Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today's reading is from Jeremiah chapters
3 and 4. Chapter 3 They say, If a man divorces
his wife, and she goes from him and becomes another
man's, may he return to her again? Would not
that land be greatly polluted? But you have played
the harlot with many lovers, yet return to me,
says the Lord. Lift up your eyes to the desolate
heights and see. Where have you not lain with
men? By the road you have sat for them, like
an Arabian in the wilderness, and you have polluted
the land with your harlotries and your wickedness.
Therefore the showers have been withheld, and
there has been no latter rain. You have had a
harlot's forehead. You refuse to be ashamed.
Will you not from this time cry to me, My father,
you are the guide of my youth. Will he remain
angry forever? Will he keep it to the end? Behold,
you have spoken and done evil things, as you
are able. The Lord said also to me in the days
of Josiah the king, Have you seen what backsliding
Israel has done? She has gone up on every high
mountain and under every green tree, and there
played the harlot. And I said, After she had
done all these things, return to me. But she
did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah
saw it. Then I saw that for all the causes for
which backsliding Israel had committed adultery,
I had put her away and given her a certificate
of divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah
did not fear. but went and played the harlot
also. So it came to pass, through her casual
harlotry, that she defiled the land and committed
adultery with stones and trees. And yet, for
all this, her treacherous sister Judah has not
turned to me with her whole heart, but in pretense,
says the Lord. Then the Lord said to me, Backsliding
Israel has shown herself more righteous than
treacherous Judah. Go and proclaim these words
toward the north and say, Return, backsliding
Israel, says the Lord. I will not cause my anger
to fall on you, for I am merciful, says the Lord.
I will not remain angry forever, only acknowledge
your iniquity, that you have transgressed against
the Lord your God, and have scattered your charms
to alien deities under every green tree, and
you have not obeyed my voice, says the Lord.
Return, O backsliding children, says the Lord,
for I am married to you. I will take you, one
from a city and two from a family, and I will
bring you to Zion. and I will give you shepherds
according to my heart, who will feed you with
knowledge and understanding. Then it shall come
to pass, when you are multiplied and increased
in the land in those days, says the Lord, that
they will say no more the ark of the covenant
of the Lord. It shall not come to mind, nor shall
they remember it, nor shall they visit it, nor
shall it be made any more. At that time Jerusalem
shall be called the throne of the Lord, and all
the nations shall be gathered to it, to the name
of the Lord, to Jerusalem. No more shall they
follow the dictates of their evil hearts. In
those days the house of Judah shall walk with
the house of Israel, and they shall come together
out of the land of the north to the land that
I have given as an inheritance to your fathers.
But I said, How can I put you among the children
and give you a pleasant land, a beautiful heritage
of the hosts of nations? And I said, You shall
call me my father, and not turn away from me.
Surely as a wife treacherously departs from her
husband, so have you dealt treacherously with
me, O house of Israel, says the Lord. A voice
was heard on the desolate heights, weeping and
supplications of the children of Israel, for
they have perverted their way, they have forgotten
the Lord their God. Return, you backsliding children,
and I will heal your backslidings. Indeed, we
do come to you, for you are the Lord our God.
Truly, in vain is salvation hoped for from the
hills and from the multitude of mountains. Truly,
in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel.
For shame has devoured the labor of our fathers
from our youth, their flocks and their herds,
their sons and their daughters. We lie down in
our shame, and our reproach covers us. For we
have sinned against the Lord our God, we and
our fathers, from our youth even to this day,
and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our
God. Chapter 4 If you will return, O Israel,
says the Lord, return to me. And if you will
put away your abominations out of my sight, then
you shall not be moved. And you shall swear the
Lord lives in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness.
The nations shall bless themselves in him, and
in him they shall glory. For thus says the Lord
to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your
fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns. circumcise
yourselves to the lord and take away the foreskins
of your hearts you men of judah and inhabitants
of jerusalem lest my fury come forth like fire
and burn so that no one can quench it because
of the evil of your doings declare in judah and
proclaim in jerusalem and say blow the trumpet
in the land cry gather together and say assemble
yourselves and let us go into the fortified cities
set up the standard towards zion take refuge
do not delay for i will bring disaster from the
north and great destruction the lion has come
up from his thicket and the destroyer of nations
is on his way he has gone forth from his place
to make your land desolate your cities will be
laid waste without inhabitant for this clothe
yourself with sackcloth lament and wail for the
fierce anger of the lord has not turned back
from us and it shall come to pass in that day
says the lord that the heart of the king shall
perish and the heart of the princes The priests
shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder.
Then I said, Ah, Lord God, surely you have greatly
deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, You
shall have peace, whereas the sword reaches to
the heart. At that time it will be said to this
people and to Jerusalem, A dry wind of the desolate
heights blows in the wilderness toward the daughter
of my people. Not to fan or to cleanse. A wind
too strong for these will come for me. Now I
will also speak judgment against them. behold
he shall come up like clouds and his chariots
like a whirlwind his horses are swifter than
eagles woe to us for we are plundered o jerusalem
wash your heart from wickedness that you may
be saved how long shall your evil thoughts lodge
within you for a voice declares from then and
proclaims affliction from mount ephraim make
mention to the nations yes proclaim against jerusalem
that watchers come from a far country and raise
their voice against the cities of judah like
keepers of a field they are against her all around
because she has been rebellious against me says
the lord your ways and your doings have procured
these things for you this is your wickedness
because it is bitter because it reaches to your
heart o my soul my soul i am pained in my very
heart my heart makes a noise in me i cannot hold
my peace because you have heard o my soul the
sound of the trumpet the alarm of war destruction
upon destruction is cried for the whole land
is plundered. Suddenly my tents are plundered,
and my curtains in a moment. How long will I
see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet?
For my people are foolish, they have not known
me. They are silly children, and they have no
understanding. They are wise to do evil, but
to do good they have no knowledge. I beheld the
earth, and indeed it was without form and void.
And the heavens, they had no light. I beheld
the mountains, and indeed they trembled, and
all the hills moved back and forth. I beheld,
and indeed there was no man, and all the birds
of the heavens had fled. I beheld, and indeed
the fruitful land was a wilderness, and all its
cities were broken down, at the presence of the
Lord by His fierce anger. For thus says the Lord,
The whole land shall be desolate, yet I will
not make a full end. For this shall the earth
mourn, and the heavens above be black. Because
I have spoken, I have purposed, and will not
relent, nor will I turn back from it. The whole
city shall flee from the noise of the horsemen
and bowmen. They shall go into thickets and climb
up on the rocks. Every city shall be broken,
and not a man shall dwell in it. And when you
are plundered, what will you do? Though you clothe
yourself with crimson, though you adorn yourself
with ornaments of gold, though you enlarge your
eyes with paint, in vain you will make yourself
fair. Your lovers will despise you, they will
seek your life. For I have heard a voice as of
a woman in labor. the anguish as of her who brings
forth her first child. The voice of the daughter
of Zion bewailing herself, she spreads her hands,
saying, Woe is me now, for my soul is weary because
of murderers. I hope you enjoyed today's reading
as much as I did, and I look forward to seeing
you again tomorrow to continue on our journey.
God bless you and have a great day.