Jeremiah 46; Jeremiah 47; Hebrews 6

Jeremiah 46

1 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet about the nations:

2 About Egypt and the army of Pharaoh Neco, Egypt's king, which was defeated at Carchemish on the Euphrates River by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in the fourth year of Judah's King Jehoiakim son of Josiah:

3 Deploy small shields and large; draw near for battle!

4 Harness the horses; mount the steeds; take your positions with helmets on! Polish the lances; put on armor!

5 Why have I seen [this]? They are terrified, they are retreating, their warriors are crushed, they flee headlong, they never look back, terror is on every side! [This is]*The bracketed text has been added for clarity. the Lord's declaration.

6 The swift cannot flee, and the warrior cannot escape! In the north by the bank of the Euphrates River, they stumble and fall.

7 Who is this, rising like the Nile, like rivers whose waters churn?

8 Egypt rises like the Nile, and its waters churn like rivers. He boasts: I will go up, I will cover the earth; I will destroy cities with their residents.

9 Rise up, you cavalry! Race furiously, you chariots! Let the warriors go forth- Cush and Put, who are able to handle shields, and the Ludim, who are able to handle and string the bow.

10 That day belongs to the Lord, the God of Hosts, a day of vengeance to avenge Himself against His adversaries. The sword will devour and be satisfied; it will drink its fill of their blood, because it will be a sacrifice to the Lord, the God of Hosts, in the northern land by the Euphrates River.

11 Go up to Gilead and get balm, Virgin Daughter Egypt! You have multiplied remedies in vain; there is no healing for you.

12 The nations have heard of your dishonor, and your outcry fills the earth, because warrior stumbles against warrior and together both of them have fallen.

13 [This is] the word the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to defeat the land of Egypt:

14 Announce it in Egypt, and proclaim it in Migdol! Proclaim it in Memphis and in Tahpanhes! Say: Take positions! Prepare yourself, for the sword devours all around you.

15 Why have your strong ones been swept away? Each has not stood, for the Lord has thrust him down.

16 He continues to stumble. Indeed, each falls over the other. They say: Get up! Let's return to our people and to the land of our birth, away from the sword that oppresses.

17 There they will cry out: Pharaoh king of Egypt was all noise; he let the opportune moment pass.

18 As I live- [this is]*The bracketed text has been added for clarity. the King's declaration; the Lord of Hosts is His name. He will come like Tabor among the mountains and like Carmel by the sea.

19 Pack your bags for exile, inhabitant of Daughter Egypt! For Memphis will become a desolation, uninhabited ruins.

20 Egypt is a beautiful young cow, but a horsefly from the north is coming against her.

21 Even her mercenaries among her are like stall-fed calves. They too will turn back; together they will flee; they will not take their stand, for the day of their calamity is coming on them, the time of their punishment.

22 Egypt will hiss like a slithering snake, for [the enemy] will come with an army; with axes they will come against her like those who cut trees.

23 They will cut down her forest- [this is]*The bracketed text has been added for clarity. the Lord's declaration- though it is dense, for they are more numerous than locusts; they cannot be counted.

24 Daughter Egypt will be put to shame, handed over to a northern people.

25 The Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: "I am about to punish Amon, [god] of Thebes, along with Pharaoh, Egypt, her gods, and her kings-Pharaoh and those trusting in him.

26 I will hand them over to those who want to take their lives-to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his officers. But after this, it will be inhabited again as in ancient times." [This is]*The bracketed text has been added for clarity. the Lord's declaration.

27 But you, My servant Jacob, do not be afraid, and do not be discouraged, Israel, for without fail I will save you from far away and your descendants, from the land of their captivity! Jacob will return and have calm and quiet with no one to frighten him.

28 And you, My servant Jacob, do not be afraid- [this is]*The bracketed text has been added for clarity. the Lord's declaration- for I will be with you. I will bring destruction on all the nations where I have banished you, but I will not bring destruction on you. I will discipline you with justice, but I will by no means leave you unpunished.

Jeremiah 47

1 [This is] the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet about the Philistines before Pharaoh defeated Gaza.

2 This is what the Lord says: Look, waters are rising from the north and becoming an overflowing wadi. They will overflow the land and everything in it, the cities and their inhabitants. The people will cry out, and every inhabitant of the land will wail.

3 At the sound of the stomping hooves of his stallions, the rumbling of his chariots, and the clatter of their wheels, fathers will not turn back for their sons, because they will be utterly helpless

4 on account of the day that is coming to destroy all the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Sidon every remaining ally. Indeed, the Lord is about to destroy the Philistines, the remnant of the islands of Caphtor.

5 Baldness is coming to Gaza. Ashkelon will become silent, a remnant of their valley. How long will you gash yourself?

6 Ah, sword of the Lord! How long will you be restless? Go back to your scabbard; be still; be silent!

7 How can it rest when the Lord has given it a command? He has assigned it against Ashkelon and the shore of the sea.

Hebrews 6

1 Therefore, leaving the elementary message about the Messiah, let us go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, faith in God,

2 teaching about ritual washings, laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

3 And we will do this if God permits.

4 For it is impossible to renew to repentance those who were once enlightened, who tasted the heavenly gift, became companions with the Holy Spirit,

5 tasted God's good word and the powers of the coming age,

6 and who have fallen away, because, to their own harm, they are recrucifying the Son of God and holding Him up to contempt.

7 For ground that has drunk the rain that has often fallen on it, and that produces vegetation useful to those it is cultivated for, receives a blessing from God.

8 But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and about to be cursed, and will be burned at the end.

9 Even though we are speaking this way, dear friends, in your case we are confident of the better things connected with salvation.

10 For God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you showed for His name when you served the saints-and you continue to serve them.

11 Now we want each of you to demonstrate the same diligence for the final realization of your hope,

12 so that you won't become lazy, but imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance.

13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater to swear by, He swore by Himself:

14 I will most certainly bless you, and I will greatly multiply you.

15 And so, after waiting patiently, Abraham obtained the promise.

16 For men swear by something greater than themselves, and for them a confirming oath ends every dispute.

17 Because God wanted to show His unchangeable purpose even more clearly to the heirs of the promise, He guaranteed it with an oath,

18 so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us.

19 We have this [hope]-like a sure and firm anchor of the soul-that enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain.

20 Jesus has entered there on our behalf as a forerunner, because He has become a "high priest forever in the order of Melchizedek."