Study Desk

Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord , the God of Israel, says: Cursed is anyone who does not obey the terms of my covenant!

For I said to your ancestors when I brought them out of the iron-smelting furnace of Egypt, "If you obey me and do whatever I command you, then you will be my people, and I will be your God."

Look now, people of Judah; you have as many gods as you have towns. You have as many altars of shame—altars for burning incense to your god Baal—as there are streets in Jerusalem.

"So tell them, ‘This is what the Lord , the God of Israel, says: May all your jars be filled with wine.' And they will reply, ‘Of course! Jars are made to be filled with wine!'

Give glory to the Lord your God before it is too late. Acknowledge him before he brings darkness upon you, causing you to stumble and fall on the darkening mountains. For then, when you look for light, you will find only terrible darkness and gloom.

Can any of the worthless foreign gods send us rain? Does it fall from the sky by itself? No, you are the one, O Lord our God! Only you can do such things. So we will wait for you to help us.

When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God of Heaven's Armies.

For this is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies, the God of Israel, says: In your own lifetime, before your very eyes, I will put an end to the happy singing and laughter in this land. The joyful voices of bridegrooms and brides will no longer be heard.

"When you tell the people all these things, they will ask, ‘Why has the Lord decreed such terrible things against us? What have we done to deserve such treatment? What is our sin against the Lord our God?'

Say to them, ‘Listen to this message from the Lord , you kings of Judah and citizens of Jerusalem! This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies, the God of Israel, says: I will bring a terrible disaster on this place, and the ears of those who hear about it will ring!

"This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will bring disaster upon this city and its surrounding towns as I promised, because you have stubbornly refused to listen to me.'"

‘This is what the Lord , the God of Israel, says: I will make your weapons useless against the king of Babylon and the Babylonians who are outside your walls attacking you. In fact, I will bring your enemies right into the heart of this city.

And the answer will be, ‘Because they violated their covenant with the Lord their God by worshiping other gods.'"

But a beautiful cedar palace does not make a great king! Your father, Josiah, also had plenty to eat and drink. But he was just and right in all his dealings. That is why God blessed him.

Therefore, this is what the Lord , the God of Israel, says to these shepherds: "Instead of caring for my flock and leading them to safety, you have deserted them and driven them to destruction. Now I will pour out judgment on you for the evil you have done to them.

Am I a God who is only close at hand?" says the Lord . "No, I am far away at the same time.

"I have heard these prophets say, ‘Listen to the dream I had from God last night.' And then they proceed to tell lies in my name.

But stop using this phrase, ‘prophecy from the Lord .' For people are using it to give authority to their own ideas, turning upside down the words of our God, the living God, the Lord of Heaven's Armies.

"This is what the Lord , the God of Israel, says: The good figs represent the exiles I sent from Judah to the land of the Babylonians.

I will give them hearts that recognize me as the Lord . They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me wholeheartedly.