WEBVTT 00:00:00.920 --> 00:00:03.700 Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're 00:00:03.700 --> 00:00:05.719 taking this journey together to read the Bible 00:00:05.719 --> 00:00:09.019 in a year. Today's reading is from the book of 00:00:09.019 --> 00:00:14.119 Jeremiah, chapters 43 and 44. Chapter 43. Now 00:00:14.119 --> 00:00:15.980 it happened when Jeremiah had stopped speaking 00:00:15.980 --> 00:00:18.359 to all the people, all the words of the Lord 00:00:18.359 --> 00:00:20.780 their God, for which the Lord their God had sent 00:00:20.780 --> 00:00:23.980 him to them all these words, that Azariah the 00:00:23.980 --> 00:00:27.280 son of Hoshiah, Joanan the son of Korea, and 00:00:27.280 --> 00:00:29.640 all the proud men spoke, saying to Jeremiah, 00:00:30.190 --> 00:00:33.250 You speak falsely. The Lord our God has not sent 00:00:33.250 --> 00:00:35.869 you to say, Do not go to Egypt to dwell there. 00:00:36.049 --> 00:00:39.210 But Baruch, the son of Neriah, has set you against 00:00:39.210 --> 00:00:41.929 us to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, 00:00:41.990 --> 00:00:44.530 that they may put us to death or carry us away 00:00:44.530 --> 00:00:47.530 captive to Babylon. So Joannan, the son of Korea, 00:00:47.750 --> 00:00:50.189 all the captains of the forces, and all the people 00:00:50.189 --> 00:00:52.250 would not obey the voice of the Lord to remain 00:00:52.250 --> 00:00:55.090 in the land of Judah. But Joanan the son of Korea 00:00:55.090 --> 00:00:57.729 and all the captains of the forces took all the 00:00:57.729 --> 00:01:00.369 remnant of Judah who had returned to dwell in 00:01:00.369 --> 00:01:02.509 the land of Judah, from all nations where they 00:01:02.509 --> 00:01:05.829 had been driven, men, women, children, the king's 00:01:05.829 --> 00:01:08.129 daughters, and every person whom Nebuchadnezzar, 00:01:08.269 --> 00:01:10.969 the captain of the guard, had left with Gedaliah 00:01:10.969 --> 00:01:13.650 the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah 00:01:13.650 --> 00:01:16.609 the prophet, and Baruch the son of Nariah. So 00:01:16.609 --> 00:01:18.709 they went to the land of Egypt, for they did 00:01:18.709 --> 00:01:20.950 not obey the voice of the Lord, and they went 00:01:20.950 --> 00:01:24.480 as far as Tephannes. Then the word of the Lord 00:01:24.480 --> 00:01:27.540 came to Jeremiah in Tephanis, saying, Take large 00:01:27.540 --> 00:01:30.000 stones in your hand and hide them in the sight 00:01:30.000 --> 00:01:32.560 of the men of Judah, in the clay in the brick 00:01:32.560 --> 00:01:35.280 courtyard which is at the entrance to Pharaoh's 00:01:35.280 --> 00:01:38.159 house in Tephanis, and say to them, Thus says 00:01:38.159 --> 00:01:40.819 the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, 00:01:40.879 --> 00:01:43.340 I will send and bring Nebuchadnezzar, the king 00:01:43.340 --> 00:01:46.099 of Babylon, my servant, and will set his throne 00:01:46.099 --> 00:01:49.280 above these stones that I have hidden, and he 00:01:49.280 --> 00:01:52.150 will spread his royal pavilion over them. When 00:01:52.150 --> 00:01:54.450 he comes, he will strike the land of Egypt and 00:01:54.450 --> 00:01:57.170 deliver to death those appointed for death, and 00:01:57.170 --> 00:02:00.430 to captivity those appointed for captivity, and 00:02:00.430 --> 00:02:02.989 to the sword those appointed for the sword. I 00:02:02.989 --> 00:02:04.950 will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods 00:02:04.950 --> 00:02:07.849 of Egypt, and he shall burn them and carry them 00:02:07.849 --> 00:02:10.810 away captive, and he shall array himself with 00:02:10.810 --> 00:02:13.449 the land of Egypt as a shepherd. puts on his 00:02:13.449 --> 00:02:16.229 garment, and he shall go out from there in peace. 