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Jeremiah 8:8-9:26
New Living Translation
Jeremiah 8:8-9:26
New Living Translation
8 “‘How can you say, “We are wise because we have the word of the Lord,”
when your teachers have twisted it by writing lies?
9 These wise teachers will fall
into the trap of their own foolishness,
for they have rejected the word of the Lord.
Are they so wise after all?
10 I will give their wives to others
and their farms to strangers.
From the least to the greatest,
their lives are ruled by greed.
Yes, even my prophets and priests are like that.
They are all frauds.
11 They offer superficial treatments
for my people’s mortal wound.
They give assurances of peace
when there is no peace.
12 Are they ashamed of these disgusting actions?
Not at all—they don’t even know how to blush!
Therefore, they will lie among the slaughtered.
They will be brought down when I punish them,
says the Lord.
13 I will surely consume them.
There will be no more harvests of figs and grapes.
Their fruit trees will all die.
Whatever I gave them will soon be gone.
I, the Lord, have spoken!’
14 “Then the people will say,
‘Why should we wait here to die?
Come, let’s go to the fortified towns and die there.
For the Lord our God has decreed our destruction
and has given us a cup of poison to drink
because we sinned against the Lord.
15 We hoped for peace, but no peace came.
We hoped for a time of healing, but found only terror.’
16 “The snorting of the enemies’ warhorses can be heard
all the way from the land of Dan in the north!
The neighing of their stallions makes the whole land tremble.
They are coming to devour the land and everything in it—
cities and people alike.
17 I will send these enemy troops among you
like poisonous snakes you cannot charm.
They will bite you, and you will die.
I, the Lord, have spoken!”
Jeremiah Weeps for Sinful Judah
18 My grief is beyond healing;
my heart is broken.
19 Listen to the weeping of my people;
it can be heard all across the land.
“Has the Lord abandoned Jerusalem?[a]” the people ask.
“Is her King no longer there?”
“Oh, why have they provoked my anger with their carved idols
and their worthless foreign gods?” says the Lord.
20 “The harvest is finished,
and the summer is gone,” the people cry,
“yet we are not saved!”
21 I hurt with the hurt of my people.
I mourn and am overcome with grief.
22 Is there no medicine in Gilead?
Is there no physician there?
Why is there no healing
for the wounds of my people?
9 [b]If only my head were a pool of water
and my eyes a fountain of tears,
I would weep day and night
for all my people who have been slaughtered.
2 [c]Oh, that I could go away and forget my people
and live in a travelers’ shack in the desert.
For they are all adulterers—
a pack of treacherous liars.
Judgment for Disobedience
3 “My people bend their tongues like bows
to shoot out lies.
They refuse to stand up for the truth.
They only go from bad to worse.
They do not know me,”
says the Lord.
4 “Beware of your neighbor!
Don’t even trust your brother!
For brother takes advantage of brother,
and friend slanders friend.
5 They all fool and defraud each other;
no one tells the truth.
With practiced tongues they tell lies;
they wear themselves out with all their sinning.
6 They pile lie upon lie
and utterly refuse to acknowledge me,”
says the Lord.
7 Therefore, this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:
“See, I will melt them down in a crucible
and test them like metal.
What else can I do with my people?[d]
8 For their tongues shoot lies like poisoned arrows.
They speak friendly words to their neighbors
while scheming in their heart to kill them.
9 Should I not punish them for this?” says the Lord.
“Should I not avenge myself against such a nation?”
10 I will weep for the mountains
and wail for the wilderness pastures.
For they are desolate and empty of life;
the lowing of cattle is heard no more;
the birds and wild animals have all fled.
11 “I will make Jerusalem into a heap of ruins,” says the Lord.
“It will be a place haunted by jackals.
The towns of Judah will be ghost towns,
with no one living in them.”
12 Who is wise enough to understand all this? Who has been instructed by the Lord and can explain it to others? Why has the land been so ruined that no one dares to travel through it?
13 The Lord replies, “This has happened because my people have abandoned my instructions; they have refused to obey what I said. 14 Instead, they have stubbornly followed their own desires and worshiped the images of Baal, as their ancestors taught them. 15 So now, this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: Look! I will feed them with bitterness and give them poison to drink. 16 I will scatter them around the world, in places they and their ancestors never heard of, and even there I will chase them with the sword until I have destroyed them completely.”
Weeping in Jerusalem
17 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:
“Consider all this, and call for the mourners.
Send for the women who mourn at funerals.
18 Quick! Begin your weeping!
Let the tears flow from your eyes.
19 Hear the people of Jerusalem[e] crying in despair,
‘We are ruined! We are completely humiliated!
We must leave our land,
because our homes have been torn down.’”
