Let them praise your great and awesome name. He is Holy! Psalm 99:3
Jeremiah 49-50
Jeremiah 49
The Judgment on the Ammonites
1 Of the descendants of Ammon. the LORD says:
“Does Israel have no sons?
Has he no heir?
Why then does Malcam possess Gad
and his people dwell in its cities?
2 Therefore the days have come,” says the LORD,
“when I will cause an alarm of war to be heard
against Rabbah of the descendants of Ammon,
and it will become a desolate heap,
and her villages will be burned down.
Then Israel will possess those who possessed her,” says the LORD.
3 “Wail, Heshbon, for Ai is laid waste!
Cry, you daughters of Rabbah!
Clothe yourself in sackcloth.
Lament and run back and forth among the fences,
for Malcam will go into captivity,
his priests and princes together.
4 Why do you boast in the valleys,
your flowing valley, backsliding daughter?
You trusted in her treasures,
saying, ‘Who will come against me?’
5 I will bring terror upon you,”
says the LORD, God of Hosts,
“from all who are around you.
All of you will be driven completely out,
and there will be no one to gather the fugitives together.
6 But afterward I will reverse the captivity of the Ammonites,”
says the LORD.
The Judgment on Edom
7 Of Edom, the LORD of Hosts says:
“Is there no longer wisdom in Teman?
Has counsel perished from the prudent?
Has their wisdom vanished?
8 Flee! Turn back!
Dwell in the depths, inhabitants of Dedan,
for I will bring the calamity of Esau on him when I visit him.
9 If grape gatherers came to you,
would they not leave some gleaning grapes?
If thieves came by night,
would they not steal until they had enough?
10 But I have made Esau bare,
I have uncovered his secret places,
and he will not be able to hide himself.
His offspring is destroyed,
with his brothers and his neighbors;
and he is no more.
11 Leave your fatherless children.
I will preserve their lives.
Let your widows trust in me.”
12 For the LORD says, “If those who did not deserve to drink of the cup will certainly drink of it, are you going to go altogether unpunished? You will not go unpunished, but you will surely drink of it. 13 For I have sworn by myself,” says the LORD, “that Bozrah will become a ruin, a disgrace, a waste, and a curse. All its cities will be perpetual wastes.”
14 I have heard news from the LORD,
and an ambassador is sent among the nations, saying,
“Gather together!
Come against her!
Rise up to the battle!”
15 For I have made you small among the nations
and despised among men.
16 As for your terror,
the pride of your heart has deceived you,
O you who dwell in the clefts of the rock,
who hold the height of the hill.
Though you should make your nest as high as the eagle,
I will bring you down from there,” says the LORD.
17 “Edom will become a ruin.
Everyone who passes by it will be astonished
and will scoff at all its plagues.
18 Like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah
and its neighboring cities,” says the LORD.
“No man will dwell there,
nor will any son of man live in it.
19 “He will come up like a lion from the pride,
from the thickets of the Jordan,
for I will suddenly make them run away from it.
Whoever is chosen,
I will appoint him over it.
For who is like me?
Who will appoint my time?
Who is the shepherd who will stand before me?”
20 Therefore hear the counsel of the LORD,
that he has taken against Edom,
and his plans, that he has made against the inhabitants of Teman.
Surely they will drag them away,
the little ones of the flock.
Surely he will make their settlements desolate.
21 The earth trembles at the sound of their fall.
There is a cry, the sound which is heard in the Red Sea.
22 He will come up and fly like the eagle,
and spread out his wings against Bozrah.
The heart of the mighty men of Edom on that day
will be like the heart of a woman in labor.
The Judgment on Damascus
23 Of Damascus:
“Hamath has been put to shame, and Arpad,
for they have heard bad news.
They have lost all courage.
There is sorrow on the sea,
which cannot be quieted.
24 Damascus has grown feeble.
She turns to flee,
and trembling has seized her.
Anguish and sorrows have taken hold of her,
like a woman in labor.
25 How is the city of praise not forsaken,
the city of my joy?
26 Therefore her young men will fall in her streets,
and all the men of war
will be brought to silence in that day,” says the LORD of Hosts.
27 “I will start a fire in the wall of Damascus,
and it will devour the palaces of Ben Hadad.”
The Judgment on Kedar and Hazor
28 Of Kedar, and of the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon struck. The LORD says:
“Arise, go up to Kedar
and destroy the descendants of the east.
29 They will take their tents and their flocks.
They will carry away for themselves their curtains,
all their vessels, and their camels,
and they will cry to them, ‘Terror on every side!’
30 Flee!
Wander far off!
Dwell in the depths, you inhabitants of Hazor,” says the LORD.
“For Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon
has taken counsel against you,
and has conceived a plan against you.
31 Arise! Go up to a nation that is at ease,
that dwells without care,” says the LORD,
“that has neither gates nor bars,
that dwells alone.
32 Their camels will become plunder
and the multitude of their livestock will be spoil.
