The rightLORDeous shall flourish like the palm tree. He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Psalm 92:12

Jeremiah 41–42

Jeremiah 41

Gedaliah Assassinated

¹ Now in the seventh month, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal offspring and one of the kings’s chief officers, and ten men with him, came to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and there they ate bread together in Mizpah. ² Then Ishmael the son of Nethaniah arose, and the ten men who were with him, and struck Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan with the sword and killed him, whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land. ³ Ishmael also killed all the Jews who were with him, with Gedaliah, at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans who were found there, the men of war.

⁴ On the second day after he had killed Gedaliah, before anyone learned of it, ⁵ men came from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, 80 men, having their beards shaved and their clothes torn, and having cut themselves, coming with grain offerings and frankincense in their hand, to bring them to the house of the LORD.

⁶ Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping all along as he went, and as he met them, he said to them, “Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam.” ⁷ It happened that, when they came into the midst of the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah killed them and cast them into the middle of the pit, he, along with the men who were with him.

⁸ But ten men were found among those who said to Ishmael, “Don’t kill us, for we have stores of wheat, barley, oil, and honey hidden in the field.” So he stopped and did not kill them among their brothers.

⁹ Now the pit in which Ishmael cast all the dead bodies of the men whom he had killed, by the side of Gedaliah (this was that which Asa the king had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel), Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with those who were killed.

¹⁰ Then Ishmael took all of the people who were left in Mizpah captive, the king’s daughters and all the people who remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had committed to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. Ishmael the son of Nethaniah took them captive and departed to go over to the descendants of Ammon.

Johanan Rescues the Captives

¹¹ But when Johanan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the forces who were with him, heard of all the disaster that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done, ¹² then they took all the men and went to fight with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah and found him by the great waters that are in Gibeon. ¹³ Now when all the people who were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were with him, then they were glad.

¹⁴ So all the people who Ishmael had taken captive from Mizpah turned around and came back, and went to Johanan the son of Kareah. ¹⁵ But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men and went to the Ammonites.

¹⁶ Then Johanan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the forces who were with him took all the remnant of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, from Mizpah, after he had killed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the men of war, with the women, the children, and the eunuchs, whom he had brought back from Gibeon. ¹⁷ They departed and lived in Geruth Chimham, which is by Bethlehem, to enter into Egypt ¹⁸ because of the Chaldeans, for they were afraid of them because Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon made governor over the land.

Jeremiah 42

Warning against Going to Egypt

¹ Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest, came near. ² They said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Please let our supplication be presented before you and pray for us to the LORD your God, for all of this remnant, for from many, we are left but a few, as you can see.  ³ Pray that the LORD your God may show us the way in which we should walk and the things that we should do.”

⁴ Then Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard you. I will pray to the LORD your God according to your words, and it will happen that in whatever way the LORD answers you, I will declare it to you. I will keep nothing back from you.”

⁵ Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness among us, if we do not do according to every word which the LORD your God sends you to tell us. ⁶ Whether it is pleasing to us, or whether it is displeasing, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God, to whom we send you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the LORD our God.”

⁷ After ten days, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah. ⁸ Then he called Johanan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the forces who were with him and all the people from the least to the greatest. ⁹ He said to them, “The LORD, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your supplication before him, says, ¹⁰ ‘If you will remain in this land, then I will build you up and not pull you down. I will plant you and not pluck you up, for I am relenting in the disaster that I have brought on you. ¹¹ Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid. Do not be afraid of him,’ says the LORD, ‘for I am with you to save you and to deliver you from his hand. ¹² I will grant you mercy, that he may have mercy on you and cause you to return to your own land.’

¹³ But if you declare, We will not dwell in this land,’ not obeying the voice of the LORD your God, ¹⁴ saying, ‘No, we will go into the land of Egypt, where we will not see war, or hear the sound of the trumpet, or hunger for bread, and there will we dwell,’ ¹⁵ then hear the word of the LORD, O remnant of Judah. The LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says, ‘If you indeed set your faces to enter into Egypt and go to live there, ¹⁶ then it will happen that the sword, which you fear, will overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, about which you are afraid, will follow close behind you there in Egypt, and you will die there. ¹⁷ So will it be with all the men who set their faces to go into Egypt to live there. They will die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. None of them will remain or escape from the disaster that I will bring on them.’