20 Listen, you women, to the words of the Lord;
open your ears to what he has to say.
Teach your daughters to wail;
teach one another how to lament.
21 For death has crept in through our windows
and has entered our mansions.
It has killed off the flower of our youth:
Children no longer play in the streets,
and young men no longer gather in the squares.
22 This is what the Lord says:
“Bodies will be scattered across the fields like clumps of manure,
like bundles of grain after the harvest.
No one will be left to bury them.”
23 This is what the Lord says:
“Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom,
or the powerful boast in their power,
or the rich boast in their riches.
24 But those who wish to boast
should boast in this alone:
that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord
who demonstrates unfailing love
and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth,
and that I delight in these things.
I, the Lord, have spoken!
25 “A time is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will punish all those who are circumcised in body but not in spirit— 26 the Egyptians, Edomites, Ammonites, Moabites, the people who live in the desert in remote places,[f] and yes, even the people of Judah. And like all these pagan nations, the people of Israel also have uncircumcised hearts.”
Footnotes
Jeremiah 8:8-9:26
New International Version
Jeremiah 8:8-9:26
New International Version
8 “‘How can you say, “We are wise,
for we have the law(A) of the Lord,”
when actually the lying pen of the scribes
has handled it falsely?
9 The wise(B) will be put to shame;
they will be dismayed(C) and trapped.(D)
Since they have rejected the word(E) of the Lord,
what kind of wisdom(F) do they have?
10 Therefore I will give their wives to other men
and their fields to new owners.(G)
From the least to the greatest,
all are greedy for gain;(H)
prophets(I) and priests alike,
all practice deceit.(J)
11 They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
“Peace, peace,” they say,
when there is no peace.(K)
12 Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
No, they have no shame(L) at all;
they do not even know how to blush.
So they will fall among the fallen;
they will be brought down when they are punished,(M)
says the Lord.(N)
13 “‘I will take away their harvest,
declares the Lord.
There will be no grapes on the vine.(O)
There will be no figs(P) on the tree,
and their leaves will wither.(Q)
What I have given them
will be taken(R) from them.[a]’”
14 Why are we sitting here?
Gather together!
Let us flee to the fortified cities(S)
and perish there!
For the Lord our God has doomed us to perish
and given us poisoned water(T) to drink,
because we have sinned(U) against him.
15 We hoped for peace(V)
but no good has come,
for a time of healing
but there is only terror.(W)
16 The snorting of the enemy’s horses(X)
is heard from Dan;(Y)
at the neighing of their stallions
the whole land trembles.(Z)
They have come to devour(AA)
the land and everything in it,
the city and all who live there.
17 “See, I will send venomous snakes(AB) among you,
vipers that cannot be charmed,(AC)
and they will bite you,”
declares the Lord.
18 You who are my Comforter[b] in sorrow,
my heart is faint(AD) within me.
19 Listen to the cry of my people
from a land far away:(AE)
“Is the Lord not in Zion?
Is her King(AF) no longer there?”
20 “The harvest is past,
the summer has ended,
and we are not saved.”
21 Since my people are crushed,(AJ) I am crushed;
I mourn,(AK) and horror grips me.
22 Is there no balm in Gilead?(AL)
Is there no physician(AM) there?
Why then is there no healing(AN)
for the wound of my people?
9 [c]1 Oh, that my head were a spring of water
and my eyes a fountain of tears!(AO)
I would weep(AP) day and night
for the slain of my people.(AQ)
2 Oh, that I had in the desert(AR)
a lodging place for travelers,
so that I might leave my people
and go away from them;
for they are all adulterers,(AS)
a crowd of unfaithful(AT) people.
3 “They make ready their tongue
like a bow, to shoot lies;(AU)
it is not by truth
that they triumph[d] in the land.
They go from one sin to another;
they do not acknowledge(AV) me,”
declares the Lord.
4 “Beware of your friends;(AW)
do not trust anyone in your clan.(AX)
For every one of them is a deceiver,[e](AY)
and every friend a slanderer.(AZ)
5 Friend deceives friend,(BA)
and no one speaks the truth.(BB)
They have taught their tongues to lie;(BC)
they weary themselves with sinning.
6 You[f] live in the midst of deception;(BD)
in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me,”
declares the Lord.
7 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says:
“See, I will refine(BE) and test(BF) them,
for what else can I do
because of the sin of my people?
8 Their tongue(BG) is a deadly arrow;
it speaks deceitfully.
With their mouths they all speak cordially to their neighbors,(BH)
but in their hearts they set traps(BI) for them.(BJ)
9 Should I not punish them for this?”
declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge(BK) myself
on such a nation as this?”