I will scatter them with the wind,
those who have the corners of their beards cut off,
and I will bring their calamity to every side of them,” says the LORD.
33 Hazor will be a dwelling place of jackals,
a desolation forever.
No man will dwell there,
nor will any son of man live in it.”
The Judgment on Elam
34 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying, 35 “The LORD of Hosts says:
‘I will break the bow of Elam,
the chief of their might.
36 I will bring on Elam the four winds from the four quarters of the heavens
and will scatter them toward all those winds.
There will be no nation
to which the outcasts of Elam have not come.
37 I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies
and before those who seek their life.
I will bring disaster on them with my fierce anger,’ says the LORD;
‘I will send the sword after them,
until I have consumed them.
38 I will set my throne in Elam
and will destroy from there, king and leaders,’ says the LORD.
39 ‘But it will happen in the latter days
that I will reverse the captivity of Elam,’ says the LORD.”
Jeremiah 50
The Judgment on Babylon
1 The word that the LORD spoke concerning Babylon, concerning the land of the Chaldeans, by Jeremiah the prophet.
2 “Declare this among the nations and pronounce it,
set up a banner flag,
announce it, and do not conceal it.
Say, ‘Babylon has been captured.
Bel is put to shame.
Merodach is disgraced!
Her images have been put to shame.
Her idols are disgraced.’
3 For a nation has come up out of the north against her,
which will make her land desolate,
and no one will dwell in it.
They have fled.
They are gone,
both man and animal.
Hope for Israel and Judah
4 The LORD says:
“In those days, and in that time
the Israelites will come,
together with the descendants of Judah,
they will go on their way weeping,
and will seek the LORD their God.
5 They will inquire of Zion
with their faces turned toward it.
They will come and join themselves to the LORD
in an everlasting covenant
that will not be forgotten.’
6 My people have been lost sheep.
Their shepherds have caused them to go astray.
They have turned them away on the mountains.
They have gone from mountain to hill.
They have forgotten their resting place.
7 All who found them have devoured them.
Their adversaries said, ‘We are not guilty,
because they have sinned against the LORD,
the resting place of justice,
the LORD, the hope of their ancestors.’
8 “Flee from the midst of Babylon!
Get out of the land of the Chaldeans,
and be like the male goats before the flocks.
9 For I will stir up
and incite against Babylon,
an army of great nations from the north country,
and they will set themselves in array against her.
She will be taken from there.
Their arrows will be as of an expert marksman.
None will return void.
10 Chaldea will be prey.
All who prey on her will be satisfied,” says the LORD.
Babylon’s Fall is Certain
11 “Because you are glad,
because you rejoice,
O you who plunder my heritage,
because you are wanton as a heifer that treads out the grain,
and neigh like strong horses;
12 your mother will be utterly put to shame.
She who bore you will be humiliated.
She will be the least among the nations,
a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.
13 Because of the LORD’s wrath
she will not be inhabited,
but she will be completely desolate.
Everyone who goes by Babylon will be astonished,
and scoff at all her wounds.
14 Set yourselves in formation against Babylon
and surround her.
All you who bend the bow,
shoot at her. Spare no arrows,
for she has sinned against the LORD.
15 Raise a cry against her from every side,
She has submitted herself.
Her bulwarks have fallen.
Her walls have been thrown down,
for it is the vengeance of the LORD.
Take vengeance on her.
As she has done, do to her.
16 Cut off the sower from Babylon,
and him who handles the sickle in the time of harvest.
For fear of the oppressing sword,
they will each return to their own people,
and they will each flee to their own land.
Redemption for God’s People
17 “Israel is a hunted sheep.
The lions have driven him away.
First, the king of Assyria devoured him,
and now at last Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon
has broken his bones.”
18 Therefore the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says:
“I will punish the king of Babylon and his land,
as I have punished the king of Assyria.
19 I will bring Israel back to his pasture,
and he will feed on Carmel and Bashan.
His soul will be satisfied on the hills of Ephraim and in Gilead.
20 In those days and in that time,” says the LORD,
“the iniquity of Israel will be sought for,
and there will be none,
also the sins of Judah,
and they will not be found,
for I will pardon them whom I leave as a remnant.
The Destruction of Babylon
21 “Go up against the land of Merathaim,
against it and against the inhabitants of Pekod.
Kill and utterly destroy them,” says the LORD,
“and do everything that I have commanded you.
22 A sound of battle is in the land,
the sound of great destruction.
23 How the hammer of the whole earth
is cut apart and broken!
How Babylon has become a ruin among the nations!
24 I have laid a snare for you,
and you are also taken, Babylon,
while you were unaware.
You are found and also caught,
because you have fought against the LORD.
25 The LORD has opened his armory,
and has brought out the weapons of his indignation;
for the LORD, the God of Hosts, has work to do in the land of the Chaldeans.
26 Come against her from the farthest border.
Open her storehouses.
