Jeremiah 52 - Legacy Standard Bible

Jeremiah 52

The Anger of Yahweh Towards Judah

Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 2 And he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. 3 For through the anger of Yahweh this came about in Jerusalem and Judah until He cast them out from His presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. 4 Now it happened in the ninth year of his reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his military force, against Jerusalem, and they camped against it and built a siege wall all around it. 5 So the city came under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 6 On the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine was so strong in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. 7 Then the city was breached, and all the men of war fled and went forth from the city at night by way of the gate between the two walls which was by the king’s garden, though the Chaldeans were all around the city. And they went by way of the Arabah. 8 But the military force of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, and all his military force was scattered from him. 9 Then they seized the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he spoke his judgment on him. 10 Then the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he also slaughtered all the princes of Judah in Riblah. 11 Then he blinded the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him with bronze fetters and brought him to Babylon and put him in prison until the day of his death. 12 Now on the tenth day of the fifth month, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, who stood before the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 13 And he burned the house of Yahweh, the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every large house he burned with fire. 14 So all the military force of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard tore down all the walls around Jerusalem. 15 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took away into exile some of the poorest of the people, the rest of the people who remained in the city, the defectors who had defected to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the artisans. 16 But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had some of the poorest of the land remain to be vinedressers and plowmen. 17 Now the bronze pillars which belonged to the house of Yahweh and the stands and the bronze sea, which were in the house of Yahweh, the Chaldeans shattered and carried all their bronze to Babylon. 18 They also took away the pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the bowls, the pans, and all the bronze vessels which were used to minister. 19 And the captain of the guard also took away the cups, the firepans, the bowls, the pots, the lampstands, the pans, and the offering bowls, what was fine gold and what was fine silver. 20 The two pillars, the one sea, and the twelve bronze bulls that were under the sea, and the stands, which King Solomon had made for the house of Yahweh—the bronze of all these vessels was beyond weight. 21 As for the pillars, the height of each pillar was eighteen cubits, and it was twelve cubits in circumference and four fingers in thickness, and hollow. 22 Now a capital of bronze was on it; and the height of each capital was five cubits, with network and pomegranates upon the capital all around, all of bronze. And the second pillar was like these, including pomegranates. 23 There were ninety-six exposed pomegranates; all the pomegranates numbered one hundred on the network all around. 24 Then the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest and Zephaniah the second priest, with the three doorkeepers of the temple. 25 And from the city he took one official who was overseer of the men of war, and seven of the king’s advisers who were found in the city, and the scribe of the commander of the army who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the midst of the city. 26 And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them and led them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 27 Then the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah went into exile from its land. 28 These are the people whom Nebuchadnezzar took away into exile: in the seventh year 3,023 Jews; 29 in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar 832 persons from Jerusalem; 30 in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took away into exile 745 Jewish people; there were 4,600 persons in all. 31 Now it happened in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth of the month, that Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison; 32 and he spoke to him good words, and he set his throne above the throne of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 33 So Jehoiachin changed his prison clothes and had his meals in the king’s presence continually all the days of his life. 34 For his allowance, a continual allowance was given him by the king of Babylon, a daily portion all the days of his life until the day of his death.

2 Corinthians 7 - 8

Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Godly Sorrow Produces Repentance

2 Make room for us in your hearts. We wronged no one, we corrupted no one, we took advantage of no one. 3 I do not speak to condemn you, for I have said before that you are in our hearts to die together and to live together. 4 Great is my boldness toward you; great is my boasting on your behalf. I have been filled with comfort; I am overflowing with joy in all our affliction. 5 For even when we came into Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted on every side—conflicts without, fears within. 6 But God, who comforts the humbled, comforted us by the coming of Titus; 7 and not only by his coming, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted in you, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more. 8 For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it, though I did regret it—for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while— 9 I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to repentance. For you were made to have godly sorrow, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. 10 For godly sorrow produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world brings about death. 11 For behold what earnestness this very thing—this godly sorrow—has brought about in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter. 12 So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the offender nor for the sake of the one offended, but that your earnestness on our behalf might be manifested to you in the sight of God. 13 For this reason we have been comforted. And besides our comfort, we rejoiced even much more for the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all. 14 For if in anything I have boasted to him about you, I was not put to shame, but as we spoke all things to you in truth, so also our boasting before Titus proved to be the truth. 15 And his affection abounds all the more toward you, as he remembers the obedience of you all, how you received him with fear and trembling. 16 I rejoice that in everything I am encouraged about you.

Generosity and Grace

Now brothers, we make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, 2 that in a great testing by affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the richness of their generosity. 3 For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, 4 begging us with much urging for the grace of sharing in the ministry to the saints, 5 and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God. 6 So we encouraged Titus that as he had previously made a beginning, so he would also complete in you this gracious work as well. 7 But just as you abound in everything, in faith and word and knowledge and in all earnestness and in the love we inspired in you, see that you abound in this gracious work also. 8 I am not speaking this as a command, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though being rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich. 10 And I give my opinion in this matter, for this is profitable for you, who were the first to begin a year ago not only to do this, but also to desire to do it. 11 But now complete doing it also, so that just as there was the readiness to desire it, so there may be also the completion of it from what you have. 12 For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. 13 For this is not for the relief of others and for your affliction, but by way of equality— 14 at this present time your abundance being a supply for their need, so that their abundance also may become a supply for your need, that there may be equality. 15 As it is written, “He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little had no lack.” 16 But thanks be to God who puts the same earnestness on your behalf in the heart of Titus. 17 For he not only accepted our plea, but being himself very earnest, he has gone out to you of his own accord. 18 And we have sent along with him the brother whose praise in the things of the gospel is throughout all the churches. 19 And not only this, but he has also been appointed by the churches to travel with us in this gracious work that is being ministered by us for the glory of the Lord Himself, and to show our readiness, 20 taking precaution lest anyone discredits us in our ministering of this generous gift, 21 for we respect what is good, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men. 22 And we have sent with them our brother, whom we have often tested and found earnest in many things, but now even more earnest because of his great confidence in you. 23 As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; as for our brothers, they are messengers of the churches, a glory to Christ. 24 Therefore openly before the churches, show them the proof of your love and of our reason for boasting about you.

Psalm 125

Yahweh Surrounds His People

A Song of Ascents.

Those who trust in Yahweh

Are as Mount Zion, which will not be shaken but will abide forever.

As the mountains surround Jerusalem,

So Yahweh surrounds His people

From now until forever.

For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest upon the land of the righteous,

So that the righteous would not send forth their hands in unrighteousness.

Do good, O Yahweh, to those who are good

And to those who are upright in their hearts.

But as for those who turn aside to their crooked ways,

Yahweh will lead them away with the workers of iniquity.

Peace be upon Israel.