10 I will weep and wail for the mountains
and take up a lament concerning the wilderness grasslands.(BL)
They are desolate and untraveled,
and the lowing of cattle is not heard.
The birds(BM) have all fled
and the animals are gone.
11 “I will make Jerusalem a heap(BN) of ruins,
a haunt of jackals;(BO)
and I will lay waste the towns of Judah(BP)
so no one can live there.”(BQ)
12 Who is wise(BR) enough to understand this? Who has been instructed by the Lord and can explain it? Why has the land been ruined and laid waste like a desert that no one can cross?
13 The Lord said, “It is because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them; they have not obeyed me or followed my law.(BS) 14 Instead, they have followed(BT) the stubbornness of their hearts;(BU) they have followed the Baals, as their ancestors taught them.” 15 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “See, I will make this people eat bitter food(BV) and drink poisoned water.(BW) 16 I will scatter them among nations(BX) that neither they nor their ancestors have known,(BY) and I will pursue them with the sword(BZ) until I have made an end of them.”(CA)
17 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Consider now! Call for the wailing women(CB) to come;
send for the most skillful of them.
18 Let them come quickly
and wail over us
till our eyes overflow with tears
and water streams from our eyelids.(CC)
19 The sound of wailing is heard from Zion:
‘How ruined(CD) we are!
How great is our shame!
We must leave our land
because our houses are in ruins.’”
20 Now, you women, hear the word of the Lord;
open your ears to the words of his mouth.(CE)
Teach your daughters how to wail;
teach one another a lament.(CF)
21 Death has climbed in through our windows(CG)
and has entered our fortresses;
it has removed the children from the streets
and the young men(CH) from the public squares.
22 Say, “This is what the Lord declares:
“‘Dead bodies will lie
like dung(CI) on the open field,
like cut grain behind the reaper,
with no one to gather them.’”
23 This is what the Lord says:
“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom(CJ)
or the strong boast of their strength(CK)
or the rich boast of their riches,(CL)
24 but let the one who boasts boast(CM) about this:
that they have the understanding to know(CN) me,
that I am the Lord,(CO) who exercises kindness,(CP)
justice and righteousness(CQ) on earth,
for in these I delight,”
declares the Lord.
25 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh(CR)— 26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab and all who live in the wilderness in distant places.[g](CS) For all these nations are really uncircumcised,(CT) and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.(CU)”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 8:13 The meaning of the Hebrew for this sentence is uncertain.
- Jeremiah 8:18 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Jeremiah 9:1 In Hebrew texts 9:1 is numbered 8:23, and 9:2-26 is numbered 9:1-25.
- Jeremiah 9:3 Or lies; / they are not valiant for truth
- Jeremiah 9:4 Or a deceiving Jacob
- Jeremiah 9:6 That is, Jeremiah (the Hebrew is singular)
- Jeremiah 9:26 Or wilderness and who clip the hair by their foreheads
Colossians 3:1-17
New Living Translation
Colossians 3:1-17
New Living Translation
Living the New Life
3 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 And when Christ, who is your[a] life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.
5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. 6 Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming.[b] 7 You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. 8 But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. 9 Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. 10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. 11 In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile,[c] circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized,[d] slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.
12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
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Colossians 3:1-17
New International Version
Colossians 3:1-17
New International Version
Living as Those Made Alive in Christ
3 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ,(A) set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.(B) 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.(C) 3 For you died,(D) and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your[a] life,(E) appears,(F) then you also will appear with him in glory.(G)
5 Put to death,(H) therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature:(I) sexual immorality,(J) impurity, lust, evil desires and greed,(K) which is idolatry.(L) 6 Because of these, the wrath of God(M) is coming.[b] 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.(N) 8 But now you must also rid yourselves(O) of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander,(P) and filthy language from your lips.(Q) 9 Do not lie to each other,(R) since you have taken off your old self(S) with its practices 10 and have put on the new self,(T) which is being renewed(U) in knowledge in the image of its Creator.(V) 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew,(W) circumcised or uncircumcised,(X) barbarian, Scythian, slave or free,(Y) but Christ is all,(Z) and is in all.
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves(AA) with compassion, kindness, humility,(AB) gentleness and patience.(AC) 13 Bear with each other(AD) and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.(AE) 14 And over all these virtues put on love,(AF) which binds them all together in perfect unity.(AG)
15 Let the peace of Christ(AH) rule in your hearts, since as members of one body(AI) you were called to peace.(AJ) And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ(AK) dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom(AL) through psalms,(AM) hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.(AN) 17 And whatever you do,(AO) whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks(AP) to God the Father through him.
