Jeremiah 12; Jeremiah 13; Jeremiah 14; 2 Timothy 1

1 Lord, when I bring a matter to you, you always do what is right. But now I would like to speak with you about whether you are being fair. Why are sinful people successful? Why do those who can't be trusted have an easy life?

2 You have planted them. Their roots are deep in the ground. They grow and produce fruit. They honor you by what they say. But their hearts are far away from you.

3 Lord, you know me and see me. You test my thoughts about you. Drag those people off like sheep to be killed! Set them apart for the day of their death!

4 How long will the land be thirsty for water? How long will the grass in every field be dry? The people who live in the land are evil. So the animals and birds have died. And that's not all. The people are saying, "The LORD won't see what happens to us."

5 The LORD says, "Suppose you have run in a race with other men. And suppose they have worn you out. Then how would you be able to race against horses? Suppose you feel safe only in open country. Then how would you get along in the bushes near the Jordan River?

6 Even your own family has turned against you. They have shouted loudly at you. They might say nice things about you. But do not trust them.

7 "I will turn my back on my people. I will desert my land. I love the people of Judah. In spite of that, I will hand them over to their enemies.

8 My land has become to me like a lion in the forest. It roars at me. So I hate it.

9 My own land has become like a spotted hawk. And other hawks surround it and attack it. Come, all of you wild animals! Gather together! Come together to eat up my land.

10 Many shepherds will destroy my vineyard. They will walk all over it. They will turn my pleasant vineyard into a dry and empty land.

11 My vineyard will become a desert. It will be dry and empty in my sight. The whole land will be completely destroyed. And no one even cares.

12 Many will come to destroy it. They will gather on the bare hilltops in the desert. I will use them as my sword to destroy my people. They will kill them from one end of the land to the other. No one will be safe.

13 People will plant wheat. But all they will gather is thorns. They will wear themselves out. But they will not have anything to show for it. My anger is burning against you. So you will be ashamed of the crop you gather."

14 The LORD continues, "All of my evil neighbors have taken over the land I gave my people Israel. So I will pull them up by their roots from the lands they live in. And I will pull up the roots of the people of Judah from among them.

15 "But after I pull those nations up, I will show my tender love to them again. I will bring all of them back to their own lands. I will take all of them back to their own countries.

16 "Suppose they learn to follow the practices of my people. And they take an oath and make a promise in my name. They say, 'You can be sure that the LORD is alive.' They do it just as they once taught my people to take oaths in Baal's name. Then I will give them a place among my people.

17 "But what if one of those nations does not listen? Then you can be sure I will pull it up by the roots and destroy it," announces the Lord.

1 The LORD said to me, "Go and buy a linen belt. Put it around your waist. But do not let it get wet."

2 So I bought a belt, just as the LORD had told me to do. And I put it around my waist.

3 Then another message came to me from the Lord. He said,

4 "Take off the belt you bought and are wearing around your waist. Go to Perath. Hide the belt there in a crack in the rocks."

5 So I went and hid it at Perath. I did just as the LORD had told me to do.

6 Many days later the LORD spoke to me again. He told me, "Go to Perath. Get the belt I told you to hide there."

7 So I went to Perath. I dug up the belt. I took it from the place where I had hidden it. But it had rotted. It was completely useless.

8 Then another message came to me from the Lord. He said,

9 "In the same way, I will destroy Judah's pride. And I will destroy the great pride of Jerusalem.

10 "Those people are evil. They refuse to listen to what I say. They do what their stubborn hearts want them to do. They chase after other gods. They serve them and worship them. So they will be like this belt. They will be completely useless.

11 A belt is tied around a man's waist. In the same way, I tied all of the people of Israel and Judah to me," announces the Lord. "I wanted them to be my people. They should have brought me fame and praise and honor. But they have not listened to me.

