JEREMIAH 4

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Judah Threatened with Invasion4:1 “If you will return, O Israel,” declares the LORD,

“Then you should return to Me.

And if you will put away your detested things from My presence,

And will not waver,

2 And you will swear, ‘As the LORD lives,’

In truth, in justice and in righteousness;

Then the nations will bless themselves in Him,

And in Him they will glory.”

    3 For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem,

“Break up your fallow ground,

And do not sow among thorns.

4 “Circumcise yourselves to the LORD

And remove the foreskins of your heart,

Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,

Or else My wrath will go forth like fire

And burn with none to quench it,

Because of the evil of your deeds.”

5 Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say,

“Blow the trumpet in the land;

Cry aloud and say,

‘Assemble yourselves, and let us go

Into the fortified cities.’

6 “Lift up a standard toward Zion!

Seek refuge, do not stand still,

For I am bringing evil from the north,

And great destruction.

7 “A lion has gone up from his thicket,

And a destroyer of nations has set out;

He has gone out from his place

To make your land a waste.

Your cities will be ruins

Without inhabitant.

8 “For this, put on sackcloth,

Lament and wail;

For the fierce anger of the LORD

Has not turned back from us.”

9 “It shall come about in that day,” declares the LORD, “that the heart of the king and the heart of the princes will fail; and the priests will be appalled and the prophets will be astounded.”
    10 Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Surely You have utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘You will have peace’; whereas a sword touches the throat.”
    11 In that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, “A scorching wind from the bare heights in the wilderness in the direction of the daughter of My people--not to winnow and not to cleanse, 12 a wind too strong for this--will come at My command; now I will also pronounce judgments against them.

13 “Behold, he goes up like clouds,

And his chariots like the whirlwind;

His horses are swifter than eagles.

Woe to us, for we are ruined!”

14 Wash your heart from evil, O Jerusalem,

That you may be saved.

How long will your wicked thoughts

Lodge within you?

15 For a voice declares from Dan,

And proclaims wickedness from Mount Ephraim.

16 “Report it to the nations, now!

Proclaim over Jerusalem,

‘Besiegers come from a far country,

And lift their voices against the cities of Judah.

17 ‘Like watchmen of a field they are against her round about,

Because she has rebelled against Me,’ declares the LORD.

18 “Your ways and your deeds

Have brought these things to you.

This is your evil. How bitter!

How it has touched your heart!”

Lament over Judah’s Devastation19 My soul, my soul! I am in anguish! Oh, my heart!

My heart is pounding in me;

I cannot be silent,

Because you have heard, O my soul,

The sound of the trumpet,

The alarm of war.

20 Disaster on disaster is proclaimed,

For the whole land is devastated;

Suddenly my tents are devastated,

My curtains in an instant.

21 How long must I see the standard

And hear the sound of the trumpet?

22 “For My people are foolish,

They know Me not;

They are stupid children

And have no understanding.

They are shrewd to do evil,

But to do good they do not know.”

23 I looked on the earth, and behold, it was formless and void;

And to the heavens, and they had no light.

24 I looked on the mountains, and behold, they were quaking,

And all the hills moved to and fro.

25 I looked, and behold, there was no man,

And all the birds of the heavens had fled.

26 I looked, and behold, the fruitful land was a wilderness,

And all its cities were pulled down

Before the LORD, before His fierce anger.

27 For thus says the LORD,

“The whole land shall be a desolation,

Yet I will not execute a complete destruction.

28 “For this the earth shall mourn

And the heavens above be dark,

Because I have spoken, I have purposed,

And I will not change My mind, nor will I turn from it.”

29 At the sound of the horseman and bowman every city flees;

They go into the thickets and climb among the rocks;

Every city is forsaken,

And no man dwells in them.

30 And you, O desolate one, what will you do?

Although you dress in scarlet,

Although you decorate yourself with ornaments of gold,

Although you enlarge your eyes with paint,

In vain you make yourself beautiful.

Your lovers despise you;

They seek your life.

31 For I heard a cry as of a woman in labor,

The anguish as of one giving birth to her first child,

The cry of the daughter of Zion gasping for breath,

Stretching out her hands, saying,

“Ah, woe is me, for I faint before murderers.”

JEREMIAH 5

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Jerusalem’s Godlessness5:1 “Roam to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem,

And look now and take note.

And seek in her open squares,

If you can find a man,

If there is one who does justice, who seeks truth,

Then I will pardon her.

2 “And although they say, ‘As the LORD lives,’

Surely they swear falsely.”

3 O LORD, do not Your eyes look for truth?

You have smitten them,

But they did not weaken;

You have consumed them,

But they refused to take correction.

They have made their faces harder than rock;

They have refused to repent.

4 Then I said, “They are only the poor,

They are foolish;

For they do not know the way of the LORD

Or the ordinance of their God.

5 “I will go to the great

And will speak to them,

For they know the way of the LORD

And the ordinance of their God.”

But they too, with one accord, have broken the yoke

And burst the bonds.

6 Therefore a lion from the forest will slay them,

A wolf of the deserts will destroy them,

A leopard is watching their cities.

Everyone who goes out of them will be torn in pieces,

Because their transgressions are many,

Their apostasies are numerous.

7 “Why should I pardon you?

Your sons have forsaken Me

And sworn by those who are not gods.