Footnotes
- Colossians 3:4 Some manuscripts our
- Colossians 3:6 Some early manuscripts coming on those who are disobedient
Psalm 78:32-55
New Living Translation
Psalm 78:32-55
New Living Translation
32 But in spite of this, the people kept sinning.
Despite his wonders, they refused to trust him.
33 So he ended their lives in failure,
their years in terror.
34 When God began killing them,
they finally sought him.
They repented and took God seriously.
35 Then they remembered that God was their rock,
that God Most High[a] was their redeemer.
36 But all they gave him was lip service;
they lied to him with their tongues.
37 Their hearts were not loyal to him.
They did not keep his covenant.
38 Yet he was merciful and forgave their sins
and did not destroy them all.
Many times he held back his anger
and did not unleash his fury!
39 For he remembered that they were merely mortal,
gone like a breath of wind that never returns.
40 Oh, how often they rebelled against him in the wilderness
and grieved his heart in that dry wasteland.
41 Again and again they tested God’s patience
and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not remember his power
and how he rescued them from their enemies.
43 They did not remember his miraculous signs in Egypt,
his wonders on the plain of Zoan.
44 For he turned their rivers into blood,
so no one could drink from the streams.
45 He sent vast swarms of flies to consume them
and hordes of frogs to ruin them.
46 He gave their crops to caterpillars;
their harvest was consumed by locusts.
47 He destroyed their grapevines with hail
and shattered their sycamore-figs with sleet.
48 He abandoned their cattle to the hail,
their livestock to bolts of lightning.
49 He loosed on them his fierce anger—
all his fury, rage, and hostility.
He dispatched against them
a band of destroying angels.
50 He turned his anger against them;
he did not spare the Egyptians’ lives
but ravaged them with the plague.
51 He killed the oldest son in each Egyptian family,
the flower of youth throughout the land of Egypt.[b]
52 But he led his own people like a flock of sheep,
guiding them safely through the wilderness.
53 He kept them safe so they were not afraid;
but the sea covered their enemies.
54 He brought them to the border of his holy land,
to this land of hills he had won for them.
55 He drove out the nations before them;
he gave them their inheritance by lot.
He settled the tribes of Israel into their homes.
Psalm 78:32-55
New International Version
Psalm 78:32-55
New International Version
32 In spite of all this, they kept on sinning;(A)
in spite of his wonders,(B) they did not believe.(C)
33 So he ended their days in futility(D)
and their years in terror.
34 Whenever God slew them, they would seek(E) him;
they eagerly turned to him again.
35 They remembered that God was their Rock,(F)
that God Most High was their Redeemer.(G)
36 But then they would flatter him with their mouths,(H)
lying to him with their tongues;
37 their hearts were not loyal(I) to him,
they were not faithful to his covenant.
38 Yet he was merciful;(J)
he forgave(K) their iniquities(L)
and did not destroy them.
Time after time he restrained his anger(M)
and did not stir up his full wrath.
39 He remembered that they were but flesh,(N)
a passing breeze(O) that does not return.
40 How often they rebelled(P) against him in the wilderness(Q)
and grieved him(R) in the wasteland!
41 Again and again they put God to the test;(S)
they vexed the Holy One of Israel.(T)
42 They did not remember(U) his power—
the day he redeemed them from the oppressor,(V)
43 the day he displayed his signs(W) in Egypt,
his wonders(X) in the region of Zoan.
44 He turned their river into blood;(Y)
they could not drink from their streams.
45 He sent swarms of flies(Z) that devoured them,
and frogs(AA) that devastated them.
46 He gave their crops to the grasshopper,(AB)
their produce to the locust.(AC)
47 He destroyed their vines with hail(AD)
and their sycamore-figs with sleet.
48 He gave over their cattle to the hail,
their livestock(AE) to bolts of lightning.
49 He unleashed against them his hot anger,(AF)
his wrath, indignation and hostility—
a band of destroying angels.(AG)
50 He prepared a path for his anger;
he did not spare them from death
but gave them over to the plague.
51 He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt,(AH)
the firstfruits of manhood in the tents of Ham.(AI)
52 But he brought his people out like a flock;(AJ)
he led them like sheep through the wilderness.
53 He guided them safely, so they were unafraid;
but the sea engulfed(AK) their enemies.(AL)
54 And so he brought them to the border of his holy land,
to the hill country his right hand(AM) had taken.
55 He drove out nations(AN) before them
and allotted their lands to them as an inheritance;(AO)
he settled the tribes of Israel in their homes.
Proverbs 24:27
New Living Translation
Proverbs 24:27
New Living Translation
27 Do your planning and prepare your fields
before building your house.
Proverbs 24:27
New International Version
Proverbs 24:27
New International Version
27 Put your outdoor work in order
and get your fields ready;
after that, build your house.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.