12 "Tell them, 'The LORD is the God of Israel. He says, "Every wineskin should be filled with wine." ' "The people might say to you, 'Don't we know that every wineskin should be filled with wine?'

13 "If they do, tell them, 'The LORD says, "I am going to fill with wine everyone who lives in this land. I will make the kings who sit on David's throne drunk. And I will fill with wine the priests, the prophets and everyone who lives in Jerusalem.

14 I will smash them against one another. I will punish parents and children alike," announces the Lord. "I will not feel sorry for them. I will not show them any kindness. My tender love for them will not keep me from destroying them." ' "

15 People of Judah, listen to me. Pay attention. Don't be proud. The LORD has spoken.

16 Give glory to the LORD your God. Honor him before he sends darkness to cover the land. Do it before you trip and fall on the darkened hills. You hope that light will come. But he will turn it into thick darkness. He will change it to deep shadows.

17 If you don't listen, I will sob in secret. Because you are so proud, I will sob bitterly. Tears will flow from my eyes. The LORD's flock will be taken away as prisoners.

18 Speak to the king and his mother. Tell them, "Come down from your thrones. Your glorious crowns are about to fall from your heads."

19 The gates of the cities in the Negev Desert will be shut tight. There won't be anyone to open them. You will be carried away as prisoners. You will be taken away completely.

20 Jerusalem, look up! Your enemies are coming from the north. Where is the flock you were supposed to take care of? Where are the sheep you were so proud of?

21 You have worked hard to make special friends. But the LORD will let them rule over you. Then what will you say? Suffering will take hold of you. It will be like the pain of a woman having a baby.

22 Suppose you ask yourself, "Why has this happened to me?" It's because you have committed so many sins. That's the reason your skirt has been torn off. That's why your body has been treated so badly.

23 Can people from Ethiopia change their skin? Can leopards change their spots? It's the same with you. You have always done what is evil. So how can you do what is good?

24 The LORD says, "I will scatter you like straw that the desert wind blows away.

25 That is what will happen to you. I have appointed it for you," announces the Lord. "You have forgotten me. You have trusted in other gods.

26 So I will pull your skirt up over your face. Then people will see the shame of your naked body.

27 They will see that you have not been faithful to me. You have committed adultery with other gods. And you have acted like a prostitute who does not have any shame. I have seen what you did on the hills and in the fields. And I hate it. How terrible it will be for you, Jerusalem! How long will you choose to be 'unclean'?"

1 A message came to me from the Lord. He told me there wouldn't be any rain in the land. He said,

2 "Judah is filled with sadness. Its cities are wasting away. The people sob over the land. Crying is heard in Jerusalem.

3 The nobles send their servants to get water. They go to the wells. But they do not find any water. They return with empty jars. They are terrified. They do not have any hope. They cover their heads.

4 The ground is dry and cracked. There isn't any rain in the land. The farmers are terrified. They cover their heads.

5 Even the does in the fields desert their newborn fawns. There isn't any grass to eat.

6 Wild donkeys stand on the bare hilltops. They long for water as wild dogs do. Their eyesight fails because they do not have any grass to eat."

7 Our sins are a witness against us. Lord, do something for the honor of your name. We have completely turned away from you. We've sinned against you.

8 You are Israel's only hope. You save us when we're in trouble. Why are you like a stranger to us? Why are you like a traveler who stays for only one night?

9 Why are you like a man who is taken by surprise? Why are you like a soldier who can't save anyone? Lord, you are among us. And we are your people. Please don't desert us!

10 The LORD has given me a message about these people. He says, "They really love to wander away from me. Their feet go down the wrong path. I do not accept these people. I will remember the evil things they have done. I will punish them for their sins."

11 The LORD continued, "Do not pray that things will go well with them.

12 Even if they go without food, I will not listen to their cry for help. They might sacrifice burnt offerings and grain offerings. But I will not accept them. Instead, I will destroy them with war, hunger and plague."

