ARKCODEX
Jeremiah
Ch. 2
God's Care for Israel
1The Lord told me
2to proclaim this message to everyone in Jerusalem. “I remember how faithful you were when you were young, how you loved me when we were first married; you followed me through the desert, through a land that had not been planted.
3Israel, you belonged to me alone; you were my sacred possession. I sent suffering and disaster on everyone who hurt you. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
The Sin of Israel's Ancestors
4Listen to the Lord's message, you descendants of Jacob, you tribes of Israel.
5The Lord says: “What accusation did your ancestors bring against me? What made them turn away from me? They worshiped worthless idols and became worthless themselves.
6They did not care about me, even though I rescued them from Egypt and led them through the wilderness: a land of deserts and sand pits, a dry and dangerous land where no one lives and no one will even travel.
7I brought them into a fertile land, to enjoy its harvests and its other good things. But instead they ruined my land; they defiled the country I had given them.
8The priests did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord?’ My own priests did not know me. The rulers rebelled against me; the prophets spoke in the name of Baal and worshiped useless idols.
The Lord's Case against His People
9“And so I, the Lord, will state my case against my people again. I will bring charges against their descendants.
10Go west to the island of Cyprus, and send someone eastward to the land of Kedar. You will see that nothing like this has ever happened before.
11No other nation has ever changed its gods, even though they were not real. But my people have exchanged me, the God who has brought them honor, for gods that can do nothing for them.
12And so I command the sky to shake with horror, to be amazed and astonished,
13for my people have committed two sins: they have turned away from me, the spring of fresh water, and they have dug cisterns, cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all.
The Results of Israel's Unfaithfulness
14“Israel is not a slave; he was not born into slavery. Why then do his enemies hunt him down?
15They have roared at him like lions; they have made his land a desert, and his towns lie in ruins, completely abandoned.
16Yes, the people of Memphis and Tahpanhes have cracked his skull.
17Israel, you brought this on yourself You deserted me, the Lord your God, while I was leading you along the way.
18What do you think you will gain by going to Egypt to drink water from the Nile? What do you think you will gain by going to Assyria to drink water from the Euphrates?
19Your own evil will punish you, and your turning from me will condemn you. You will learn how bitter and wrong it is to abandon me, the Lord your God, and no longer to remain faithful to me. I, the Sovereign Lord Almighty, have spoken.”
Israel Refuses to Worship the Lord
20The Sovereign Lord says, “Israel, long ago you rejected my authority; you refused to obey me and worship me. On every high hill and under every green tree you worshiped fertility gods.
21I planted you like a choice vine from the very best seed. But look what you have become! You are like a rotten, worthless vine.
22Even if you washed with the strongest soap, I would still see the stain of your guilt.
23How can you say you have not defiled yourself, that you have never worshiped Baal? Look how you sinned in the valley; see what you have done. You are like a wild camel in heat, running around loose,
24rushing into the desert. When she is in heat, who can control her? No male that wants her has to trouble himself; she is always available in mating season.
25Israel, don't wear your feet out, or let your throat become dry from chasing after other gods. But you say, ‘No! I can't turn back. I have loved foreign gods and will go after them.’”
Israel Deserves to Be Punished
26The Lord says, “Just as a thief is disgraced when caught, so all you people of Israel will be disgraced—your kings and officials, your priests and prophets.
27You will all be disgraced—you that say that a tree is your father and that a rock is your mother. This will happen because you turned away from me instead of turning to me. But when you are in trouble, you ask me to come and save you.
28“Where are the gods that you made for yourselves? When you are in trouble, let them save you—if they can! Judah, you have as many gods as you have cities.
29What is your complaint? Why have you rebelled against me?
30I punished you, but it did no good; you would not let me correct you. Like a raging lion, you have murdered your prophets.
31People of Israel, listen to what I am saying. Have I been like a desert to you, like a dark and dangerous land? Why, then, do you say that you will do as you please, that you will never come back to me?