00:02:16.490 --> 00:02:19.150 He shall also break the sacred pillars of Beit 00:02:19.150 --> 00:02:21.969 Shemesh that are in the land of Egypt, and the 00:02:21.969 --> 00:02:24.229 houses of the gods of the Egyptians he shall 00:02:24.229 --> 00:02:29.930 burn with fire. Chapter 44 The word that came 00:02:29.930 --> 00:02:32.090 to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews who dwell 00:02:32.090 --> 00:02:35.129 in the land of Egypt, who dwell at Migdal, at 00:02:35.129 --> 00:02:38.310 Tephanis, at Noph, and in the country of Pathros, 00:02:38.449 --> 00:02:41.150 saying, Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God 00:02:41.150 --> 00:02:44.050 of Israel, You have seen all the calamity that 00:02:44.050 --> 00:02:46.270 I have brought on Jerusalem and on all the cities 00:02:46.270 --> 00:02:49.469 of Judah. And behold, this day they are a desolation, 00:02:49.550 --> 00:02:52.550 and no one dwells in them, because of their wickedness 00:02:52.550 --> 00:02:55.050 which they have committed to provoke me to anger, 00:02:55.229 --> 00:02:57.710 in that they went to burn incense and to serve 00:02:57.710 --> 00:03:01.310 other gods whom they did not know, they nor you 00:03:01.310 --> 00:03:04.580 nor your fathers. However, I have sent to you 00:03:04.580 --> 00:03:07.599 all my servants the prophets, rising early and 00:03:07.599 --> 00:03:11.000 sending them, saying, O do not do this abominable 00:03:11.000 --> 00:03:14.639 thing that I hate. But they did not listen or 00:03:14.639 --> 00:03:17.060 incline their ear to turn from their wickedness 00:03:17.060 --> 00:03:20.139 to burn no incense to other gods. So my fury 00:03:20.139 --> 00:03:23.259 and my anger were poured out and kindled in the 00:03:23.259 --> 00:03:25.520 cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, 00:03:25.740 --> 00:03:28.400 and they are wasted and desolate as it is this 00:03:28.400 --> 00:03:31.539 day. Now therefore, thus says the Lord, the God 00:03:31.539 --> 00:03:35.090 of hosts. The God of Israel, why do you commit 00:03:35.090 --> 00:03:37.909 this great evil against yourselves, to cut off 00:03:37.909 --> 00:03:41.229 from you man and woman, child and infant, out 00:03:41.229 --> 00:03:44.129 of Judah, leaving none to remain, in that you 00:03:44.129 --> 00:03:46.849 provoke me to wrath with the works of your hands, 00:03:46.990 --> 00:03:49.629 burning incense to other gods in the land of 00:03:49.629 --> 00:03:52.389 Egypt, where you have gone to dwell, that you 00:03:52.389 --> 00:03:55.449 may cut yourselves off and be a curse and a reproach 00:03:55.449 --> 00:03:57.830 among all the nations of the earth? Have you 00:03:57.830 --> 00:04:00.090 forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, the 00:04:00.090 --> 00:04:02.449 wickedness of the kings of Judah? the wickedness 00:04:02.449 --> 00:04:05.090 of their wives, your own wickedness, and the 00:04:05.090 --> 00:04:07.490 wickedness of your wives, which they committed 00:04:07.490 --> 00:04:10.009 in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 00:04:10.270 --> 00:04:13.310 They have not been humbled to this day, nor have 00:04:13.310 --> 00:04:16.269 they feared. They have not walked in my law or 00:04:16.269 --> 00:04:19.350 in my statutes that I said before you and your 00:04:19.350 --> 00:04:22.389 fathers. Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, 00:04:22.569 --> 00:04:25.310 the God of Israel, Behold, I will set my face 00:04:25.310 --> 00:04:28.089 against you for catastrophe and for cutting off 00:04:28.089 --> 00:04:30.930 all Judah. And I will take the remnant of Judah, 00:04:31.069 --> 00:04:33.529 who have set their faces to go into the land 00:04:33.529 --> 00:04:36.129 of Egypt, to dwell there. And they shall all 00:04:36.129 --> 00:04:38.750 be consumed and fall in the land of Egypt. They 00:04:38.750 --> 00:04:40.970 shall be consumed by the sword and by famine. 00:04:41.430 --> 00:04:43.810 They shall die from the least to the greatest, 00:04:44.009 --> 00:04:46.470 by the sword and by famine. And they shall be 00:04:46.470 --> 00:04:49.670 an oath, an astonishment, a curse, and a reproach. 00:04:49.670 --> 00:04:51.810 For I will punish those who dwell in the land 00:04:51.810 --> 00:04:54.889 of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by the 00:04:54.889 --> 00:04:58.439 sword. by famine and by pestilence, so that none 00:04:58.439 --> 00:05:00.939 of the remnant of Judah who have gone into the 00:05:00.939 --> 00:05:03.639 land of Egypt to dwell there shall escape or 00:05:03.639 --> 00:05:06.259 survive, lest they return to the land of Judah, 00:05:06.379 --> 00:05:09.199 to which they desire to return and dwell, for 00:05:09.199 --> 00:05:12.079 none shall return except those who escape. Then 00:05:12.079 --> 00:05:14.540 all the men who knew that their wives had burned 00:05:14.540 --> 00:05:16.959 incense to other gods, with all the women who 00:05:16.959 --> 00:05:19.879 stood by, a great multitude, and all the people 00:05:19.879 --> 00:05:22.860 who dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Patros, answered 00:05:22.860 --> 00:05:25.279 Jeremiah, saying, As for the word that you have 00:05:25.279 --> 00:05:27.600 spoken to us in the name of the Lord, we will 00:05:27.600 --> 00:05:30.360 not listen to you, but we will certainly do whatever 00:05:30.360 --> 00:05:33.339 has gone out of our own mouth to burn incense 00:05:33.339 --> 00:05:35.899 to the Queen of Heaven and pour out drink offerings 00:05:35.899 --> 00:05:39.480 to her as we have done, we and our fathers, our 00:05:39.480 --> 00:05:41.879 kings and our princes, in the cities of Judah 00:05:41.879 --> 00:05:44.939 and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we 00:05:44.939 --> 00:05:47.980 had plenty of food, were well off, and saw no 00:05:47.980 --> 00:05:50.569 trouble. But since we stopped burning incense 00:05:50.569 --> 00:05:53.029 to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink 00:05:53.029 --> 00:05:56.069 offerings to her, we have lacked everything and 00:05:56.069 --> 00:05:59.110 have been consumed by the sword and by famine. 00:05:59.389 --> 00:06:02.230 The women also said, And when we burned incense 00:06:02.230 --> 00:06:04.949 to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings 00:06:04.949 --> 00:06:07.810 to her, did we make cakes for her to worship 00:06:07.810 --> 00:06:10.649 her and pour out drink offerings to her without 00:06:10.649 --> 00:06:13.290 our husband's permission? Then Jeremiah spoke 00:06:13.290 --> 00:06:15.920 to all the people. the men, the women, and all 00:06:15.920 --> 00:06:18.759 the people who had given him that answer, saying, 00:06:19.040 --> 00:06:21.399 The incense that you burned in the cities of 00:06:21.399 --> 00:06:24.160 Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and 00:06:24.160 --> 00:06:26.879 your fathers, your kings and your princes, and 00:06:26.879 --> 00:06:29.199 the people of the land, did not the Lord remember 00:06:29.199 --> 00:06:32.480 them, and