Jeremiah 4
1
"If you will return, O Israel," says the LORD,
a "Return to Me;
And if you will put away your abominations out of My sight,
Then you shall not be moved.
2
b And you shall swear, 'The LORD lives,'
c In truth, in judgment, and in righteousness;
d The nations shall bless themselves in Him,
And in Him they shall e glory."
3
For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem:
f "Break up your fallow ground,
And g do not sow among thorns.
4
h 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."
5
Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say:
i "Blow the trumpet in the land;
Cry, 'Gather together,'
And say, j 'Assemble yourselves,
And let us go into the fortified cities.'
6
Set up the standard toward Zion.
Take refuge! Do not delay!
For I will bring disaster from the k north,
And great destruction."
7
l The lion has come up from his thicket,
And m the destroyer of nations is on his way.
He has gone forth from his place
n To make your land desolate.
Your cities will be laid waste,
Without inhabitant.
8
For this, o clothe yourself with sackcloth,
Lament and wail.
For the fierce anger of the LORD
Has not turned back from us.
9
"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."
10
Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD!
p Surely You have greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem,
q Saying, 'You shall have peace,'
Whereas the sword reaches to the heart."
11
At that time it will be said
To this people and to Jerusalem,
r "A dry wind of the desolate heights blows in the wilderness
Toward the daughter of My people -
Not to fan or to cleanse -
12
A wind too strong for these will come for Me;
Now s I will also speak judgment against them."
13
"Behold, he shall come up like clouds,
And t his chariots like a whirlwind.
u His horses are swifter than eagles.
Woe to us, for we are plundered!"
14
O Jerusalem, v wash your heart from wickedness,
That you may be saved.
How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you?
15
For a voice declares w from Dan
And proclaims affliction from Mount Ephraim:
16
"Make mention to the nations,
Yes, proclaim against Jerusalem,
That watchers come from a x far country
And raise their voice against the cities of Judah.
17
y Like keepers of a field they are against her all around,
Because she has been rebellious against Me," says the LORD.
18
"Your z ways and your doings
Have procured these things for you.
This is your wickedness,
Because it is bitter,
Because it reaches to your heart."
19
O my a 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.
20
b Destruction upon destruction is cried,
For the whole land is plundered.
Suddenly c my tents are plundered,
And my curtains in a moment.
21
How long will I see the standard,
And hear the sound of the trumpet?
22
"For My people are foolish,
They have not known Me.
They are silly children,
And they have no understanding.
d They are wise to do evil,
But to do good they have no knowledge."
23
e I beheld the earth, and indeed it was f without form, and void;
And the heavens, they had no light.
24
g I beheld the mountains, and indeed they trembled,
And all the hills moved back and forth.
25
I beheld, and indeed there was no man,
And h all the birds of the heavens had fled.
26
I beheld, and indeed the fruitful land was a i wilderness,
And all its cities were broken down
At the presence of the LORD,
By His fierce anger.
27
For thus says the LORD:
"The whole land shall be desolate;
j Yet I will not make a full end.
28
For this k shall the earth mourn,
And l the heavens above be black,
Because I have spoken.
I have m purposed and n will not relent,
Nor will I turn back from it.
29
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 forsaken,
And not a man shall dwell in it.
30
"And when you are plundered,
What will you do?
Though you clothe yourself with crimson,
Though you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold,
o Though you enlarge your eyes with paint,
In vain you will make yourself fair;
p Your lovers will despise you;
They will seek your life.
31
"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 q spreads her hands, saying,
'Woe is me now, for my soul is weary
Because of murderers!'
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Cross References
Jeremiah 3:1
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.
Jeremiah 3:22
Return, you backsliding children, And I will heal your backslidings." "Indeed we do come to You, For You are the LORD our God.
Jeremiah 15:19
Therefore thus says the LORD: "If you return, Then I will bring you back; You shall stand before Me; If you take out the precious from the vile, You shall be as My mouth. Let them return to you, But you must not return to them.
