Issachar

7 The sons of Issachar:^(A)

Benjamin

Naphtali

Manasseh

Ephraim

²⁸ Their lands and settlements included Bethel and its surrounding villages, Naaran to the east, Gezer^(M) and its villages to the west, and Shechem and its villages all the way to Ayyah and its villages. ²⁹ Along the borders of Manasseh were Beth Shan,^(N) Taanach, Megiddo and Dor,^(O) together with their villages. The descendants of Joseph son of Israel lived in these towns.

Asher

⁴⁰ All these were descendants of Asher—heads of families, choice men, brave warriors and outstanding leaders. The number of men ready for battle, as listed in their genealogy, was 26,000.

Disaster Because of Idolatry

44 This word came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews living in Lower Egypt^(A)—in Migdol,^(B) Tahpanhes^(C) and Memphis^(D)—and in Upper Egypt:^{(E) 2} “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You saw the great disaster^(F) I brought on Jerusalem and on all the towns of Judah.^(G) Today they lie deserted and in ruins^{(H) 3} because of the evil^(I) they have done. They aroused my anger^(J) by burning incense^(K) to and worshiping other gods^(L) that neither they nor you nor your ancestors^(M) ever knew. ⁴ Again and again^(N) I sent my servants the prophets,^(O) who said, ‘Do not do this detestable^(P) thing that I hate!’ ⁵ But they did not listen or pay attention;^(Q) they did not turn from their wickedness^(R) or stop burning incense^(S) to other gods.^{(T) 6} Therefore, my fierce anger was poured out;^(U) it raged against the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem and made them the desolate ruins^(V) they are today.

⁷ “Now this is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Why bring such great disaster^(W) on yourselves by cutting off from Judah the men and women,^(X) the children and infants, and so leave yourselves without a remnant?^{(Y) 8} Why arouse my anger with what your hands have made,^(Z) burning incense^(AA) to other gods in Egypt,^(AB) where you have come to live?^(AC) You will destroy yourselves and make yourselves a curse^[a] and an object of reproach^(AD) among all the nations on earth. ⁹ Have you forgotten the wickedness committed by your ancestors^(AE) and by the kings^(AF) and queens^(AG) of Judah and the wickedness committed by you and your wives^(AH) in the land of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem?^{(AI) 10} To this day they have not humbled^(AJ) themselves or shown reverence,^(AK) nor have they followed my law^(AL) and the decrees^(AM) I set before you and your ancestors.^(AN)

¹¹ “Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty,^(AO) the God of Israel, says: I am determined to bring disaster^(AP) on you and to destroy all Judah. ¹² I will take away the remnant^(AQ) of Judah who were determined to go to Egypt to settle there. They will all perish in Egypt; they will fall by the sword or die from famine. From the least to the greatest,^(AR) they will die by sword or famine.^(AS) They will become a curse and an object of horror, a curse and an object of reproach.^{(AT) 13} I will punish^(AU) those who live in Egypt with the sword,^(AV) famine and plague,^(AW) as I punished Jerusalem. ¹⁴ None of the remnant of Judah who have gone to live in Egypt will escape or survive to return to the land of Judah, to which they long to return and live; none will return except a few fugitives.”^(AX)

¹⁵ Then all the men who knew that their wives^(AY) were burning incense^(AZ) to other gods, along with all the women^(BA) who were present—a large assembly—and all the people living in Lower and Upper Egypt,^(BB) said to Jeremiah, ¹⁶ “We will not listen^(BC) to the message you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord!^{(BD) 17} We will certainly do everything we said we would:^(BE) We will burn incense^(BF) to the Queen of Heaven^(BG) and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our ancestors, our kings and our officials^(BH) did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem.^(BI) At that time we had plenty of food^(BJ) and were well off and suffered no harm.^{(BK) 18} But ever since we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings^(BL) to her, we have had nothing and have been perishing by sword and famine.^(BM)”

¹⁹ The women added, “When we burned incense^(BN) to the Queen of Heaven^(BO) and poured out drink offerings to her, did not our husbands^(BP) know that we were making cakes^(BQ) impressed with her image^(BR) and pouring out drink offerings to her?”