did it not come into his mind? So the 00:06:32.480 --> 00:06:34.720 Lord could no longer bear it, because of the 00:06:34.720 --> 00:06:37.319 evil of your doings and because of the abominations 00:06:37.319 --> 00:06:40.079 which you committed. Therefore your land is a 00:06:40.079 --> 00:06:43.420 desolation. an astonishment, a curse, and without 00:06:43.420 --> 00:06:46.480 an inhabitant, as it is this day. Because you 00:06:46.480 --> 00:06:48.360 have burned incense and because you have sinned 00:06:48.360 --> 00:06:50.560 against the Lord and have not obeyed the voice 00:06:50.560 --> 00:06:53.579 of the Lord or walked in His law, in His statutes, 00:06:53.579 --> 00:06:56.800 or in His testimonies, therefore this calamity 00:06:56.800 --> 00:07:00.699 has happened to you as at this day. Moreover, 00:07:00.920 --> 00:07:03.120 Jeremiah said to all the people and to all the 00:07:03.120 --> 00:07:05.819 women, Hear the word of the Lord, all Judah. 00:07:06.189 --> 00:07:08.769 who are in the land of Egypt. Thus says the Lord 00:07:08.769 --> 00:07:11.629 of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, You and 00:07:11.629 --> 00:07:14.470 your wives have spoken with your mouth and fulfilled 00:07:14.470 --> 00:07:17.170 with your hands, saying, We will surely keep 00:07:17.170 --> 00:07:20.029 our vows that we have made, to burn incense to 00:07:20.029 --> 00:07:22.069 the Queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings 00:07:22.069 --> 00:07:25.329 to her. You will surely keep your vows and perform 00:07:25.329 --> 00:07:27.970 your vows. Therefore hear the word of the Lord, 00:07:28.110 --> 00:07:31.410 all Judah who dwell in the land of Egypt. Behold, 00:07:31.430 --> 00:07:34.009 I have sworn by my great name, says the Lord. 00:07:34.410 --> 00:07:36.949 that my name shall no more be named in the mouth 00:07:36.949 --> 00:07:40.009 of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, 00:07:40.149 --> 00:07:43.930 saying, The Lord God lives. Behold, I will watch 00:07:43.930 --> 00:07:47.370 over them for adversity and not for good. And 00:07:47.370 --> 00:07:49.709 all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt 00:07:49.709 --> 00:07:52.589 shall be consumed by the sword and by famine 00:07:52.589 --> 00:07:56.339 until there is an end to them. Yet a small number 00:07:56.339 --> 00:07:58.879 who escape the sword shall return from the land 00:07:58.879 --> 00:08:01.399 of Egypt to the land of Judah, and all the remnant 00:08:01.399 --> 00:08:04.480 of Judah who have gone to the land of Egypt to 00:08:04.480 --> 00:08:07.660 dwell there shall know whose words will stand, 00:08:07.959 --> 00:08:11.439 mine or theirs. And this shall be a sign to you, 00:08:11.579 --> 00:08:14.199 says the Lord, that I will punish you in this 00:08:14.199 --> 00:08:17.300 place, that you may know that my words will surely 00:08:17.300 --> 00:08:20.560 stand against you for adversity. Thus says the 00:08:20.560 --> 00:08:23.600 Lord, Behold, I will give Pharaoh, Hophra king 00:08:23.600 --> 00:08:26.720 of Egypt, into the hand of his enemies and into 00:08:26.720 --> 00:08:29.480 the hand of those who seek his life, as I gave 00:08:29.480 --> 00:08:32.419 Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar 00:08:32.419 --> 00:08:35.519 king of Babylon, his enemy who sought his life. 00:08:40.440 --> 00:08:42.600 I hope you enjoyed today's reading as much as 00:08:42.600 --> 00:08:44.700 I did, and I look forward to seeing you again 00:08:44.700 --> 00:08:47.139 tomorrow to continue on our journey. God bless 00:08:47.139 --> 00:08:48.200 you and have a great day.