Study Desk

'I will also give them a heart to know Me, for I am the LORD; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me wholeheartedly.

'And I will send the sword, the famine, and the plague upon them until they are eliminated from the land which I gave to them and their forefathers.'"

"Then they will drink and loudly vomit and act insanely because of the sword that I am going to send among them."

"And if they refuse to take the cup from your hand to drink, then you shall say to them, 'This is what the LORD of armies says: "You shall certainly drink!

'Perhaps they will listen and everyone will turn from his evil way, and I will relent of the disaster which I am planning to inflict on them because of the evil of their deeds.'

When the officials of Judah heard these things, they came up from the king's house to the house of the LORD and sat at the entrance of the New Gate of the LORD'S house.

And they brought Uriah from Egypt and led him to King Jehoiakim, who killed him with a sword and threw his dead body into the burial place of the common people.

'For they are prophesying a lie to you in order to remove you far from your land; and I will drive you away and you will perish.

'But the nation that will bring its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let remain on its land,' declares the LORD, 'and they will cultivate it and live in it.'"'"

for I have not sent them," declares the LORD, "but they are prophesying falsely in My name, so that I will drive you away and that you will perish, you and the prophets who prophesy to you."

Then I spoke to the priests and to all this people, saying: "This is what the LORD says: 'Do not listen to the words of your prophets who prophesy to you, saying, "Behold, the vessels of the LORD'S house will now shortly be brought back from Babylon"; for they are prophesying a lie to you.

'But if they are prophets, and if the word of the LORD is with them, have them now plead with the LORD of armies that the vessels which are left in the house of the LORD and the house of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem do not go to Babylon.

"They will be brought to Babylon and will be there until the day I visit them," declares the LORD. "Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place."'"

'For this is what the LORD of armies, the God of Israel says: "I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations, to serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him. And I have also given him the animals of the field."'"

'Take wives and father sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may give birth to sons and daughters; and grow in numbers there and do not decrease.

because they have not listened to My words,' declares the LORD, 'which I sent to them again and again by My servants the prophets; but you did not listen,' declares the LORD.

because they acted foolishly in Israel, and committed adultery with their neighbors' wives, and falsely spoke words in My name which I did not command them. I am He who knows, and a witness," declares the LORD.'"

'For behold, days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel and Judah.' The LORD says, 'I will also bring them back to the land that I gave to their forefathers, and they shall take possession of it.'"

'But they shall serve the LORD their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.

'All your lovers have forgotten you, They do not seek you; For I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy, With the punishment of a cruel one, Because your wrongdoing is great, And your sins are numerous.