Study Desk

"Flee to safety, you sons of ^(C1)Benjamin, From the midst of Jerusalem! Blow a trumpet in Tekoa And raise a warning signal over ^(F1)(C2)Beth-haccerem; For evil looks down from the ^(C3)north, Along with a great destruction.

-"The beautiful and ^(C1)delicate one, ^(C2)the daughter of Zion, I will destroy.

-"^(C1)Shepherds and their flocks will come to her, They will ^(C2)pitch their tents ^(F1)around her, They will pasture, each in his ^(F2)place.

'^(F1)(C1)Prepare for war against her; Arise, and let's ^(F2)attack at ^(C2)noon. Woe to us, for the day declines, For the shadows of the evening lengthen!

-'Arise, and let's ^(F1)attack by night And ^(C1)destroy her ^(F2)palaces!'"

For this is what the LORD of armies says: "^(C1)Cut down her trees And pile up an ^(C2)assault ramp against Jerusalem. This is the city to be punished, In whose midst there is only ^(C3)oppression.

-"^(C1)As a well ^(F1)keeps its waters fresh, So she ^(F1)keeps fresh her wickedness. ^(C2)Violence and destruction are heard in her; ^(C3)Sickness and wounds are constantly before Me.

-"^(C1)Be warned, Jerusalem, Or ^(F1)(C2)I shall be alienated from you, And make you a desolation, An uninhabited land."

This is what the LORD of armies says: "They will ^(C1)thoroughly glean the ^(C2)remnant of Israel like the vine; Pass your hand over the branches again Like a grape gatherer."

To whom shall I speak and give warning, That they may hear? Behold, their ^(C1)ears are ^(F1)closed And they cannot listen. Behold, ^(C2)the word of the LORD has become for them a rebuke; They take no delight in it.

But I am ^(C1)full of the wrath of the LORD; I am ^(C2)weary of holding it in. "^(C3)Pour it out on the children in the street And on the ^(F1)gathering of young men together; For both husband and wife shall be taken, The old ^(F2)and the very old.

-"Their ^(C1)houses shall be turned over to others, Their fields and their wives together; For I will ^(C2)stretch out My hand Against the inhabitants of the land," declares the LORD.

"For ^(C1)from the least of them to the greatest of them, Everyone is ^(C2)greedy for gain, And from the prophet to the priest Everyone deals falsely.

-"They have ^(C1)healed the brokenness of My people superficially, Saying, 'Peace, peace,' But there is no peace.

-"Were they ^(C1)ashamed because of the abomination they had done? They were not ashamed at all, Nor did they know even how to be ashamed. Therefore they will fall among those who fall; At the time that I punish them, They will collapse," says the LORD.

This is what the LORD says: "Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ^(C1)ancient paths, Where the good way is, and walk in it; Then ^(C2)you will find a resting place for your souls. But they said, 'We will not walk in it.'

-"And I set ^(C1)watchmen over you, saying, 'Listen to the sound of the trumpet!' But they said, 'We will not listen.'

-"Therefore hear, you nations, And know, you congregation, what is among them.

-"^(C1)Hear, earth: behold, I am bringing disaster on this people, The ^(C2)fruit of their ^(F1)plans, Because they have not listened to My words, And as for My Law, they have ^(C3)rejected it also.

-"^(C1)For what purpose does ^(C2)frankincense come to Me from Sheba, And the ^(F1)(C3)sweet cane from a distant land? ^(C4)Your burnt offerings are not acceptable And your sacrifices are not pleasing to Me."

Therefore, this is what the LORD says: "Behold, ^(C1)I am ^(F1)placing stumbling blocks before this people. And they will stumble against them, ^(C2)Fathers and sons together; Neighbor and ^(F2)friend will perish."

This is what the LORD says: "Behold, there is ^(C1)a people coming from the north land, And a great nation will be stirred up from the ^(C2)remote parts of the earth.

