-Jeremiah-

The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, "Stand in the gate of the LORD'S house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD.

" See you not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven*, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger. Do they provoke me to anger? Says the LORD: Do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces?

"For I spoke not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices: But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people: and walk you in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.

"But they listened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward. Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them: Yet your fathers listened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but stiffened their neck: they did worse than their fathers.

"Therefore, look, the days come, says the LORD, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter: for they shall bury in Tophet, till there be no place.

"Furthermore you shall say unto them, this says the LORD; Shall they fall, and not arise? Shall he turn away, and not return? Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? They hold fast deceit; they refuse to return.

"When I would comfort myself against sorrow, my heart is faint in me. Look the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people because of them that live in a far country: Is not the LORD in Zion? Is not her king in her? Why have they provoked me to anger with their carved images, and with strange vanities? For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am black; astonishment has taken hold on me.

"Oh that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!

"This says the LORD, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glories glory in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD which exercise loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, says the LORD.

"Therefore this says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Look, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of bitter poison to drink. I will scatter them also among the heathen, whom neither they nor their fathers have known: and I will send a sword after them, till I have consumed them."
"Then said I, Jeremiah, Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, the prophets say unto them, ‘You shall not see the sword, neither shall you have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place.’

"Then the LORD said unto me, ‘the prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spoke unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nothing, and the deceit of their heart. Therefore you shall say this word unto them; Let my eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease: for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great wound, with a very grievous blow.’ "

Now in the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign, when he had purged the land, and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the LORD his God.

And the men did the work faithfully: and the overseers of them were Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari; and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to set it forward; and other of the Levites, all that had skill of instruments of music.

And when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found a book of the law of the LORD given by Moses. And Hilkiah…said to Shaphan the scribe, "I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD." And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan.

And Shaphan carried the book to the king, and brought the king word back again, saying, "All that was committed to your servants, they do it." Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, "Hilkiah the priest has given me a book." And Shaphan read it before the king.

And it came to pass, when Josiah had heard the words of the law, that he tore his clothes. And the king commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Abdon the son of Micah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king's, saying, "Go, inquire of the LORD for me, and for them that are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found: for great is the anger of the LORD that is poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD, to do after all that is written in this book."

-Zephaniah-

The word of the LORD that came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi…in the days of Josiah…king of Judah. "I will utterly consume all things from off the land, says the LORD. I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumbling blocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, says the LORD.

"I will also stretch out my hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the idolatrous priests with the priests; And them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship and that swear by the LORD, and that swear by their king; And them that are turned back from the LORD; and those that have not sought the LORD, nor inquired for him.

"And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their luke warmness: that say in their heart, ‘The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil.’

"The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hastens greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S anger; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that live in the land.

"Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together, O nation not desired; Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before the day of the LORD'S anger come upon you. Seek you the LORD, all you meek of the earth, which have done his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be you shall be hid in the day of the LORD'S anger."

*A fertility goddess.

REFERENCES

Jeremiah 7:1-2, 17-19, 22-26, 32; Jeremiah 8:4-5, 18-19, 21; Jeremiah 9:1, 23-24; Jeremiah 9:15-16; Jeremiah 14:13-14, 17; 2 Chronicles 34:8, 12, 14-16, 18-21; Zephaniah 1:1-6, 12, 14, 18; Zephaniah 2:1-3.

CHAPTER 51