When I had fed them to the full,

They committed adultery

And trooped to the harlot’s house.

8 “They were well-fed lusty horses,

Each one neighing after his neighbor’s wife.

9 “Shall I not punish these people,” declares the LORD,

“And on a nation such as this

Shall I not avenge Myself?

10 “Go up through her vine rows and destroy,

But do not execute a complete destruction;

Strip away her branches,

For they are not the LORD’S.

11 “For the house of Israel and the house of Judah

Have dealt very treacherously with Me,” declares the LORD.

12 They have lied about the LORD

And said, “Not He;

Misfortune will not come on us,

And we will not see sword or famine.

13 “The prophets are as wind,

And the word is not in them.

Thus it will be done to them!”

Judgment Proclaimed14 Therefore, thus says the LORD, the God of hosts,

“Because you have spoken this word,

Behold, I am making My words in your mouth fire

And this people wood, and it will consume them.

15 “Behold, I am bringing a nation against you from afar, O house of Israel,” declares the LORD.

“It is an enduring nation,

It is an ancient nation,

A nation whose language you do not know,

Nor can you understand what they say.

16 “Their quiver is like an open grave,

All of them are mighty men.

17 “They will devour your harvest and your food;

They will devour your sons and your daughters;

They will devour your flocks and your herds;

They will devour your vines and your fig trees;

They will demolish with the sword your fortified cities in which you trust.

    18 “Yet even in those days,” declares the LORD, “I will not make you a complete destruction. 19 It shall come about when they say, ‘Why has the LORD our God done all these things to us?’ then you shall say to them, ‘As you have forsaken Me and served foreign gods in your land, so you will serve strangers in a land that is not yours.’
20 “Declare this in the house of Jacob

And proclaim it in Judah, saying,

21 ‘Now hear this, O foolish and senseless people,

Who have eyes but do not see;

Who have ears but do not hear.

22 ‘Do you not fear Me?’ declares the LORD.

‘Do you not tremble in My presence?

For I have placed the sand as a boundary for the sea,

An eternal decree, so it cannot cross over it.

Though the waves toss, yet they cannot prevail;

Though they roar, yet they cannot cross over it.

23 ‘But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart;

They have turned aside and departed.

24 ‘They do not say in their heart,

“Let us now fear the LORD our God,

Who gives rain in its season,

Both the autumn rain and the spring rain,

Who keeps for us

The appointed weeks of the harvest.”

25 ‘Your iniquities have turned these away,

And your sins have withheld good from you.

26 ‘For wicked men are found among My people,

They watch like fowlers lying in wait;

They set a trap,

They catch men.

27 ‘Like a cage full of birds,

So their houses are full of deceit;

Therefore they have become great and rich.

28 ‘They are fat, they are sleek,

They also excel in deeds of wickedness;

They do not plead the cause,

The cause of the orphan, that they may prosper;

And they do not defend the rights of the poor.

29 ‘Shall I not punish these people?’ declares the LORD,

‘On a nation such as this

Shall I not avenge Myself?’

30 “An appalling and horrible thing

Has happened in the land:

31 The prophets prophesy falsely,

And the priests rule on their own authority;

And My people love it so!

But what will you do at the end of it?

PROVERBS 4

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A Father’s Instruction4:1 Hear, O sons, the instruction of a father,

And give attention that you may gain understanding,

2 For I give you sound teaching;

Do not abandon my instruction.

3 When I was a son to my father,

Tender and the only son in the sight of my mother,

4 Then he taught me and said to me,

“Let your heart hold fast my words;

Keep my commandments and live;

5 Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding!

Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

6 “Do not forsake her, and she will guard you;

Love her, and she will watch over you.

7 “The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom;

And with all your acquiring, get understanding.

8 “Prize her, and she will exalt you;

She will honor you if you embrace her.

9 “She will place on your head a garland of grace;

She will present you with a crown of beauty.”

10 Hear, my son, and accept my sayings

And the years of your life will be many.

11 I have directed you in the way of wisdom;

I have led you in upright paths.

12 When you walk, your steps will not be impeded;

And if you run, you will not stumble.

13 Take hold of instruction; do not let go.

Guard her, for she is your life.

14 Do not enter the path of the wicked

And do not proceed in the way of evil men.

15 Avoid it, do not pass by it;

Turn away from it and pass on.

16 For they cannot sleep unless they do evil;

And they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble.

17 For they eat the bread of wickedness

And drink the wine of violence.

18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,

That shines brighter and brighter until the full day.

19 The way of the wicked is like darkness;

They do not know over what they stumble.

20 My son, give attention to my words;

Incline your ear to my sayings.

21 Do not let them depart from your sight;

Keep them in the midst of your heart.

22 For they are life to those who find them

And health to all their body.

23 Watch over your heart with all diligence,

For from it flow the springs of life.

24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth

And put devious speech far from you.

25 Let your eyes look directly ahead

And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you.

26 Watch the path of your feet

And all your ways will be established.

27 Do not turn to the right nor to the left;

Turn your foot from evil.

JAMES 5

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Misuse of Riches  5:1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! 4 Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. 5 You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.
Exhortation    7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. 8 You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. 9 Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. 10 As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.
    12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.
    13 Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; 15 and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. 18 Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.
    19 My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.