Study Desk

For every one of the house of Israel, or of the proselytes who dwell in Israel, who departs from me and sets up idols in his heart and puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face and comes to a prophet to inquire of him, I the LORD will be a witness against him;

For thus says the LORD God: How much more when I send four sore judgments upon Jerusalem: the sword and famine and vicious beasts and pestilence, to destroy from it man and beast.

Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; and when the fire has consumed both ends of it and the middle of it is burned, is it good for any work?

Behold, when it was whole, it was not useful for implements; how much less shall it be useful when the fire has devoured it and it is destroyed?

Therefore thus says the LORD God: As I have given the wood of the vine among all the trees of the forest to the fire for fuel, so I have given the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

And as for the one who bore you, in the day you were born she did not cut your navel, neither did she wash you with water nor did she salt your body with salt nor wrap you in swaddling clothes at all.

And your renown went forth among the Gentiles for your beauty, because of the beautiful crown of my glory which I put upon you, says the LORD God.

And you took some of my garments and decorated the high places for yourself, and played the harlot upon them; they shall not be brought back, neither shall they be yours.

And the food which I gave you, the fine flour and oil and honey with which I fed you, you have set before them for a sweet savor; says the LORD God.

Moreover you have taken your sons and your daughters, whom you had borne to me, and these you have sacrificed to them for food. These things you did besides your whoredoms,

You have built yourself small temples for idol worship at every head of the way, and defiled your beauty and exposed yourself to every one that passed by, and multiplied your fornications.

You also shall endure the shame because you have outdone your sisters in your sins, and have polluted yourself more than they; they are more righteous than you; you must be confounded also and bear your shame, for your sisters are more righteous than you.

For your sister Sodom was not a proverb in your mouth in the day of your pride,

For thus says the LORD God: I will even deal with you as you have done, because you have despised my oaths and nullified my covenant.

Then you shall remember your evil ways and be ashamed, when I take your sisters, the elder and the younger, and give them to you for daughters, but not because of your covenant.

Because you shall remember and be ashamed, and never open your mouth any more because of your shame, for I have forgiven you for all that you have done, says the LORD God.

For it was planted in a good field, by many waters that it might bring forth branches and bear fruit and become a goodly vine.

Therefore thus says the LORD God: As I live, because he has despised my oaths and nullified my covenant, I will punish him for it.

And I will spread my net upon him, and he shall be taken in it, and I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, and judge him there for his trespass that he has trespassed against me.

Who does not refuse to help the poor, who charges no usury or discount, executes my judgments, and walks in my commandments; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live.