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Jeremiah 3-5
New International Version
Jeremiah 3-5
New International Version
3 “If a man divorces(A) his wife
and she leaves him and marries another man,
should he return to her again?
Would not the land be completely defiled?(B)
But you have lived as a prostitute with many lovers(C)—
would you now return to me?”(D)
declares the Lord.
2 “Look up to the barren heights(E) and see.
Is there any place where you have not been ravished?
By the roadside(F) you sat waiting for lovers,
sat like a nomad in the desert.
You have defiled the land(G)
with your prostitution(H) and wickedness.
3 Therefore the showers have been withheld,(I)
and no spring rains(J) have fallen.
Yet you have the brazen(K) look of a prostitute;
you refuse to blush with shame.(L)
4 Have you not just called to me:
‘My Father,(M) my friend from my youth,(N)
5 will you always be angry?(O)
Will your wrath continue forever?’
This is how you talk,
but you do all the evil you can.”
Unfaithful Israel
6 During the reign of King Josiah,(P) the Lord said to me, “Have you seen what faithless(Q) Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree(R) and has committed adultery(S) there. 7 I thought that after she had done all this she would return to me but she did not, and her unfaithful sister(T) Judah saw it.(U) 8 I gave faithless Israel(V) her certificate of divorce(W) and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear;(X) she also went out and committed adultery. 9 Because Israel’s immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the land(Y) and committed adultery(Z) with stone(AA) and wood.(AB) 10 In spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return(AC) to me with all her heart, but only in pretense,(AD)” declares the Lord.(AE)
11 The Lord said to me, “Faithless Israel is more righteous(AF) than unfaithful(AG) Judah.(AH) 12 Go, proclaim this message toward the north:(AI)
“‘Return,(AJ) faithless(AK) Israel,’ declares the Lord,
‘I will frown on you no longer,
for I am faithful,’(AL) declares the Lord,
‘I will not be angry(AM) forever.
13 Only acknowledge(AN) your guilt—
you have rebelled against the Lord your God,
you have scattered your favors to foreign gods(AO)
under every spreading tree,(AP)
and have not obeyed(AQ) me,’”
declares the Lord.
14 “Return,(AR) faithless people,” declares the Lord, “for I am your husband.(AS) I will choose you—one from a town and two from a clan—and bring you to Zion. 15 Then I will give you shepherds(AT) after my own heart,(AU) who will lead you with knowledge and understanding. 16 In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land,” declares the Lord, “people will no longer say, ‘The ark(AV) of the covenant of the Lord.’ It will never enter their minds or be remembered;(AW) it will not be missed, nor will another one be made. 17 At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne(AX) of the Lord, and all nations(AY) will gather in Jerusalem to honor(AZ) the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts.(BA) 18 In those days the people of Judah will join the people of Israel,(BB) and together(BC) they will come from a northern(BD) land to the land(BE) I gave your ancestors as an inheritance.
19 “I myself said,
“‘How gladly would I treat you like my children
and give you a pleasant land,(BF)
the most beautiful inheritance(BG) of any nation.’
I thought you would call me ‘Father’(BH)
and not turn away from following me.
20 But like a woman unfaithful to her husband,
so you, Israel, have been unfaithful(BI) to me,”
declares the Lord.
21 A cry is heard on the barren heights,(BJ)
the weeping(BK) and pleading of the people of Israel,
because they have perverted their ways
and have forgotten(BL) the Lord their God.
“Yes, we will come to you,
for you are the Lord our God.
23 Surely the idolatrous commotion on the hills(BP)
and mountains is a deception;
surely in the Lord our God
is the salvation(BQ) of Israel.
24 From our youth shameful(BR) gods have consumed
the fruits of our ancestors’ labor—
their flocks and herds,
their sons and daughters.
25 Let us lie down in our shame,(BS)
and let our disgrace cover us.
We have sinned(BT) against the Lord our God,
both we and our ancestors;(BU)
from our youth(BV) till this day
we have not obeyed(BW) the Lord our God.”
4 “If you, Israel, will return,(BX)
then return to me,”
declares the Lord.
“If you put your detestable idols(BY) out of my sight
and no longer go astray,
2 and if in a truthful, just and righteous way
you swear,(BZ) ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’(CA)
then the nations will invoke blessings(CB) by him
and in him they will boast.(CC)”
3 This is what the Lord says to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem:
“Break up your unplowed ground(CD)
and do not sow among thorns.(CE)
4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord,
circumcise your hearts,(CF)
you people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
or my wrath(CG) will flare up and burn like fire(CH)
because of the evil(CI) you have done—
burn with no one to quench(CJ) it.
