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 the book of
Ezekiel chapter 20 and the book of Jeremiah chapters
21 and 34. The book of Ezekiel chapter 20. It
came to pass in the seventh year in the fifth
month on the tenth day of the month that certain
of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the
Lord and said before me. Then the word of the
Lord came to me saying, Son of man, speak to
the elders of Israel and say to them, Thus says
the Lord God, Have you come to inquire of me?
As I live, says the Lord God, I will not be inquired
of by you. Will you judge them, son of man? Will
you judge them? Then make known to them the abominations
of their fathers. Say to them, Thus says the
Lord God, On the day when I chose Israel and
raised my hand in an oath to the descendants
of the house of Jacob and made myself known to
them in the land of Egypt, I raised my hand in
an oath to them, saying, I am the Lord your God.
On that day I raised my hand in an oath to them
to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a
land that I had searched out for them, flowing
with milk and honey, the glory of all lands.
Then I said to them, Each of you, Throw away
the abominations which are before his eyes, and
do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt.
I am the Lord your God. But they rebelled against
me and would not obey me. They did not all cast
away the abominations which were before their
eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt.
Then I said, I will pour out my fury on them
and fulfill my anger against them in the midst
of the land of Egypt. But I acted for my name's
sake, that it should not be profaned before the
Gentiles, among whom they were, in whose sight
I had made myself known to them, to bring them
out of the land of Egypt. Therefore I made them
go out of the land of Egypt, and brought them
into the wilderness. And I gave them my statutes,
and showed them my judgments, which if a man
does, he shall live by them. Moreover I also
gave them my Sabbaths, to be a sign between them
and me. that they might know that I am the Lord
who sanctifies them. Yet the house of Israel
rebelled against me in the wilderness. They did
not walk in my statutes. They despised my judgments,
which if a man does, he shall live by them. And
they greatly defiled my sabbaths. Then I said
I would pour out my fury on them in the wilderness
to consume them. But I acted for my name's sake,
that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles,
in whose sight I had brought them out. So I also
raised my hand in an oath to them in the wilderness,
that I would not bring them into the land which
I had given them, flowing with milk and honey,
the glory of all lands, because they despised
my judgments, and did not walk in my statutes.
but profaned my Sabbaths, for their heart went
after their idols. Nevertheless, my eye spared
them from destruction. I did not make an end
of them in the wilderness. But I said to their
children in the wilderness, Do not walk in the
statutes of your fathers, nor observe their judgments,
nor defile yourselves with their idols. I am
the Lord your God. Walk in my statutes, keep
my judgments, and do them. hallow my sabbaths
and they will be a sign between me and you that
you may know that i am the lord your god notwithstanding
the children rebelled against me they did not
walk in my statutes and were not careful to observe
my judgments which if a man does he shall live
by them but they profane my sabbaths then i said
i would pour out my fury on them and fulfill
my anger against them in the wilderness nevertheless
i withdrew my hand and acted for my name's sake
that it should not be profaned in the sight of
the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them
out. Also I raised my hand in an oath to those
in the wilderness, that I would scatter them
among the Gentiles and disperse them throughout
the countries, because they had not executed
my judgments, but had despised my statutes, profaned
my Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on their
fathers' idols. Therefore I also gave them up
to statutes that were not good, and judgments
by which they could not live. And I pronounced
them unclean because of their ritual gifts, in
that they caused all their firstborn to pass
through the fire, that I might make them desolate,
and that they might know that I am the Lord.
Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of
Israel and say to them, Thus says the Lord God,
In this too your fathers have blasphemed me,
by being unfaithful to me, when I brought them
into the land concerning which I had raised my
hand in an oath to give them. And they saw all
the high hills and all the thick trees. There
they offered their sacrifices and provoked me
with their offerings. There they also sent up
their sweet aroma and poured out their drink
offerings. Then I said to them, What is this
high place to which you go? So its name is called
Bama to this day. Therefore say to the house
of Israel, Thus says the Lord God, Are you defiling
yourselves in the manner of your fathers and
committing harlotry according to their abominations?