Joel 2:12
"Now, therefore," says the LORD, "Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning."
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Cross References
Deuteronomy 10:20
You shall fear the LORD your God; you shall serve Him, and to Him you shall hold fast, and take oaths in His name.
Isaiah 45:23
I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath.
Isaiah 65:16
So that he who blesses himself in the earth Shall bless himself in the God of truth; And he who swears in the earth Shall swear by the God of truth; Because the former troubles are forgotten, And because they are hidden from My eyes.
Jeremiah 12:16
And it shall be, if they will learn carefully the ways of My people, to swear by My name, 'As the LORD lives,' as they taught My people to swear by Baal, then they shall be established in the midst of My people.
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Cross References
Isaiah 48:1
Hear this, O house of Jacob, Who are called by the name of Israel, And have come forth from the wellsprings of Judah; Who swear by the name of the LORD, And make mention of the God of Israel, But not in truth or in righteousness.
Zechariah 8:8
I will bring them back, And they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. They shall be My people And I will be their God, In truth and righteousness.
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Cross References
Genesis 22:18
"In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice."
Psalms 72:18
Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, Who only does wondrous things!
Isaiah 65:16
So that he who blesses himself in the earth Shall bless himself in the God of truth; And he who swears in the earth Shall swear by the God of truth; Because the former troubles are forgotten, And because they are hidden from My eyes.
Jeremiah 3:17
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.
Galatians 3:8
And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, "In you all the nations shall be blessed.
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Cross References
Isaiah 45:25
In the LORD all the descendants of Israel Shall be justified, and shall glory.'
Jeremiah 9:24
But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight," says the LORD.
1 Corinthians 1:31
That, as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.
2 Corinthians 10:17
But "he who glories, let him glory in the LORD.
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Cross References
Hosea 10:12
Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.
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Cross References
Matthew 13:7
And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.
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Cross References
Deuteronomy 10:16
Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart...
Deuteronomy 30:6
And the LORD your God will circumcise your hear...
Jeremiah 9:25
Behold, the days are coming," says the LORD, "t...
Jeremiah 9:26
"Egypt, Judah, Edom, the people of Ammon, Moab,...
Romans 2:28
For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor i...
Romans 2:29
But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circum...
Colossians 2:11
In Him you were also circumcised with the circu...
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Cross References
Jeremiah 6:1
O you children of Benjamin, Gather yourselves to flee from the midst of Jerusalem! Blow the trumpet in Tekoa, And set up a signal-fire in Beth Haccerem; For disaster appears out of the north, And great destruction.
Hosea 8:1
Set the trumpet to your mouth! He shall come like an eagle against the house of the LORD, Because they have transgressed My covenant And rebelled against My law.
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Cross References
Joshua 10:20
Then it happened, while Joshua and the children of Israel made an end of slaying them with a very great slaughter, till they had finished, that those who escaped entered fortified cities.
Jeremiah 8:14
Why do we sit still? Assemble yourselves, And let us enter the fortified cities, And let us be silent there. For the LORD our God has put us to silence And given us water of gall to drink, Because we have sinned against the LORD.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 1:13 - 15
And the word of the LORD came to me the second time, saying, "What do you see?" And I said, "I see a boiling pot, and it is facing away from the north.
Jeremiah 6:1
O you children of Benjamin, Gather yourselves to flee from the midst of Jerusalem! Blow the trumpet in Tekoa, And set up a signal-fire in Beth Haccerem; For disaster appears out of the north, And great destruction.
Jeremiah 6:22
Thus says the LORD: "Behold, a people comes from the north country, And a great nation will be raised from the farthest parts of the earth.
Jeremiah 50:17
"Israel is like scattered sheep; The lions have driven him away. First the king of Assyria devoured him; Now at last this Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has broken his bones."
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Cross References
2 Kings 24:1
In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him.