Disaster From the North
5 “Announce in Judah and proclaim(CK) in Jerusalem and say:
‘Sound the trumpet(CL) throughout the land!’
Cry aloud and say:
‘Gather together!
Let us flee to the fortified cities!’(CM)
6 Raise the signal(CN) to go to Zion!
Flee for safety without delay!
For I am bringing disaster(CO) from the north,(CP)
even terrible destruction.”
7 A lion(CQ) has come out of his lair;(CR)
a destroyer(CS) of nations has set out.
He has left his place
to lay waste(CT) your land.
Your towns will lie in ruins(CU)
without inhabitant.
8 So put on sackcloth,(CV)
lament(CW) and wail,
for the fierce anger(CX) of the Lord
has not turned away from us.
9 “In that day,” declares the Lord,
“the king and the officials will lose heart,(CY)
the priests will be horrified,
and the prophets will be appalled.”(CZ)
10 Then I said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! How completely you have deceived(DA) this people and Jerusalem by saying, ‘You will have peace,’(DB) when the sword is at our throats!”
11 At that time this people and Jerusalem will be told, “A scorching wind(DC) from the barren heights in the desert blows toward my people, but not to winnow or cleanse; 12 a wind(DD) too strong for that comes from me. Now I pronounce my judgments(DE) against them.”
13 Look! He advances like the clouds,(DF)
his chariots(DG) come like a whirlwind,(DH)
his horses(DI) are swifter than eagles.(DJ)
Woe to us! We are ruined!(DK)
14 Jerusalem, wash(DL) the evil from your heart and be saved.(DM)
How long(DN) will you harbor wicked thoughts?
15 A voice is announcing from Dan,(DO)
proclaiming disaster from the hills of Ephraim.(DP)
16 “Tell this to the nations,
proclaim concerning Jerusalem:
‘A besieging army is coming from a distant land,(DQ)
raising a war cry(DR) against the cities of Judah.(DS)
17 They surround(DT) her like men guarding a field,
because she has rebelled(DU) against me,’”
declares the Lord.
18 “Your own conduct and actions(DV)
have brought this on you.(DW)
This is your punishment.
How bitter(DX) it is!
How it pierces to the heart!”
19 Oh, my anguish, my anguish!(DY)
I writhe in pain.(DZ)
Oh, the agony of my heart!
My heart pounds(EA) within me,
I cannot keep silent.(EB)
For I have heard the sound of the trumpet;(EC)
I have heard the battle cry.(ED)
20 Disaster follows disaster;(EE)
the whole land lies in ruins.(EF)
In an instant my tents(EG) are destroyed,
my shelter in a moment.
21 How long must I see the battle standard(EH)
and hear the sound of the trumpet?(EI)
22 “My people are fools;(EJ)
they do not know me.(EK)
They are senseless children;
they have no understanding.(EL)
They are skilled in doing evil;(EM)
they know not how to do good.”(EN)
23 I looked at the earth,
and it was formless and empty;(EO)
and at the heavens,
and their light(EP) was gone.
24 I looked at the mountains,
and they were quaking;(EQ)
all the hills were swaying.
25 I looked, and there were no people;
every bird in the sky had flown away.(ER)
26 I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert;(ES)
all its towns lay in ruins(ET)
before the Lord, before his fierce anger.(EU)
27 This is what the Lord says:
“The whole land will be ruined,(EV)
though I will not destroy(EW) it completely.
28 Therefore the earth will mourn(EX)
and the heavens above grow dark,(EY)
because I have spoken and will not relent,(EZ)
I have decided and will not turn back.(FA)”
29 At the sound of horsemen and archers(FB)
every town takes to flight.(FC)
Some go into the thickets;
some climb up among the rocks.(FD)
All the towns are deserted;(FE)
no one lives in them.
30 What are you doing,(FF) you devastated one?
Why dress yourself in scarlet
and put on jewels(FG) of gold?
Why highlight your eyes with makeup?(FH)
You adorn yourself in vain.
Your lovers(FI) despise you;
they want to kill you.(FJ)
31 I hear a cry as of a woman in labor,(FK)
a groan as of one bearing her first child—
the cry of Daughter Zion(FL) gasping for breath,(FM)
stretching out her hands(FN) and saying,
“Alas! I am fainting;
my life is given over to murderers.”(FO)
Not One Is Upright
5 “Go up and down(FP) the streets of Jerusalem,
look around and consider,(FQ)
search through her squares.
If you can find but one person(FR)
who deals honestly(FS) and seeks the truth,
I will forgive(FT) this city.
