Study Desk

"Behold, I am the LORD, the ^(C1)God of all flesh; is anything ^(C2)too difficult for Me?"

Therefore this is what the LORD says: "Behold, I am going to ^(C1)hand this city over to the Chaldeans and to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will take it.

"And the Chaldeans who are fighting against this city will enter and ^(C1)set this city on fire and burn it, with the ^(C2)houses where people have offered incense to Baal on their roofs and poured out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke Me to anger.

"For the sons of Israel and the sons of Judah have been doing only ^(C1)evil in My sight since their youth; for the sons of Israel have been only ^(C2)provoking Me to anger by the work of their hands," declares the LORD.

"Indeed this city has been to Me a ^(C1)provocation of My anger and My wrath since the day that they built it, even to this day, so that it should be ^(C2)removed from My sight,

because of all the evil of the sons of Israel and the sons of Judah which they have done to provoke Me to anger—they, their ^(C1)kings, their leaders, their priests, their prophets, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

"They have turned their back to Me and not their face; though I taught them, ^(C1)teaching again and again, they would not listen to accept discipline.

"But they ^(C1)put their detestable things in the house which is called by My name, to defile it.

"They built the ^(C1)high places of Baal that are in the Valley of Ben-hinnom to make their sons and their daughters pass through the fire to ^(C2)Molech, which I had not commanded them, nor had it ^(F1)entered My mind that they should do this abomination, to mislead Judah to sin.

"Now therefore the LORD God of Israel says the following concerning this city of which you say, 'It has been ^(C1)handed over to the king of Babylon by sword, by famine, and by plague':

"Behold, I am going to ^(C1)gather them out of all the lands to which I have driven them in My anger, in My wrath, and in great indignation; and I will bring them back to this place and ^(C2)have them live in safety.

"They shall be ^(C1)My people, and I will be their God;

and I will ^(C1)give them one heart and one way, so that they will fear Me always, for their own ^(C2)good and for the good of their children after them.

"I will make an ^(C1)everlasting covenant with them that I will ^(C2)not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will ^(C3)put the fear of Me in their hearts, so that they will not turn away from Me.

"I will ^(C1)rejoice over them to do them good and will ^(F1)faithfully ^(C2)plant them in this land with ^(C3)all My heart and all My soul.

"For this is what the LORD says: '^(C1)Just as I brought all this great disaster on this people, so I am going to ^(C2)bring on them all the good that I am promising them.

'And ^(C1)fields will be purchased in this land of which you say, "^(C2)It is a desolation, without man or animal; it has been handed over to the Chaldeans."

'People will buy fields for money, ^(F1)(C1)sign and seal ^(F2)deeds, and call in witnesses in the ^(C2)land of Benjamin, in the areas surrounding Jerusalem, in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the lowland, and in the cities of the ^(F3)Negev; for I will ^(C3)restore their fortunes,' declares the LORD."