13 But I said, "LORD and King, the prophets keep telling them something else. They say, 'You won't have to suffer from war or hunger. Instead, the LORD will give you peace and rest in this place.' "

14 Then the LORD said to me, "The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them. I have not even spoken to them. Everything they tell you about their visions or secret knowledge is a lie. They pretend to bring you messages from other gods. They try to get you to believe their own mistaken ideas.

15 "So here is what I am saying about the prophets who are prophesying in my name. I did not send them. But they are saying, 'No war or hunger will come to this land.' Those same prophets will die because of war and hunger.

16 And the people they are prophesying to will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem. They will die because of hunger and war. No one will bury their bodies. No one will bury their wives or children. I will pour trouble out on them. That is exactly what they should get.

17 "Jeremiah, give them this message. Tell them, " 'Let tears flow from my eyes. Let them pour out night and day. Never let them stop. The people of my own nation have suffered a terrible wound. They have been crushed.

18 Suppose I go into the country. Then I see people who have been killed with swords. Or suppose I go into the city. Then I see people who have died of hunger. Prophet and priest alike have gone to a land they hadn't had anything to do with before.' "

19 Lord, have you turned your back on Judah completely? Do you hate the city of Zion? Why have you made us suffer? We can't be healed. We hoped peace would come. But nothing good has happened to us. We hoped we would finally be healed. But all we got was terror.

20 Lord, we admit we've done evil things. We also admit that our people of long ago were guilty. It's true that we've sinned against you.

21 For the honor of your name, don't turn your back on us. Don't bring shame on your glorious throne in the temple. Remember the covenant you made with us. Please don't break it.

22 Do any of the worthless gods of the nations bring rain? Do the skies send down showers all by themselves? No. LORD our God, you send the rain. So we put our hope in you. You are the one who does all of those things.

1 I, Paul, am writing this letter. I am an apostle of Christ Jesus just as God planned. He sent me to tell about the promise of life that is found in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy, I am sending you this letter. You are my dear son. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy and peace.

3 I serve God, knowing that what I have done is right. That is how our people served him long ago. Night and day I thank God for you. Night and day I always remember you in my prayers.

4 I remember your tears. I long to see you so that I can be filled with joy.

5 I remember your honest and true faith. It was alive first in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice. And I am certain that it is now alive in you also.

6 That is why I remind you to help God's gift grow, just as a small spark grows into a fire. God put his gift in you when I placed my hands on you.

7 God didn't give us a spirit that makes us weak and fearful. He gave us a spirit that gives us power and love. It helps us control ourselves.

8 So don't be ashamed to give witness about our Lord. And don't be ashamed of me, his prisoner. Instead, join with me as I suffer for the good news. God's power will help us do that.

9 God has saved us. He has chosen us to live a holy life. It wasn't because of anything we have done. It was because of his own purpose and grace. Through Christ Jesus, God gave us that grace even before time began.

10 It has now been made known through the coming of our Savior, Christ Jesus. He has destroyed death. Because of the good news, he has brought life out into the light. That life never dies.

11 I was appointed to announce the good news. I was appointed to be an apostle and a teacher.

12 That's why I'm suffering the way I am. But I'm not ashamed. I know the One I have believed in. I am sure he is able to take care of what I have given him. I can trust him with it until the day he returns as judge.

13 Follow what you heard from me as the pattern of true teaching. Follow it with faith and love because you belong to Christ Jesus.

14 Guard the truth of the good news that you were trusted with. Guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

15 You know that all the believers in Asia Minor have deserted me. They include Phygelus and Hermogenes.

16 May the Lord show mercy to all who live in the house of Onesiphorus. He often cheered me up. He was not ashamed that I was being held by chains.

17 In fact, it was just the opposite. When he was in Rome, he looked everywhere for me. At last he found me.

18 May Onesiphorus find mercy from the Lord on the day Jesus returns as judge. You know very well how many ways Onesiphorus helped me in Ephesus.