2 Although they say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’(FU)
still they are swearing falsely.(FV)”
3 Lord, do not your eyes(FW) look for truth?
You struck(FX) them, but they felt no pain;
you crushed them, but they refused correction.(FY)
They made their faces harder than stone(FZ)
and refused to repent.(GA)
4 I thought, “These are only the poor;
they are foolish,(GB)
for they do not know(GC) the way of the Lord,
the requirements of their God.
5 So I will go to the leaders(GD)
and speak to them;
surely they know the way of the Lord,
the requirements of their God.”
But with one accord they too had broken off the yoke
and torn off the bonds.(GE)
6 Therefore a lion from the forest(GF) will attack them,
a wolf from the desert will ravage(GG) them,
a leopard(GH) will lie in wait near their towns
to tear to pieces any who venture out,
for their rebellion is great
and their backslidings many.(GI)
7 “Why should I forgive you?
Your children have forsaken me
and sworn(GJ) by gods that are not gods.(GK)
I supplied all their needs,
yet they committed adultery(GL)
and thronged to the houses of prostitutes.(GM)
8 They are well-fed, lusty stallions,
each neighing for another man’s wife.(GN)
9 Should I not punish them for this?”(GO)
declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge(GP) myself
on such a nation as this?
10 “Go through her vineyards and ravage them,
but do not destroy them completely.(GQ)
Strip off her branches,
for these people do not belong to the Lord.
11 The people of Israel and the people of Judah
have been utterly unfaithful(GR) to me,”
declares the Lord.
12 They have lied(GS) about the Lord;
they said, “He will do nothing!
No harm will come to us;(GT)
we will never see sword or famine.(GU)
13 The prophets(GV) are but wind(GW)
and the word is not in them;
so let what they say be done to them.”
14 Therefore this is what the Lord God Almighty says:
“Because the people have spoken these words,
I will make my words in your mouth(GX) a fire(GY)
and these people the wood it consumes.(GZ)
15 People of Israel,” declares the Lord,
“I am bringing a distant nation(HA) against you—
an ancient and enduring nation,
a people whose language(HB) you do not know,
whose speech you do not understand.
16 Their quivers(HC) are like an open grave;
all of them are mighty warriors.
17 They will devour(HD) your harvests and food,
devour(HE) your sons and daughters;
they will devour(HF) your flocks and herds,
devour your vines and fig trees.(HG)
With the sword(HH) they will destroy
the fortified cities(HI) in which you trust.(HJ)
18 “Yet even in those days,” declares the Lord, “I will not destroy(HK) you completely. 19 And when the people ask,(HL) ‘Why has the Lord our God done all this to us?’ you will tell them, ‘As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods(HM) in your own land, so now you will serve foreigners(HN) in a land not your own.’
20 “Announce this to the descendants of Jacob
and proclaim(HO) it in Judah:
21 Hear this, you foolish and senseless people,(HP)
who have eyes(HQ) but do not see,
who have ears but do not hear:(HR)
22 Should you not fear(HS) me?” declares the Lord.
“Should you not tremble(HT) in my presence?
I made the sand a boundary for the sea,(HU)
an everlasting barrier it cannot cross.
The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail;
they may roar,(HV) but they cannot cross it.
23 But these people have stubborn and rebellious(HW) hearts;
they have turned aside(HX) and gone away.
24 They do not say to themselves,
‘Let us fear(HY) the Lord our God,
who gives autumn and spring rains(HZ) in season,
who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.’(IA)
25 Your wrongdoings have kept these away;
your sins have deprived you of good.(IB)
26 “Among my people are the wicked(IC)
who lie in wait(ID) like men who snare birds
and like those who set traps(IE) to catch people.
27 Like cages full of birds,
their houses are full of deceit;(IF)
they have become rich(IG) and powerful
28 and have grown fat(IH) and sleek.
Their evil deeds have no limit;
they do not seek justice.
They do not promote the case of the fatherless;(II)
they do not defend the just cause of the poor.(IJ)
29 Should I not punish them for this?”
declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge(IK) myself
on such a nation as this?
Jeremiah 3-5
King James Version
Jeremiah 3-5
King James Version
3 They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the Lord.
2 Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness.
3 Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore's forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed.
4 Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou art the guide of my youth?
5 Will he reserve his anger for ever? will he keep it to the end? Behold, thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou couldest.
6 The Lord said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot.
7 And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it.
8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.
9 And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.
10 And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the Lord.
11 And the Lord said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah.
12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger for ever.
13 Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the Lord.
14 Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:
15 And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.
16 And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the Lord, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the Lord: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more.
17 At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart.
18 In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.
19 But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me.
20 Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the Lord.
21 A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten the Lord their God.
22 Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the Lord our God.
23 Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel.
24 For shame hath devoured the labour of our fathers from our youth; their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.
