Jeremiah Threatened with Death
1 In the beginning of the reign of lJehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the Lord: 2 “Thus says the Lord: mStand nin the court of the Lord’s house, and speak to all the cities of Judah that come to worship in the house of the Lord all the words that I command you to speak to them; do not hold back a word. 3 oIt may be they will listen, and every one turn from his evil way, that I may prelent of the disaster that I intend to do to them because of their evil deeds. 4 You shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord: If you will not listen to me, to walk in my law that I have set before you, 5 and to listen to the words of my servants the prophets whom I send to you qurgently, though you have not listened, 6 then I will make this house rlike Shiloh, and I will make this city a curse for all the nations of the earth.’”
7 The priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord. 8 And swhen Jeremiah had finished speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, then the priests and the prophets and all the people laid hold of him, saying, “You shall die! 9 Why have you prophesied in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate, twithout inhabitant’?” And all the people gathered around Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.
10 When the officials of Judah heard these things, they came up from the king’s house to the house of the Lord and took their seat in the entry of the uNew Gate of the house of the Lord. 11 Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and to all the people, v“This man deserves the sentence of death, because he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears.”
12 Then Jeremiah spoke to all the officials and all the people, saying, “The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and this city all the words you have heard. 13 Now therefore wmend your ways and your deeds, and obey the voice of the Lord your God, and the Lord will xrelent of the disaster that he has pronounced against you. 14 But as for me, behold, I am in your hands. Do with me as seems good and right to you. 15 Only know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood upon yourselves and upon this city and its inhabitants, for in truth the Lord sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears.”
Jeremiah Spared from Death
16 Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, “This man does not deserve the sentence of death, for he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.”
The Remnant of Israel
1 I ask, then, has God arejected his people? By no means! For bI myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham,1 a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people whom he cforeknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? 3 d“Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” 4 But what is God’s reply to him? e“I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too at the present time there is a fremnant, chosen by grace. 6 But gif it is by grace, it is hno longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be igrace.
7 What then? Israel jfailed to obtain what it was seeking. The kelect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8 as it is written,
l“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
meyes that would not see
and ears that would not hear,
down to this very day.”
9 And David says,
n“Let their table become a snare and a trap,
a stumbling block and a retribution for them;
10 let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,
and bend their backs forever.”
Gentiles Grafted In
11 So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass osalvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to pmake Israel jealous. 12 Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion2 mean!
19 There was again a edivision among the Jews because of these words. 20 Many of them said, “He fhas a demon, and is ginsane; why listen to him?” 21 hOthers said, “These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon iopen the eyes of the blind?”
I and the Father Are One
22 At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the jcolonnade of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? kIf you are the Christ, tell us lplainly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name mbear witness about me, 26 but nyou do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27 My sheep ohear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I pgive them eternal life, and they will never perish, and qno one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, rwho has given them to me,1 is sgreater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 tI and the Father are one.”
31 The Jews picked up stones uagain to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for vblasphemy, wbecause you, being a man, xmake yourself God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, y‘I said, you are gods’? 35 If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—zand Scripture cannot be broken— 36 do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ abecause I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, bbelieve the works, that you may know and understand that cthe Father is in me and I am in the Father.” 39 Again they sought to darrest him, ebut he escaped from their hands.
40 He went away again across the Jordan to fthe place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. 41 And many came to him. And they said, “John did no sign, but geverything that John said about this man was true.” 42 And hmany believed in him there.