¹⁸ For the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says, ‘As my anger and my wrath has been poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so my wrath will be poured out on you, when you enter into Egypt, and you will be an object of horror, an appalling curse and disgrace, and you will see this place no more.’

¹⁹ The LORD has spoken concerning you, remnant of Judah, ‘Do not go into Egypt!’ Know certainly that I have testified to you today. ²⁰ For you have dealt deceitfully against your own souls, for you sent me to the LORD your God, saying, ‘Pray for us to the LORD our God, and according to all that the LORD our God says, so declare to us, and we will do it.’

²¹ I have declared it to you today, but you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God in anything for which he has sent me to you. ²² Now therefore, know certainly that you will die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence in the place where you desire to go live.”

2 Timothy 2

Grace and Perseverance

¹ You therefore, my child, be strengthened in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. ² The things which you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit the same things to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. ³ You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. ⁴ No soldier on duty entangles himself in the affairs of life, that he may please him who enrolled him as a soldier. ⁵ Also, if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he has competed by the rules. ⁶ The farmer who labors must be the first to get a share of the crops.

⁷ Consider what I say, and may the LORD give you understanding in all things.

⁸ Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, of the offspring of David, according to my Gospel, ⁹ in which I suffer hardship to the point of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. ¹⁰ Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the chosen ones, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

¹¹ This saying is trustworthy:

“For if we died with him,
we will also live with him.
¹² If we endure,
we will also reign with him.
If we deny him,
he also will deny us.
¹³ If we are faithless,
he remains faithful,
for he cannot deny himself.”

The Lord’s Approved Workman

¹⁴ Remind them of these things, charging them in the sight of God, that they do not argue about unprofitable words that lead to the ruin of those who hear them.

¹⁵ Be diligent to present yourself approved by God, a workman who does not need to be ashamed, properly handling the Word of Truth.

¹⁶ But shun empty chatter, for it will go further in ungodliness, ¹⁷ and those words will consume like gangrene, of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus, ¹⁸ men who have erred concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past, and overthrowing the faith of some.

¹⁹ However God’s firm foundation stands, having this seal, “The Lord knows those who are his,” ^a and, “Let every one who calls on the name of the Lord turn away from unrighteousness.”

²⁰ Now in a large house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of clay. Some are for honor and some for dishonor. ²¹ If anyone therefore purges himself from these, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and suitable for the master’s use, prepared for every good work.

²² Flee from youthful lusts, but pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. ²³ But refuse foolish and ignorant controversy, knowing that it breeds quarreling. ²⁴ The servant of the Lord must not quarrel, but be gentle toward all, able to teach, patient, ²⁵ in gentleness correcting those who oppose him. Perhaps God may give them repentance leading to a full knowledge of the truth, ²⁶ and they may recover themselves out of the devil’s snare, having been taken captive by him to his will.

^{a Numbers 16:5}

Psalm 92

How Great Are Your Works

A Psalm. A song for the Sabbath day.

¹ It is a good thing to give thanks to the LORD,
to sing praises to your name, Most High,
² to proclaim your loving kindness in the morning,
and your faithfulness every night,
³ with the ten-stringed lute, with the harp,
and with the melody of the lyre.
⁴ For you, LORD, have made me glad through your work.
I will triumph in the works of your hands.
⁵ How great are your works, LORD!
Your thoughts are very deep.

⁶ A senseless man does not know this,
and nor does a fool understand,
⁷ that though the wicked spring up like the grass,
and all the evildoers flourish,
they will be destroyed forever.
⁸ But you, LORD, are on high forevermore.
⁹ For your enemies, O LORD,
indeed, your enemies shall perish.
All the evildoers will be scattered.

¹⁰ But you have exalted my horn
like that of the wild ox.
I am anointed with fresh oil.
¹¹ My eye has also seen my enemies.
My ears have heard of the wicked enemies
who rise up against me.

¹² The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree.
He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
¹³ They are planted in the house of the LORD.
They will flourish in the courts of our God.
¹⁴ They will still produce fruit in old age.
They will be full of sap and green,
¹⁵ to show that the LORD is upright.
He is my rock,
and there is no unrighteousness in him.

Proverbs 26:3-5

³ A whip is for the horse,
a bridle for the donkey,
and a rod for the back of fools!
⁴ Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
lest you also be like him.
⁵ Answer a fool according to his folly,
lest he be wise in his own eyes.

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