Cast her up as heaps.
Destroy her utterly.
Let nothing of her be left.
27 Kill all her bulls.
Let them go down to the slaughter.
Woe to them! For their day has come,
the time of their punishment.
28 Listen to those who flee and escape
from the land of Babylon,
to declare in Zion
the vengeance of the LORD our God,
the vengeance of his temple.
29 “Call together the archers against Babylon,
all those who bend the bow.
Encamp against her on every side.
Let none escape.
Pay her back according to her work.
According to all that she has done, do to her,
for she has arrogantly defied the LORD,
the Holy One of Israel.
30 Therefore her young men will fall in her streets.
All her men of war will be brought to silence in that day,” says the LORD.
31 “I am against you, you arrogant one,”
says the LORD, God of Hosts,
“for your day has come,
the time that I will punish you.
32 The arrogant one will stumble and fall,
and no one will raise him up.
I will start a fire in his cities,
and it will devour all who are around him.”
33 The LORD of Hosts says:
“The Israelites and the descendants of Judah
are oppressed together.
All who took them captive hold them fast.
They refuse to let them go.
34 Their Redeemer is strong.
The LORD of Hosts is his name.
He will thoroughly plead their case,
that he may give rest to the earth,
and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.
35 The LORD says,
“A sword is on the Chaldeans
and on the inhabitants of Babylon,
on her leaders,
and on her wise men.
36 A sword is on the false prophets,
and they will become fools.
A sword is on her warriors,
and they will be put to shame.
37 A sword is on their horses,
on their chariots,
and on all the foreigners who are in the midst of her,
and they will become like women.
A sword is on her treasures,
and they will be robbed.
38 A drought is on her waters,
and they will be dried up,
for it is a land of engraved images,
and they are obsessed with their idols.
39 Therefore the wild animals of the desert
with the wolves will dwell there.
The ostriches will dwell within it,
and it will never again be inhabited.
From generation to generation no one will live there.
40 As when the LORD overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah
and its neighboring cities,” says the LORD,
“so no man will dwell there,
no son of man will live within it.
41 A people come from the north,
and a great nation and many kings will be incited
from the uttermost parts of the earth.
42 They take up bow and spear.
They are cruel, without mercy.
Their voice roars like the sea.
They ride on horses,
everyone arrayed, like men for battle,
against you, daughter of Babylon.
43 The king of Babylon has heard the news of them,
and his hands have grown weak.
Anguish has taken hold of him,
pains like a woman in labor.
44 The enemy will come up like a lion
from the pride of the Jordan against the robust settlement,
for I will suddenly make them run away from it.
Whoever is chosen,
I will appoint him over it,
for who is like me?
Who can appoint my time?
Who is the shepherd who can stand before me?”
45 Therefore hear the counsel of the LORD,
that he has taken against Babylon,
and his purposes that he has planned
against the land of the Chaldeans.
Surely they will drag them away,
the little ones of the flock.
Surely he will make their settlements
a ruin all around them.
46 At the sound of the taking of Babylon
the earth trembles,
and the cry is heard among the nations.
Titus 2
Teaching Sound Doctrine
1 But speak that which is consistent with sound doctrine.
2 Older men should be temperate, dignified, self-controled, sound in faith, in love, and in perseverance.
3 Older women likewise should be reverent in behavior, not slanderers nor addicted to much wine. They should teach that which is good, 4 that they may train the young wives to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be self-controlled, chaste, workers at home, kind, being in submission to their own husbands, that God’s word may not be disgraced.
6 Likewise, exhort the younger men to be self-controlled.
7 In all things show yourself an example of good works. In your teaching, show integrity, seriousness, incorruptibility, 8 and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, that he who opposes you may be ashamed, having nothing bad to say about us.
9 Exhort servants to be in submission to their own masters and to be well-pleasing in all things, not contradictory, 10 not stealing, but showing complete faithfulness, that they may adorn the doctrine of God, our Savior, in all things.
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to the intent that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we would live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for good works.
15 Say these things and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one despise you.
Psalm 99
The LORD Reigns!
1 The LORD reigns! Let the nations tremble.
He sits enthroned among the cherubim.
Let the earth be moved.
2 The LORD is great in Zion.
He is high above all the nations.
3 Let them praise your great and awesome name.
He is Holy!
4 The mighty King loves justice.
You establish equity.
You execute justice and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Exalt the LORD our God.
Worship at his footstool.
He is Holy!
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
Samuel was among those who call on his name.
They called on the LORD, and he answered them.
7 He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud.
They kept his testimonies,
the statute that he gave them.
8 You answered them, LORD our God.
You are a God who forgave them,
although you took vengeance for their deeds.
9 Exalt the LORD, our God.
Worship at his holy hill,
for the LORD, our God, is holy!
Proverbs 26:17
17 Like one who grabs a dog’s ears
is one who passes by and meddles in a quarrel not his own.