For when you offer your gifts and make your sons
pass through the fire, you defile yourselves
with all your idols, even to this day. So shall
I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As
I live, says the Lord God, I will not be inquired
of by you. What you have in your mind shall never
be when you say, We will be like the Gentiles,
like the families in other countries, serving
wood and stone. As I live, says the Lord God,
surely with a mighty hand, with an outstretched
arm, and with fury poured out, I will rule over
you. I will bring you out from the peoples and
gather you out of the countries where you are
scattered with a mighty hand, with an outstretched
arm, and with fury poured out. And I will bring
you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there
I will plead my case with you face to face. Just
as I pleaded my case with your fathers in the
wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will plead
my case with you, says the Lord God. I will make
you pass under the rod, and I will bring you
into the bond of the covenant. I will purge the
rebels from among you and those who transgress
against me. I will bring them out of the country
where they dwell, but they shall not enter the
land of Israel. Then you will know that I am
the Lord. As for you, O house of Israel, Thus
says the Lord God, Go serve every one of you,
his idols, and hereafter, if you will not obey
me. But profane my holy name no more with your
gifts and your idols. For on my holy mountain,
on the mountain height of Israel, says the Lord
God, there all the house of Israel, all of them
in the land, shall serve me. There I will accept
them, and there I will require your offerings
and the firstfruits of your sacrifices. together
with all your holy things. I will accept you
as a sweet aroma when I bring you out of the
peoples and gather you out of the countries where
you have been scattered, and I will be hallowed
in you before the Gentiles. Then you shall know
that I am the Lord when I bring you into the
land of Israel, into the country for which I
raised my hand in an oath to give to your fathers.
And there you shall remember your ways and all
your doings with which you were defiled. and
you shall loathe yourselves in your own sight
because of all the evils that you have committed.
Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when
I have dealt with you for my name's sake, not
according to your wicked ways, nor according
to your corrupt doings, O house of Israel, says
the Lord God. Furthermore, the word of the Lord
came to me, saying, Son of man, set your face
toward the south, preach against the south, and
prophesy against the forest land, the south and
say to the forest of the south hear the word
of the lord thus says the lord god behold i will
kindle a fire in you and it shall devour every
green tree and every dry tree in you the blazing
flame shall not be quenched and all faces from
the south to the north shall be scorched by it
all flesh shall see that i the lord have kindled
it it shall not be quenched then i said ah lord
god they say of me Does he not speak parables?
The Book of Jeremiah Chapter 21 The word which
came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when King Zedekiah
sent to him Pashur the son of Melchiah, and Zephaniah
the son of Masiah the priest, saying, Please
inquire of the Lord for us, for Nebuchadnezzar
king of Babylon makes war against us. Perhaps
the Lord will deal with us according to all his
wonderful works, that the king may go away from
us. Then Jeremiah said to them, Thus you shall
say to Zedekiah, Thus says the Lord God of Israel,
Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that
are in your hands, with which you fight against
the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who besiege
you outside the walls, and I will assemble them
in the midst of this city. I myself will fight
against you with an outstretched hand and with
a strong arm, even in anger and fury and great
wrath. I will strike the inhabitants of this
city, both man and beast. They shall die of a
great pestilence. And afterward, says the Lord,
I will deliver Zedekiah, king of Judah, his servants
and the people, and such as are left in this
city from the pestilence and the sword and the
famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king
of Babylon, into the hand of their enemies, and
into the hand of those who seek their life. And
he shall strike them with the edge of the sword.
He shall not spare them or have pity. Now you
shall say to this people, Thus says the Lord,
Behold, I set before you the way of life and
the way of death. He who remains in this city
shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence.
