty rock where I can hide.
23 God will make the sins of evil people fall back upon them.
He will destroy them for their sins.
The LORD our God will destroy them.
PROVERBS 26:6-8
Trusting a fool to convey a message is as foolish as cutting off one's feet or drinking poison! In the mouth of a fool, a proverb becomes as limp as a paralyzed leg. Honoring a fool is as foolish as tying a stone to a slingshot.