-"They seize ^(C1)bow and spear; They are ^(C2)cruel and have no mercy; Their voice ^(C3)roars like the sea, And they ride on horses, Lined up as a man for the battle Against you, daughter of Zion!"

We have ^(C1)heard the report of it; Our hands are limp. ^(C2)Anguish has seized us, Pain like that of a woman in childbirth.

^(C1)Do not go out into the field, And ^(C2)do not walk on the road; For the enemy has a sword, ^(C3)Terror is on every side.

Daughter of my people, ^(C1)put on sackcloth And ^(C2)roll in ashes; ^(F1)(C3)Mourn as for an only son, A most bitter mourning. For suddenly the destroyer Will come against us.

"I have ^(C1)made you an assayer and an examiner among My people, So that you may know and put their way to the test."

All of them are stubbornly rebellious, ^(C1)Going about as a slanderer; They are ^(C2)bronze and iron. They are, all of them, corrupt.

The bellows blow fiercely, The lead is consumed by the fire; In vain the refining goes on, But the ^(C1)wicked are not ^(F1)separated.

^(C1)They call them rejected silver, Because the ^(C2)LORD has rejected them.

The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

"^(C1)Hear the words of this ^(C2)covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem;

and say to them, 'This is what the LORD, the God of Israel says: "^(C1)Cursed is the one who does not obey the words of this covenant

which I commanded your forefathers on the ^(C1)day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the ^(C2)iron furnace, saying, '^(C3)Listen to My voice, and ^(F1)do according to all that I command you; so you shall be ^(C4)My people, and I will be your God,'

in order to confirm the ^(C1)oath which I swore to your forefathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day."'" Then I replied, "^(C2)Amen, LORD."

And the LORD said to me, "^(C1)Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, '^(C2)Hear the words of this covenant and ^(C3)do them.

'For I solemnly ^(C1)warned your fathers on the ^(C2)day I brought them up from the land of Egypt, even to this day, ^(C3)warning them persistently, saying, "^(C4)Listen to My voice."

'Yet they ^(C1)did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in the stubbornness of their evil heart, each one of them; therefore I brought on them all the ^(C2)words of this covenant which I commanded them to do, but they did not.'"

Then the LORD said to me, "A ^(C1)conspiracy has been found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

"They have ^(C1)turned back to the wrongdoings of their ^(F1)ancestors who ^(C2)refused to hear My words, and they ^(C3)have followed other gods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have ^(C4)broken My covenant which I made with their fathers."

Therefore this is what the LORD says: "Behold, I am ^(C1)bringing disaster on them which they will ^(C2)not be able to escape; though they will ^(C3)cry out to Me, I will not listen to them.

"Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will ^(C1)go and cry out to the gods to whom they ^(F1)burn incense, but they certainly will not save them in the time of their disaster.

"For your gods are ^(F1)(C1)as many as your cities, Judah; and ^(F1)as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to the ^(C2)shameful thing, altars for ^(F2)(C3)burning incense to Baal.

"So as for you, ^(C1)do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will ^(C2)not listen when they call to Me because of their disaster.

-"What right has My ^(C1)beloved in My house When ^(C2)she has carried out many evil schemes? Can the sacrificial flesh take away from you your disaster, ^(F1)So that you can rejoice?"

The LORD named you "A ^(C1)green olive tree, beautiful in fruit and form"; With the ^(C2)noise of a great ^(F1)tumult He has ^(C3)set fire to it, And its branches are worthless.

The LORD of armies, who ^(C1)planted you, has ^(C2)pronounced evil against you because of the evil of the house of Israel and the house of Judah, which they have ^(F1)done to provoke Me by ^(F2)(C3)offering sacrifices to Baal.

Moreover, the LORD ^(C1)made it known to me and I knew it; Then You showed me their deeds.

But I was like a gentle ^(C1)lamb led to the slaughter; And I did not know that they had ^(C2)devised plots against me, saying, "Let's destroy the tree with its ^(F1)fruit, And ^(C3)let's cut him off from the ^(C4)land of the living, So that his ^(C5)name will no longer be remembered."