Daniel 7:4
The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man's heart was given to it.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 25:9
Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,' says the LORD, 'and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land, against its inhabitants, and against these nations all around, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, a hissing, and perpetual desolations.
Ezekiel 26:7 - 10
For thus says the Lord GOD: 'Behold, I will bring against Tyre from the north Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses, with chariots, and with horsemen, and an army with many people.
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Cross References
Isaiah 1:7
Your country is desolate, Your cities are burned with fire; Strangers devour your land in your presence; And it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.
Isaiah 6:11
Then I said, "Lord, how long?" And He answered: "Until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant, The houses are without a man, The land is utterly desolate.
Jeremiah 2:15
The young lions roared at him, and growled; They made his land waste; His cities are burned, without inhabitant.
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Cross References
Isaiah 22:12
And in that day the Lord GOD of hosts Called for weeping and for mourning, For baldness and for girding with sackcloth.
Jeremiah 6:26
O daughter of my people, Dress in sackcloth And roll about in ashes! Make mourning as for an only son, most bitter lamentation; For the plunderer will suddenly come upon us.
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Cross References
2 Kings 25:10 - 12
And all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down the walls of Jerusalem all around.
Ezekiel 14:9
And if the prophet is induced to speak anything, I the LORD have induced that prophet, and I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him from among My people Israel.
2 Thessalonians 2:11
And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 5:12
They have lied about the LORD, And said, " It is not He. Neither will evil come upon us, Nor shall we see sword or famine.
Jeremiah 14:13
Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, the prophets say to them, 'You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place.'
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Cross References
Jeremiah 51:1
Thus says the LORD: "Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, Against those who dwell in Leb Kamai, A destroying wind.
Ezekiel 17:10
Behold, it is planted, Will it thrive? Will it not utterly wither when the east wind touches it? It will wither in the garden terrace where it grew." '
Hosea 13:15
Though he is fruitful among his brethren, An east wind shall come; The wind of the LORD shall come up from the wilderness. Then his spring shall become dry, And his fountain shall be dried up. He shall plunder the treasury of every desirable prize.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 1:16
I will utter My judgments Against them concerning all their wickedness, Because they have forsaken Me, Burned incense to other gods, And worshiped the works of their own hands.
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Cross References
Isaiah 5:28
Whose arrows are sharp, And all their bows bent; Their horses' hooves will seem like flint, And their wheels like a whirlwind.
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Cross References
Deuteronomy 28:49
The LORD will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not understand.
Lamentations 4:19
Our pursuers were swifter Than the eagles of the heavens. They pursued us on the mountains And lay in wait for us in the wilderness.
Hosea 8:1
Set the trumpet to your mouth! He shall come like an eagle against the house of the LORD, Because they have transgressed My covenant And rebelled against My law.
Habakkuk 1:8
Their horses also are swifter than leopards, And more fierce than evening wolves. Their chargers charge ahead; Their cavalry comes from afar; They fly as the eagle that hastens to eat.
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Cross References
Proverbs 1:22
How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? For scorners delight in their scorning, And fools hate knowledge.
Isaiah 1:16
Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil.
Jeremiah 13:27
I have seen your adulteries And your lustful neighings, The lewdness of your harlotry, Your abominations on the hills in the fields. Woe to you, O Jerusalem! Will you still not be made clean?
James 4:8
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 8:16
The snorting of His horses was heard from Dan. The whole land trembled at the sound of the neighing of His strong ones; For they have come and devoured the land and all that is in it, The city and those who dwell in it.
Jeremiah 50:17
"Israel is like scattered sheep; The lions have driven him away. First the king of Assyria devoured him; Now at last this Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has broken his bones."
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Cross References
Isaiah 39:3
Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah, and said to him, "What did these men say, and from where did they come to you?" So Hezekiah said, "They came to me from a far country, from Babylon.
