The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, to whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, and until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month.

  Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

    “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
    and before you were born I consecrated you;
    I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
    
    
      Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” But the LORD said to me,

    “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’;
    for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,
    and whatever I command you, you shall speak.
    Do not be afraid of them,
    for I am with you to deliver you,
                                            declares the LORD.”
    
    
      Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the LORD said to me,

    “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.
    See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms,
    to pluck up and to break down,
    to destroy and to overthrow,
    to build and to plant.”
    
    
      And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond branch.” Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.”

  The word of the LORD came to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north.” Then the LORD said to me, “Out of the north disaster shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the land. For behold, I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, declares the LORD, and they shall come, and every one shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its walls all around and against all the cities of Judah. And I will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil in forsaking me. They have made offerings to other gods and worshiped the works of their own hands. But you, dress yourself for work; arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the LORD, to deliver you.”

  The word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the LORD,

    “I remember the devotion of your youth,
        your love as a bride,
    how you followed me in the wilderness,
        in a land not sown.
    Israel was holy to the LORD,
        the firstfruits of his harvest.
    All who ate of it incurred guilt;
        disaster came upon them,
                                            declares the LORD.”
    
    
      Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. Thus says the LORD:

    “What wrong did your fathers find in me
        that they went far from me,
    and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?
    They did not say, ‘Where is the LORD
        who brought us up from the land of Egypt,
    who led us in the wilderness,
        in a land of deserts and pits,
    in a land of drought and deep darkness,
        in a land that none passes through,
        where no man dwells?’
    And I brought you into a plentiful land
        to enjoy its fruits and its good things.
    But when you came in, you defiled my land
        and made my heritage an abomination.
    The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?’
        Those who handle the law did not know me;
    the shepherds transgressed against me;
        the prophets prophesied by Baal
        and went after things that do not profit.
    
    
    “Therefore I still contend with you,
                                            declares the LORD,
        and with your children’s children I will contend.
    For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see,
        or send to Kedar and examine with care;
        see if there has been such a thing.
    Has a nation changed its gods,
        even though they are no gods?
    But my people have changed their glory
        for that which does not profit.
    Be appalled, O heavens, at this;
        be shocked, be utterly desolate,
                                            declares the LORD,
    for my people have committed two evils:
    they have forsaken me,
        the fountain of living waters,
    and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
        broken cisterns that can hold no water.
    
    
    “Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?
        Why then has he become a prey?
    The lions have roared against him;
        they have roared loudly.
    They have made his land a waste;
        his cities are in ruins, without inhabitant.
    Moreover, the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes
        have shaved the crown of your head.
    Have you not brought this upon yourself
        by forsaking the LORD your God,
        when he led you in the way?
    And now what do you gain by going to Egypt
        to drink the waters of the Nile?
    Or what do you gain by going to Assyria
        to drink the waters of the Euphrates?
    Your evil will chastise you,
        and your apostasy will reprove you.
    Know and see that it is evil and bitter
        for you to forsake the LORD your God;
        the fear of me is not in you,
                                            declares the Lord GOD of hosts.
    
    
    “For long ago I broke your yoke
        and burst your bonds;
        but you said, ‘I will not serve.’
    Yes, on every high hill
        and under every green tree
        you bowed down like a whore.
    Yet I planted you a choice vine,
        wholly of pure seed.
    How then have you turned degenerate
        and become a wild vine?
    Though you wash yourself with lye
        and use much soap,
        the stain of your guilt is still before me,
                                            declares the Lord GOD.
    How can you say, ‘I am not unclean,
        I have not gone after the Baals’?
    Look at your way in the valley;
        know what you have done—
    a restless young camel running here and there,
        a wild donkey used to the wilderness,
    in her heat sniffing the wind!
        Who can restrain her lust?
    None who seek her need weary themselves;
        in her month they will find her.
    Keep your feet from going unshod
        and your throat from thirst.
    But you said, ‘It is hopeless,
        for I have loved foreigners,
        and after them I will go.’
    
    
    “As a thief is shamed when caught,
        so the house of Israel shall be shamed:
    they, their kings, their officials,
        their priests, and their prophets,
    who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’
        and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’
    For they have turned their back to me,
        and not their face.
    But in the time of their trouble they say,
        ‘Arise and save us!’
    But where are your gods
        that you made for yourself?
    Let them arise, if they can save you,
        in your time of trouble;
    for as many as your cities
        are your gods, O Judah.
    
    
    “Why do you contend with me?
        You have all transgressed against me,
                                            declares the LORD.
    In vain have I struck your children;
        they took no correction;
    your own sword devoured your prophets
        like a ravening lion.
    And you, O generation, behold the word of the LORD.
    Have I been a wilderness to Israel,
        or a land of thick darkness?
    Why then do my people say, ‘We are free,
        we will come no more to you’?
    Can a virgin forget her ornaments,
        or a bride her attire?
    Yet my people have forgotten me
        days without number.
    
    
    “How well you direct your course
        to seek love!
    So that even to wicked women
        you have taught your ways.
    Also on your skirts is found
        the lifeblood of the guiltless poor;
    you did not find them breaking in.
        Yet in spite of all these things
    you say, ‘I am innocent;
        surely his anger has turned from me.’
    Behold, I will bring you to judgment
        for saying, ‘I have not sinned.’
    How much you go about,
        changing your way!
    You shall be put to shame by Egypt
        as you were put to shame by Assyria.
    From it too you will come away
        with your hands on your head,
    for the LORD has rejected those in whom you trust,
        and you will not prosper by them. (ESV)

We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

  For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,

    “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles,
        and sing to your name.”
    
    
      And again it says,

    “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.”
    
    
      And again,

    “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,
        and let all the peoples extol him.”
    
    
      And again Isaiah says,

    “The root of Jesse will come,
        even he who arises to rule the Gentiles;
    in him will the Gentiles hope.”
    
    
      May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (ESV)