A Warning against Going to Egypt

¹Then all the commanders of the forces, along with Johanan son of Kareah, Jezaniahson of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest, approached

²Jeremiah the prophet and said, “May our petition come before you; pray to the LORD your God on behalf of this entire remnant. For few of us remain of the many, as you can see with your own eyes.

³Pray that the LORD your God will tell us the way we should walk and the thing we should do.”

⁴“I have heard you,” replied Jeremiah the prophet. “I will surely pray to the LORD your God as you request, and I will tell you everything that the LORD answers. I will not withhold a word from you.”

⁵Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act upon every word that the LORD your God sends you to tell us.

⁶Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God to whom we are sending you, so that it may go well with us when we obey the voice of the LORD our God!”

⁷After ten days the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah,

⁸and he summoned Johanan son of Kareah, all the commanders of the forces who were with him, and all the people from the least to the greatest.

⁹Jeremiah told them, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition:

¹⁰‘If you will indeed stay in this land, then I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I will relent of the disaster I have brought upon you.

¹¹Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear; do not be afraid of him, declares the LORD, for I am with you to save you and deliver you from him.

¹²And I will show you compassion, and he will have compassion on you and restore you to your own land.’

¹³But if you say, ‘We will not stay in this land,’ and you thus disobey the voice of the LORD your God,

¹⁴and if you say, ‘No, but we will go to the land of Egypt and live there, where we will not see war or hear the sound of the ram’s horn or hunger for bread,’

¹⁵then hear the word of the LORD, O remnant of Judah! This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you are determined to go to Egypt and reside there,

¹⁶then the sword you fear will overtake you there, and the famine you dread will follow on your heels into Egypt, and you will die there.

¹⁷So all who resolve to go to Egypt to reside there will die by sword and famine and plague. Not one of them will survive or escape the disaster I will bring upon them.’

¹⁸For this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘Just as My anger and wrath were poured out on the residents of Jerusalem, so will My wrath be poured out on you if you go to Egypt. You will become an object of cursing and horror, of vilification and disgrace, and you will never see this place again.’

¹⁹The LORD has told you, O remnant of Judah, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’ Know for sure that I have warned you today!

²⁰For you have deceived yourselves by sending me to the LORD your God, saying, ‘Pray to the LORD our God on our behalf, and as for all that the LORD our God says, tell it to us and we will do it.’

²¹For I have told you today, but you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God in all He has sent me to tell you.

²²Now therefore, know for sure that by sword and famine and plague you will die in the place where you desire to go to reside.”

God’s Judgment on the Earth

¹Behold, the LORD lays waste the earthand leaves it in ruins.He will twist its surfaceand scatter its inhabitants—

²people and priest alike, servant and master,maid and mistress, buyer and seller,lender and borrower, creditor and debtor.

³The earth will be utterly laid wasteand thoroughly plundered.For the LORD has spoken this word.

⁴The earth mourns and withers;the world languishes and fades;the exalted of the earth waste away.

⁵The earth is defiled by its people;they have transgressed the laws;they have overstepped the decreesand broken the everlasting covenant.

⁶Therefore a curse has consumed the earth,and its inhabitants must bear the guilt;the earth’s dwellers have been burned,and only a few survive.

⁷The new wine dries up, the vine withers.All the merrymakers now groan.

⁸The joyful tambourines have ceased;the noise of revelers has stopped;the joyful harp is silent.

⁹They no longer sing and drink wine;strong drink is bitter to those who consume it.

¹⁰The city of chaos is shattered;every house is closed to entry.

¹¹In the streets they cry out for wine.All joy turns to gloom;rejoicing is exiled from the land.

¹²The city is left in ruins;its gate is reduced to rubble.

¹³So will it be on the earthand among the nations,like a harvested olive tree,like a gleaning after a grape harvest.

¹⁴They raise their voices, they shout for joy;from the westthey proclaim the majesty of the LORD.

¹⁵Therefore glorify the LORD in the east.Extol the name of the LORD, the God of Israelin the islandsof the sea.

¹⁶From the ends of the earth we hear singing:“Glory to the Righteous One.”But I said, “I am wasting away! I am wasting away!Woe is me.”The treacherous betray;the treacherous deal in treachery.

¹⁷Terror and pit and snare await you,O dweller of the earth.

¹⁸Whoever flees the sound of panicwill fall into the pit,and whoever climbs from the pitwill be caught in the snare.For the windows of heaven are open,and the foundations of the earth are shaken.

¹⁹The earth is utterly broken apart,the earth is split open,the earth is shaken violently.

²⁰The earth staggers like a drunkardand sways like a shack.Earth’s rebellion weighs it down,and it falls, never to rise again.

²¹In that day the LORD will punishthe host of heaven aboveand the kings of the earth below.

²²They will be gathered togetherlike prisoners in a pit.They will be confined to a dungeonand punished after many days.

²³The moon will be confoundedand the sun will be ashamed;for the LORD of Hosts will reignon Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,and before His elders with great glory.

The Three Visitors

¹Then the LORD appeared to Abraham by the Oaksof Mamre in the heat of the day, while he was sitting at the entrance of his tent.

²And Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.