But, LORD of armies, who ^(C1)judges righteously, Who ^(C2)puts the ^(F1)feelings and the heart to the test, Let me see Your vengeance on them, For to You I have ^(F2)committed my cause.

Therefore this is what the LORD says concerning the people of ^(C1)Anathoth, who are ^(C2)seeking your life, saying: "^(C3)Do not prophesy in the name of the LORD, so that you do not ^(C4)die by our hand";

therefore, this is what the LORD of armies says: "Behold, I am going to ^(C1)punish them! The ^(C2)young men will die by the sword, their sons and daughters will die by famine;

and a remnant ^(C1)will not be left to them, because I will ^(C2)bring disaster on the people of Anathoth—^(C3)the year of their punishment."

^(C1)Righteous are You, LORD, when I plead my case with You; Nevertheless I would ^(C2)discuss matters of justice with You: Why has the ^(C3)way of the wicked prospered? Why are all those who ^(C4)deal in treachery at ease?

You have ^(C1)planted them, they have also taken root; They grow, they have also produced fruit. You are ^(C2)near ^(F1)to their lips But far from their ^(F2)mind.

But You ^(C1)know me, LORD; You see me And ^(C2)examine my heart's attitude toward You. Drag them off like sheep for the slaughter, And ^(F1)set them apart for a ^(C3)day of slaughter!

How long is the ^(C1)land to mourn, And the ^(C2)vegetation of the ^(F1)countryside to dry up? Due to the ^(C3)wickedness of those who live in it, ^(C4)Animals and birds have been snatched away, Because people have said, "He will not see our final ^(C5)end."

"If you have run with infantrymen and they have tired you out, How can you compete with horses? If you fall down in a land of peace, How will you do in the ^(C1)thicket by the Jordan?

-"For even your ^(C1)brothers and the household of your father, Even they have dealt treacherously with you, Even they have called aloud after you. Do not believe them, though they say ^(C2)nice things to you."

"I have ^(C1)forsaken My house, I have abandoned My inheritance; I have handed the ^(C2)beloved of My soul Over to her enemies.

-"My inheritance has become to Me Like a lion in the forest; She has ^(F1)(C1)roared against Me; Therefore I have come to ^(C2)hate her.

-"Is My inheritance like a speckled bird of prey to Me? Are the ^(C1)birds of prey against her on every side? Go, gather all the ^(C2)animals of the field, Bring them to devour!

-"Many ^(C1)shepherds have ruined My ^(C2)vineyard, They have ^(C3)trampled down My field; They have made My ^(C4)pleasant field A desolate wilderness.

-"^(F1)It has been made a desolation; Desolate, it ^(C1)mourns ^(F2)before Me; The ^(C2)whole land has been made desolate, Because no one ^(C3)takes it to heart.

-"On all the ^(F1)(C1)bare heights in the wilderness Destroyers have come, For the ^(C2)sword of the LORD is devouring From one end of the land even to the ^(F2)other; There is ^(C3)no peace for ^(F3)anyone.

-"They have ^(C1)sown wheat but have harvested thorns, They have ^(C2)strained themselves ^(F1)to no profit. So be ashamed of your ^(C3)produce Because of the ^(C4)fierce anger of the LORD."

This is what the LORD says concerning all My ^(C1)wicked neighbors who ^(C2)do harm to the inheritance with which I have endowed My people Israel: "Behold, I am going to drive them out of their land, and I will ^(C3)drive the house of Judah out from among them.

"And it will come about that after I have driven them out, I will ^(C1)again have compassion on them; and I will ^(C2)bring them back, each one to his inheritance and each one to his land.

"Then, if they will really ^(C1)learn the ways of My people, to ^(C2)swear by My name, 'As the LORD lives,' just as they taught My people to ^(C3)swear by Baal, they will be ^(C4)built up in the midst of My people.

"But if they do not listen, then I will ^(C1)drive out that nation, drive it out and destroy it," declares the LORD.