Study Desk

This is what the LORD says: "Let no wise man boast of his wisdom, nor let the mighty man boast of his might, nor a rich man boast of his riches;

For the customs of the peoples are futile; For it is wood cut from the forest, The work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool.

"They are like a scarecrow in a cucumber field, And they cannot speak; They must be carried, Because they cannot walk! Do not fear them, For they can do no harm, Nor can they do any good."

Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish, And gold from Uphaz, The work of a craftsman and of the hands of a goldsmith; Their clothing is of violet and purple; They are all the work of skilled people.

When He utters His voice, there is a roar of waters in the heavens, And He makes the clouds ascend from the end of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain, And brings out the wind from His storehouses.

They are worthless, a work of mockery; At the time of their punishment they will perish.

Woe to me, because of my injury! My wound is incurable. But I said, "This certainly is a sickness, And I must endure it."

The sound of a report! Behold, it is coming— A great roar from the land of the north— To make the cities of Judah A desolation, a haunt of jackals.

I know, LORD, that a person's way is not in himself, Nor is it in a person who walks to direct his steps.

in order to confirm the oath which I swore to your forefathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day."'" Then I replied, "Amen, LORD."

Then the LORD said to me, "A conspiracy has been found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

"So as for you, do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not listen when they call to Me because of their disaster.

The LORD named you "A green olive tree, beautiful in fruit and form"; With the noise of a great tumult He has set fire to it, And its branches are worthless.

But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter; And I did not know that they had devised plots against me, saying, "Let's destroy the tree with its fruit, And let's cut him off from the land of the living, So that his name will no longer be remembered."

and a remnant will not be left to them, because I will bring disaster on the people of Anathoth—the year of their punishment."

But You know me, LORD; You see me And examine my heart's attitude toward You. Drag them off like sheep for the slaughter, And set them apart for a day of slaughter!

"If you have run with infantrymen and they have tired you out, How can you compete with horses? If you fall down in a land of peace, How will you do in the thicket by the Jordan?

"My inheritance has become to Me Like a lion in the forest; She has roared against Me; Therefore I have come to hate her.

"Is My inheritance like a speckled bird of prey to Me? Are the birds of prey against her on every side? Go, gather all the animals of the field, Bring them to devour!

"Many shepherds have ruined My vineyard, They have trampled down My field; They have made My pleasant field A desolate wilderness.