Study Desk

Lord , look down from the heavens and see; look at us from your wonderful and holy home in heaven. Where is your strong love and power? Why are you keeping your love and mercy from us?

Like a fire that burns twigs, like a fire that makes water boil, let your enemies know who you are. Then all nations will shake with fear when they see you.

When you see these things, will you hold yourself back from helping us, Lord ? Will you be silent and punish us beyond what we can stand?

You people who obey the words of the Lord , listen to what he says: "Your brothers hated you and turned against you because you followed me. Your brothers said, ‘Let the Lord be honored so we may see you rejoice,' but they will be punished.

When you see these things, you will be happy, and you will grow like the grass. The Lord 's servants will see his power, but his enemies will see his anger.

"I know they have evil thoughts and do evil things, so I am coming to punish them. I will gather all nations and all people, and they will come together and see my glory.

"They will go out and see the dead bodies of the people who sinned against me. The worms that eat them will never die, and the fires that burn them will never stop, and everyone will hate to see those bodies."

Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth. He said to me, "See, I am putting my words in your mouth.

The Lord spoke his word to me, saying: "Jeremiah, what do you see?" I answered, "I see a stick of almond wood."

The Lord spoke his word to me again: "What do you see?" I answered, "I see a pot of boiling water, tipping over from the north."

Go across the sea to the island of Cyprus and see. Send someone to the land of Kedar to look closely. See if there has ever been anything like this.

Although you wash yourself with cleanser and use much soap, I can still see the stain of your guilt," says the Lord God .

When King Josiah was ruling Judah, the Lord said to me, "Did you see what unfaithful Israel did? She was like a prostitute with her idols on every hill and under every green tree.

Those people have lied about the Lord and said, "He will not do anything to us! Nothing bad will happen to us! We will never see war or hunger!

Hear this message, you foolish people who have no sense. They have eyes, but they don't really see. They have ears, but they don't really listen.

Jerusalem pours out her evil as a well pours out its water. The sounds of violence and destruction are heard within her. I can see the sickness and hurts of Jerusalem.

"‘You people of Judah, go now to the town of Shiloh, where I first made a place to be worshiped. See what I did to it because of the evil things the people of Israel had done.

Don't you see what they are doing in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?

But, Lord All-Powerful, you are a fair judge. You know how to test peoples' hearts and minds. I have told you what I have against them. So let me see you give them the punishment they deserve.

But you know my heart, Lord . You see me and test my thoughts about you. Drag the evil people away like sheep to be butchered. Set them aside for the day of killing.