44 1 The word of God came to Jeremiah about the Jews who were living in Egypt, saying,
2 You saw all the evil things that I did to Jerusalem.
11 Now I'm going to do evil things to everyone in Judah who has fled to Egypt.
12-13 I'll kill them all with the sword, famine, and pestilence. They'll be a curse, astonishment, and reproach to everyone who sees them.
14 None of them will escape or survive.
15 All the men whose wives burned incense to other gods in Egypt said to Jeremiah,
16 We won’t listen to the words that you claim are God's words.
17 We’ll do whatever we want, including burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and pour out drink offerings for her.
18-19 Since we stopped burning incense and making cakes for her, we've been plagued by war and famine.
20 Then Jeremiah said to the people,
21-23 God destroyed the cities of Judah because you burned incense in them, disobeyed his laws, and committed other abominations.
25 Now you and your wives have said, "We will burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour drink offerings to her."
26 This is what God says about that,
I swear by my own great name that no one will speak my name again anywhere in Egypt.
27 I'm going to do evil things to you and kill you with the sword and famine.
28 Except for a small remnant of you, who I'll let survive to return to Judah.
Stop complaining, Baruch
45 1-2 God told Jeremiah to say to Baruch:
4 I'm going to bring evil on all flesh. But I'll let you live.
Against the Gentiles
46 1 This is what God said to Jeremiah about the Gentiles:
10 This is the day of the Lord God of hosts, a day of vengeance. The sword will devour and will be made drunk with blood.
Against Egypt
14 The sword will devour in Egypt.
15-16 God has forced your valiant men to kill each other.
25-26 God will punish Pharaoh and all the gods of Egypt. He'll deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.
Against the Philistines
47 1 This is what God said about the Philistines:
2 Waters will come from the north and flood the land, causing everyone to howl.
3 Fathers won't be able to save their children.
5 The people in Gaza will be bald. When will they stop cutting themselves?
Against Moab
48 1 This is what God says about Moab:
8 Every city, valley, and plain will be destroyed.
10 I will curse whoever's sword isn't bloody.
26 Moab will get drunk and wallow in its own vomit.
28 If you live in Moab, leave the cities and go live in a rock.
31 God will howl for Moab.
37 Every head will be bald, and every beard trimmed. They will cut their hands and put sackcloth on their loins.
38 The people of Moab will wail and howl from the housetops. For I have broken Moab like a bowl that I dislike.
44 Whoever runs in fear, will fall into the pit. Whoever escapes the pit, will get caught in the snare.
46 Woe to you, Moab! I'll enslave all your sons and daughters in the latter days.
Concerning the Ammonites
49 2 I will destroy the Ammonites and burn their women with fire.
3 Howl, gird yourself in sackcloth, and run to and fro in the hedges.
Concerning Edom
10 I have made Esau naked, revealed his secret places, and killed his children.
13 I have sworn by myself that all the cities of Edom will be destroyed.
17 Everyone who sees it will hiss.
18 Just like Sodom and Gomorrah, everyone in Edom will die.
Concerning Damascus
24-25 Damascus is the city of my joy!
26 Its young men will fall in the streets, and its soldiers will die in battle.
Against Babylon
50 13 Babylon will be destroyed and will never be inhabited again. Whoever sees it will hiss.
27 Kill all the bullocks in Babylon. Woe unto them! It is time for their punishment.
37 Their horses will be killed with the sword. And their men will become like women.
39-40 Like Sodom and Gomorrah, their land will never be inhabited again.
51 1 I will create a wind to destroy Babylon.
3 Let archers shoot all the Babylonians. Don't spare the young men.
4 Dead bodies will cover Babylon, and impaled bodies will line the streets.
7 Babylon is God's golden wine cup, from which all the nations will drink and become mad.
8 Babylon has been destroyed. Howl for her.
11 Make bright the arrows. It's the vengeance of God.
20 You are my battle axe and weapon of war. With you, I'll break the nations in pieces and destroy kingdoms.
21-23 I'll break everyone in pieces.
26 There won't be a single stone or foundation left in Babylon. It will be desolate forever.
30 The mighty men of Babylon will become like women.
37 Babylon will become a dwelling place for dragons. No one will live there.
57 I'll force the rulers of Babylon to get drunk. Then they'll go to sleep and never wake up.
Jeremiah's book is thrown into the Euphrates
59 In the fourth year of his reign, Zedekiah went to Babylon. Seraiah went with him.
60 Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil that would happen to Babylon.
61 Before Seraiah left for Babylon, Jeremiah said to him,
Read these words when you get to Babylon.
63 When you finish reading this book, tie a rock to it and throw it into the Euphrates River.
64 And say, "Thus will Babylon sink."
The fall of Jerusalem
52 1-20 The Fall of Jerusalem, the destruction of the temple, and the death of Zedekiah
Carole was right about the Catholic church, Mary, and incense (at about 3:00 in the podcast). Catholics burn candles for Mary, but they don't burn incense to her. They save the incense mostly for God and the "blessed sacrament" - although occasionally incense is directed at church members, as well.
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