But he who goes out and defects to the Chaldeans
who besiege you, he shall live, and his life
shall be as a prize to him. For I have set my
face against this city for adversity and not
for good, says the Lord. It shall be given into
the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall
burn it with fire. And concerning the house of
the king of Judah, say, Hear the word of the
Lord, O house of David, thus says the Lord. Execute
judgment in the morning, and deliver him who
is plundered out of the hand of the oppressor,
lest my fury go forth like fire, and burn so
that no one can quench it, because of the evil
of your doings. Behold, I am against you, O inhabitant
of the valley, and rock of the plain. says the
lord who say who shall come down against us or
who shall enter our dwellings but i will punish
you according to the fruit of your doings says
the lord i will kindle a fire in its forest and
it shall devour all things around it chapter
34 the word which came to jeremiah from the lord
when nebuchadnezzar king of babylon and all his
army all the kingdoms of the earth under his
dominion, and all the people fought against Jerusalem
and all its cities, saying, Thus says the Lord,
the God of Israel, Go and speak to Zedekiah king
of Judah and tell him, Thus says the Lord, Behold,
I will give this city into the hand of the king
of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire, and
you shall not escape from his hand, but shall
surely be taken and delivered into his hand.
Your eyes shall see the eyes of the king of Babylon.
He shall speak with you face to face, and you
shall go to Babylon. Yet hear the word of the
Lord, O Zedekiah king of Judah. Thus says the
Lord concerning you, You shall not die by the
sword. You shall die in peace, as in the ceremonies
of your fathers, the former kings who were before
you. So they shall burn incense for you and lament
for you, saying, Alas, Lord, for I have pronounced
the word, says the Lord. Then Jeremiah the prophet
spoke all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah.
in Jerusalem, when the king of Babylon's army
fought against Jerusalem and all the cities of
Judah that were left against Lashish and Azekah,
for only these fortified cities remained of the
cities of Judah. This is the word that came to
Jeremiah from the Lord after King Zedekiah had
made a covenant with all the people who were
at Jerusalem to proclaim liberty to them that
every man should set free his male and female
slave, a Hebrew man or woman, that no one should
keep a Jewish brother in bondage. Now when all
the princes and all the people who had entered
into the covenant heard that everyone should
set free his male and female slaves, that no
one should keep them in bondage anymore, they
obeyed and let them go. But afterward they changed
their minds and made the male and female slaves
return, whom they had set free, and brought them
into subjection as male and female slaves. Therefore
the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the
Lord, saying, Thus says the Lord, the God of
Israel, I made the covenant with your fathers
in the day that I brought them out of the land
of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, saying,
At the end of seven years, let every man set
free his Hebrew brother who has been sold to
him, and when he has served you six years, you
shall let him go free from you. But your fathers
did not obey me nor incline their ear. Then you
recently turned and did what was right in my
sight, every man proclaiming liberty to his neighbor.
and you made a covenant before me in the house
which is called by my name. Then you turned around
and profaned my name, and every one of you brought
back his male and female slaves, whom you had
set at liberty, at their pleasure, and brought
them back into subjection to be your male and
female slaves. Therefore, thus says the Lord,
you have not obeyed me in proclaiming liberty,
every one to his brother, and every one to his
neighbor. behold i proclaim liberty to you says
the lord to the sword to pestilence and to famine
and i will deliver you to trouble among all the
kingdoms of the earth and i will give the men
who have transgressed my covenant who have not
performed the words of the covenant which they
made before me when they cut the calf into and
passed between the parts of it the princes of
judah the princes of jerusalem the eunuchs, the
priests, and all the people of the land who had
passed between the parts of the calf. I will
give them into the hand of their enemies and
into the hand of those who seek their life. Their
dead bodies shall be for meat for the birds of
the heaven and the beasts of the earth. And I
will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes
into the hand of their enemies, into the hand
of those who seek their life, and into the hand
of the king of Babylon's army, which has gone
back from you. 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.