²⁰ Then Jeremiah said to all the people, both men and women, who were answering him, ²¹ “Did not the Lord remember^(BS) and call to mind the incense^(BT) burned in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem^(BU) by you and your ancestors,^(BV) your kings and your officials and the people of the land?^{(BW) 22} When the Lord could no longer endure^(BX) your wicked actions and the detestable things you did, your land became a curse^(BY) and a desolate waste^(BZ) without inhabitants, as it is today.^{(CA) 23} Because you have burned incense and have sinned against the Lord and have not obeyed him or followed^(CB) his law or his decrees^(CC) or his stipulations, this disaster^(CD) has come upon you, as you now see.”^(CE)

²⁴ Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including the women,^(CF) “Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah in Egypt.^{(CG) 25} This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You and your wives^(CH) have done what you said you would do when you promised, ‘We will certainly carry out the vows we made to burn incense and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven.’^(CI)

“Go ahead then, do what you promised! Keep your vows!^{(CJ) 26} But hear the word of the Lord, all you Jews living in Egypt:^(CK) ‘I swear^(CL) by my great name,’ says the Lord, ‘that no one from Judah living anywhere in Egypt will ever again invoke my name or swear, “As surely as the Sovereign^(CM) Lord lives.”^{(CN) 27} For I am watching^(CO) over them for harm,^(CP) not for good; the Jews in Egypt will perish^(CQ) by sword and famine^(CR) until they are all destroyed.^{(CS) 28} Those who escape the sword^(CT) and return to the land of Judah from Egypt will be very few.^(CU) Then the whole remnant^(CV) of Judah who came to live in Egypt will know whose word will stand^(CW)—mine or theirs.^(CX)

²⁹ “‘This will be the sign^(CY) to you that I will punish^(CZ) you in this place,’ declares the Lord, ‘so that you will know that my threats of harm against you will surely stand.’^{(DA) 30} This is what the Lord says: ‘I am going to deliver Pharaoh^(DB) Hophra king of Egypt into the hands of his enemies who want to kill him, just as I gave Zedekiah^(DC) king of Judah into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the enemy who wanted to kill him.’”^(DD)

2 I want you to know how hard I am contending^(A) for you and for those at Laodicea,^(B) and for all who have not met me personally. ² My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart^(C) and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery^(D) of God, namely, Christ, ³ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.^{(E) 4} I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.^{(F) 5} For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit^(G) and delight to see how disciplined^(H) you are and how firm^(I) your faith in Christ^(J) is.

Spiritual Fullness in Christ

⁶ So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord,^(K) continue to live your lives in him, ⁷ rooted^(L) and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught,^(M) and overflowing with thankfulness.

⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy,^(N) which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces^[a] of this world^(O) rather than on Christ.

⁹ For in Christ all the fullness^(P) of the Deity lives in bodily form, ¹⁰ and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head^(Q) over every power and authority.^{(R) 11} In him you were also circumcised^(S) with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh^[b](T) was put off when you were circumcised by^[c] Christ, ¹² having been buried with him in baptism,^(U) in which you were also raised with him^(V) through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.^(W)

¹³ When you were dead in your sins^(X) and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you^[d] alive^(Y) with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,^{(Z) 14} having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness,^(AA) which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.^{(AB) 15} And having disarmed the powers and authorities,^(AC) he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them^(AD) by the cross.^[e]

Freedom From Human Rules

¹⁶ Therefore do not let anyone judge you^(AE) by what you eat or drink,^(AF) or with regard to a religious festival,^(AG) a New Moon celebration^(AH) or a Sabbath day.^{(AI) 17} These are a shadow of the things that were to come;^(AJ) the reality, however, is found in Christ. ¹⁸ Do not let anyone who delights in false humility^(AK) and the worship of angels disqualify you.^(AL) Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. ¹⁹ They have lost connection with the head,^(AM) from whom the whole body,^(AN) supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.^(AO)

²⁰ Since you died with Christ^(AP) to the elemental spiritual forces of this world,^(AQ) why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules:^{(AR) 21} “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? ²² These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish^(AS) with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings.^{(AT) 23} Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility^(AU) and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.