25 We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have sinned against the Lord our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God.
4 If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the Lord, return unto me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove.
2 And thou shalt swear, The Lord liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.
3 For thus saith the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.
4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
5 Declare ye in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, Blow ye the trumpet in the land: cry, gather together, and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the defenced cities.
6 Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.
7 The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant.
8 For this gird you with sackcloth, lament and howl: for the fierce anger of the Lord is not turned back from us.
9 And it shall come to pass at that day, saith the Lord, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder.
10 Then said I, Ah, Lord God! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul.
11 At that time shall it be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A dry wind of the high places in the wilderness toward the daughter of my people, not to fan, nor to cleanse,
12 Even a full wind from those places shall come unto me: now also will I give sentence against them.
13 Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled.
14 O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?
15 For a voice declareth from Dan, and publisheth affliction from mount Ephraim.
16 Make ye mention to the nations; behold, publish against Jerusalem, that watchers come from a far country, and give out their voice against the cities of Judah.
17 As keepers of a field, are they against her round about; because she hath been rebellious against me, saith the Lord.
18 Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee; this is thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth unto thine heart.
19 My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.
20 Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment.
21 How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet?
22 For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.
23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.
24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.
25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.
26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by his fierce anger.
27 For thus hath the Lord said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.
28 For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black; because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it.
29 The whole city shall flee for the noise of the horsemen and bowmen; they shall go into thickets, and climb up upon the rocks: every city shall be forsaken, and not a man dwell therein.
30 And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life.
31 For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, and the anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, that bewaileth herself, that spreadeth her hands, saying, Woe is me now! for my soul is wearied because of murderers.
5 Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth; and I will pardon it.
2 And though they say, The Lord liveth; surely they swear falsely.
3 O Lord, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.
4 Therefore I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish: for they know not the way of the Lord, nor the judgment of their God.
5 I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they have known the way of the Lord, and the judgment of their God: but these have altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bonds.
6 Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings are increased.
7 How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses.
8 They were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbour's wife.
9 Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
10 Go ye up upon her walls, and destroy; but make not a full end: take away her battlements; for they are not the Lord's.
11 For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, saith the Lord.
12 They have belied the Lord, and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine:
13 And the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them: thus shall it be done unto them.
14 Wherefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.
15 Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, saith the Lord: it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest what they say.
16 Their quiver is as an open sepulchre, they are all mighty men.
17 And they shall eat up thine harvest, and thy bread, which thy sons and thy daughters should eat: they shall eat up thy flocks and thine herds: they shall eat up thy vines and thy fig trees: they shall impoverish thy fenced cities, wherein thou trustedst, with the sword.
18 Nevertheless in those days, saith the Lord, I will not make a full end with you.
19 And it shall come to pass, when ye shall say, Wherefore doeth the Lord our God all these things unto us? then shalt thou answer them, Like as ye have forsaken me, and served strange gods in your land, so shall ye serve strangers in a land that is not your's.
20 Declare this in the house of Jacob, and publish it in Judah, saying,
21 Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not:
22 Fear ye not me? saith the Lord: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?
23 But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone.
24 Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the Lord our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest.
25 Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you.
26 For among my people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men.
27 As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich.
28 They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge.
29 Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
30 A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land;
31 The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?
1 Timothy 4
New International Version
1 Timothy 4
New International Version
4 The Spirit(A) clearly says that in later times(B) some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits(C) and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.(D) 3 They forbid people to marry(E) and order them to abstain from certain foods,(F) which God created(G) to be received with thanksgiving(H) by those who believe and who know the truth. 4 For everything God created is good,(I) and nothing is to be rejected(J) if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 because it is consecrated by the word of God(K) and prayer.
6 If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters,[a] you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith(L) and of the good teaching that you have followed.(M) 7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales;(N) rather, train yourself to be godly.(O) 8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things,(P) holding promise for both the present life(Q) and the life to come.(R) 9 This is a trustworthy saying(S) that deserves full acceptance. 10 That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God,(T) who is the Savior of all people,(U) and especially of those who believe.
11 Command and teach these things.(V) 12 Don’t let anyone look down on you(W) because you are young, but set an example(X) for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith(Y) and in purity. 13 Until I come,(Z) devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture,(AA) to preaching and to teaching. 14 Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy(AB) when the body of elders(AC) laid their hands on you.(AD)
15 Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. 16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save(AE) both yourself and your hearers.
Footnotes
- 1 Timothy 4:6 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family.
1 Timothy 4
King James Version
1 Timothy 4
King James Version
4 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:
5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
6 If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.
7 But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.
8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.
10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.
11 These things command and teach.
12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.
15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.
16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
New International Version (NIV) 
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