Study Desk

But I said, "Oh, Lord God , the prophets keep telling the people, ‘You will not suffer from an enemy's sword or from hunger. I, the Lord , will give you peace in this land.'"

Lord , have you completely rejected the nation of Judah? Do you hate Jerusalem? Why have you hurt us so badly that we cannot be made well again? We hoped for peace, but nothing good has come. We looked for a time of healing, but only terror came.

Mother, I am sorry that you gave birth to me since I must accuse and criticize the whole land. I have not loaned or borrowed anything, but everyone curses me.

So this is what the Lord says: "If you change your heart and return to me, I will take you back. Then you may serve me. And if you speak things that have worth, not useless words, then you may speak for me. Let the people of Judah turn to you, but you must not change and be like them.

I will make you as strong as a wall to this people, as strong as a wall of bronze. They will fight against you, but they will not defeat you, because I am with you. I will rescue you and save you," says the Lord .

But you have done even more evil than your ancestors. You are very stubborn and do only what you want to do; you have not obeyed me.

"People say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the people of Israel out of Egypt... ' But the time is coming," says the Lord , "when people will not say this anymore.

"But the person who trusts in the Lord will be blessed. The Lord will show him that he can be trusted.

But I, the Lord , look into a person's heart and test the mind. So I can decide what each one deserves; I can give each one the right payment for what he does."

Make those who are hurting me be ashamed, but don't bring shame to me. Let them be terrified, but keep me from terror. Bring the day of disaster on my enemies. Destroy them, and destroy them again.

Don't take a load out of your houses on the Sabbath or do any work on that day. But keep the Sabbath as a holy day, as I commanded your ancestors.

But your ancestors did not listen or pay attention to me. They were very stubborn and did not listen. I punished them, but it didn't do any good.

But you must be careful to obey me, says the Lord . You must not bring a load through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath, but you must keep the Sabbath as a holy day and not do any work on that day.

But you must obey me and keep the Sabbath day as a holy day. You must not carry any loads into Jerusalem on the Sabbath. If you don't obey me, I will start a fire at the gates of Jerusalem, and it will burn until it burns even the strong towers. And it will not be put out.'"

He was using his hands to make a pot from clay, but something went wrong with it. So he used that clay to make another pot the way he wanted it to be.

But if the people of that nation stop doing the evil they have done, I will change my mind and not carry out my plans to bring disaster to them.

But if I see it doing evil by not obeying me, I will change my mind and not carry out my plans to do good for them.

But the people of Judah will answer, ‘It won't do any good to try! We will continue to do what we want. Each of us will do what his stubborn, evil heart wants!'"

But my people have forgotten me. They burn incense to worthless idols and have stumbled in what they do and in the old ways of their ancestors. They walk along back roads and on poor highways.

Good should not be paid back with evil, but they have dug a pit in order to kill me. Remember that I stood before you and asked you to do good things for these people and to turn your anger away from them.