32Does a young woman forget her jewelry, or a bride her wedding dress? But my people have forgotten me for more days than can be counted.
33You certainly know how to chase after lovers. Even the worst of women can learn from you.
34Your clothes are stained with the blood of the poor and innocent, not with the blood of burglars. “But in spite of all this,
35you say, ‘I am innocent; surely the Lord is no longer angry with me.’ But I, the Lord, will punish you because you deny that you have sinned.
36You have cheapened yourself by turning to the gods of other nations. You will be disappointed by Egypt, just as you were by Assyria.
37You will turn away from Egypt, hanging your head in shame. I, the Lord, have rejected those you trust; you will not gain anything from them.”
Ezekiel
Ch. 28
Prophecy against the King of Tyre
1The Lord spoke to me.
2“Mortal man,” he said, “tell the ruler of Tyre what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to him: Puffed up with pride, you claim to be a god. You say that like a god you sit on a throne, surrounded by the seas. You may pretend to be a god, but, no, you are mortal, not divine.
3You think you are wiser than Danel, that no secret can be kept from you.
4Your wisdom and skill made you rich with treasures of gold and silver.
5You made clever business deals and kept on making profits. How proud you are of your wealth!
6“Now then, this is what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying: Because you think you are as wise as a god,
7I will bring ruthless enemies to attack you. They will destroy all the beautiful things you have acquired by skill and wisdom.
8They will kill you and send you to a watery grave.
9When they come to kill you, will you still claim that you are a god? When you face your murderers, you will be mortal and not at all divine.
10You will die like a dog at the hand of godless foreigners. I, the Sovereign Lord, have given the command.”
The Fall of the King of Tyre
11The Lord spoke to me again.
12“Mortal man,” he said, “grieve for the fate that is waiting for the king of Tyre. Tell him what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying: You were once an example of perfection. How wise and handsome you were!
13You lived in Eden, the garden of God, and wore gems of every kind: rubies and diamonds; topaz, beryl, carnelian, and jasper; sapphires, emeralds, and garnets. You had ornaments of gold. They were made for you on the day you were created.
14I put a terrifying angel there to guard you. You lived on my holy mountain and walked among sparkling gems.
15Your conduct was perfect from the day you were created until you began to do evil.
16You were busy buying and selling, and this led you to violence and sin. So I forced you to leave my holy mountain, and the angel who guarded you drove you away from the sparkling gems.
17You were proud of being handsome, and your fame made you act like a fool. Because of this I hurled you to the ground and left you as a warning to other kings.
18You did such evil in buying and selling that your places of worship were corrupted. So I set fire to the city and burned it to the ground. All who look at you now see you reduced to ashes.
19You are gone, gone forever, and all the nations that had come to know you are terrified, afraid that they will share your fate.”
Prophecy against Sidon
20The Lord said to me,
21“Mortal man, denounce the city of Sidon.
22Tell the people there what I, the Sovereign Lord, say about them: I am your enemy, Sidon; people will praise me because of what I do to you. They will know that I am the Lord, when I show how holy I am by punishing those who live in you.
23I will send diseases on you and make blood flow in your streets. You will be attacked from every side, and your people will be killed. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”
Israel Will Be Blessed
24The Lord said, “None of the surrounding nations that treated Israel with scorn will ever again be like thorns and briers to hurt Israel. And they will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.”
25The Sovereign Lord said, “I will bring back the people of Israel from the nations where I scattered them, and all the nations will know that I am holy. The people of Israel will live in their own land, the land that I gave to my servant Jacob.
26They will live there in safety. They will build houses and plant vineyards. I will punish all their neighbors who treated them with scorn, and Israel will be secure. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God.”
Proverbs
Ch. 14
9Foolish people don't care if they sin, but good people want to be forgiven.
10Your joy is your own; your bitterness is your own. No one can share them with you.
11A good person's house will still be standing after an evildoer's house has been destroyed.
12What you think is the right road may lead to death.