³“My lord,” said Abraham, “if I have found favor in your sight, please do not pass your servant by.

⁴Let a little water be brought, that you may wash your feet and rest yourselves under the tree.

⁵And I will bring a bit of bread so that you may refresh yourselves. This is why you have passed your servant’s way. After that, you may continue on your way.”“Yes,” they replied, “you may do as you have said.”

⁶So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Prepare three seahs of fine flour,knead it, and bake some bread.”

⁷Meanwhile, Abraham ran to the herd, selected a tender and choice calf, and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it.

⁸Then Abraham brought curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and he set them before the men and stood by them under the tree as they ate.

Sarah Laughs at the Promise

⁹“Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked.“There, in the tent,” he replied.

¹⁰Then the LORD said, “I will surely return to you at this time next year, and your wife Sarah will have a son!”Now Sarah was behind him, listening at the entrance to the tent.

¹¹And Abraham and Sarah were already old and well along in years; Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.

¹²So she laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?”

¹³And the LORD asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Can I really bear a child when I am old?’

¹⁴Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you—in about a year—and Sarah will have a son.”

¹⁵But Sarah was afraid, so she denied it and said, “I did not laugh.”“No,” replied the LORD, “but you did laugh.”

Abraham Intercedes for Sodom

¹⁶When the men got up to leave, they looked out over Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them off.

¹⁷And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?

¹⁸Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and through him all the nations of the earth will be blessed.

¹⁹For I have chosen him, so that he will command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, in order that the LORD may bring upon Abraham what He has promised.”

²⁰Then the LORD said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great. Because their sin is so grievous,

²¹I will go down to see if their actions fully justify the outcry that has reached Me. If not, I will find out.”

²²And the two men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD.

²³Abraham stepped forward and said, “Will You really sweep away the righteous with the wicked?

²⁴What if there are fifty righteous ones in the city? Will You really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous ones who are there?

²⁵Far be it from You to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”

²⁶So the LORD replied, “If I find fifty righteous ones within the city of Sodom, on their account I will spare the whole place.”

²⁷Then Abraham answered, “Now that I have ventured to speak to the Lord—though I am but dust and ashes—

²⁸suppose the fifty righteous ones lack five. Will You destroy the whole city for the lack of five?”He replied, “If I find forty-five there, I will not destroy it.”

²⁹Once again Abraham spoke to the LORD, “Suppose forty are found there?”He answered, “On account of the forty, I will not do it.”

³⁰Then Abraham said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak further. Suppose thirty are found there?”He replied, “If I find thirty there, I will not do it.”

³¹And Abraham said, “Now that I have ventured to speak to the Lord, suppose twenty are found there?”He answered, “On account of the twenty, I will not destroy it.”

³²Finally, Abraham said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak once more. Suppose ten are found there?”And He answered, “On account of the ten, I will not destroy it.”

³³When the LORD had finished speaking with Abraham, He departed, and Abraham returned home.

Wine Is a Mocker

¹Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler,and whoever is led astray by them is not wise.

²The terror of a king is like the roar of a lion;whoever provokes him forfeits his own life.

³It is honorable for a man to resolve a dispute,but any fool will quarrel.

⁴The slacker does not plow in season;at harvest time he looks, but nothing is there.

⁵The intentions of a man’s heart are deep waters,but a man of understanding draws them out.

⁶Many a man proclaims his loving devotion,but who can find a trustworthy man?

⁷The righteous man walks with integrity;blessed are his children after him.

⁸A king who sits on a throne to judgesifts out all evil with his eyes.

⁹Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure;I am cleansed from my sin”?

¹⁰Differing weights and unequal measures—both are detestable to the LORD.

¹¹Even a young man is known by his actions—whether his conduct is pure and upright.

¹²Ears that hear and eyes that see—the LORD has made them both.

¹³Do not love sleep, or you will grow poor;open your eyes, and you will have plenty of food.

¹⁴“Worthless, worthless!” says the buyer,but on the way out, he gloats.

¹⁵There is an abundance of gold and rubies,but lips of knowledge are a rare treasure.

¹⁶Take the garment of the one who posts security for a stranger;get collateral if it is for a foreigner.

¹⁷Food gained by fraud is sweet to a man,but later his mouth is full of gravel.

¹⁸Set plans by consultation,and wage war under sound guidance.

¹⁹He who reveals secrets is a constant gossip;avoid the one who babbleswith his lips.

²⁰Whoever curses his father or mother,his lamp will be extinguished in deepest darkness.

²¹An inheritance gained quicklywill not be blessed in the end.

²²Do not say, “I will avenge this evil!”Wait on the LORD, and He will save you.

²³Unequal weights are detestable to the LORD,and dishonest scales are no good.

²⁴A man’s steps are from the LORD,so how can anyone understand his own way?

²⁵It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly,only later to reconsider his vows.

²⁶A wise king separates out the wickedand drives the threshing wheel over them.

²⁷The spiritof a man is the lamp of the LORD,searching out his inmost being.

²⁸Loving devotion and faithfulness preserve a king;by these he maintains his throne.

²⁹The glory of young men is their strength,and gray hair is the splendor of the old.

³⁰Lashes and wounds scour evil,and beatings cleanse the inmost parts.