Jeremiah 5:15
Behold, I will bring a nation against you from afar, O house of Israel," says the LORD. "It is a mighty nation, It is an ancient nation, A nation whose language you do not know, Nor can you understand what they say.
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Cross References
2 Kings 25:1
Now it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and encamped against it; and they built a siege wall against it all around.
2 Kings 25:4
Then the city wall was broken through, and all the men of war fled at night by way of the gate between two walls, which was by the king's garden, even though the Chaldeans were still encamped all around against the city. And the king went by way of the plain.
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Cross References
Psalms 107:17
Fools, because of their transgression, And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.
Isaiah 50:1
Thus says the LORD: "Where is the certificate of your mother's divorce, Whom I have put away? Or which of My creditors is it to whom I have sold you? For your iniquities you have sold yourselves, And for your transgressions your mother has been put away.
Jeremiah 2:17
Have you not brought this on yourself, In that you have forsaken the LORD your God When He led you in the way?
Jeremiah 2:19
Your own wickedness will correct you, And your backslidings will rebuke you. Know therefore and see that it is an evil and bitter thing That you have forsaken the LORD your God, And the fear of Me is not in you," Says the Lord GOD of hosts.
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Cross References
2 Kings 25:11
Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carri...
2 Chronicles 36:20
And those who escaped from the sword he carried...
Isaiah 15:5
My heart will cry out for Moab; His fugitives s...
Isaiah 16:11
Therefore my heart shall resound like a harp fo...
Isaiah 21:3
Therefore my loins are filled with pain; Pangs ...
Isaiah 22:4
Therefore I said, "Look away from me, I will we...
Jeremiah 9:1
Oh, that my head were waters, And my eyes a fou...
Jeremiah 9:10
I will take up a weeping and wailing for the mo...
Jeremiah 20:9
Then I said, "I will not make mention of Him, N...
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Cross References
Psalms 42:7
Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; All Your waves and billows have gone over me.
Ezekiel 7:26
Disaster will come upon disaster, And rumor will be upon rumor. Then they will seek a vision from a prophet; But the law will perish from the priest, And counsel from the elders.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 10:20
My tent is plundered, And all my cords are broken; My children have gone from me, And they are no more. There is no one to pitch my tent anymore, Or set up my curtains.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 9:3
And like their bow they have bent their tongues for lies. They are not valiant for the truth on the earth. For they proceed from evil to evil, And they do not know Me," says the LORD.
Jeremiah 13:23
Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil.
Romans 16:19
For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil.
1 Corinthians 14:20
Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature.
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Cross References
Isaiah 24:19
The earth is violently broken, The earth is split open, The earth is shaken exceedingly.
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Cross References
Genesis 1:2
The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
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Cross References
Isaiah 5:25
Therefore the anger of the LORD is aroused against His people; He has stretched out His hand against them And stricken them, And the hills trembled. Their carcasses were as refuse in the midst of the streets. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still.
Jeremiah 10:10
But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth will tremble, And the nations will not be able to endure His indignation.
Ezekiel 38:20
'so that the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all men who are on the face of the earth shall shake at My presence. The mountains shall be thrown down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.'
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Cross References
Jeremiah 9:10
I will take up a weeping and wailing for the mountains, And for the dwelling places of the wilderness a lamentation, Because they are burned up, So that no one can pass through; Nor can men hear the voice of the cattle. Both the birds of the heavens and the beasts have fled; They are gone.
Jeremiah 12:4
How long will the land mourn, And the herbs of every field wither? The beasts and birds are consumed, For the wickedness of those who dwell there, Because they said, "He will not see our final end.
Zephaniah 1:3
I will consume man and beast; I will consume the birds of the heavens, The fish of the sea, And the stumbling blocks along with the wicked. I will cut off man from the face of the land," Says the LORD.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 9:10
I will take up a weeping and wailing for the mountains, And for the dwelling places of the wilderness a lamentation, Because they are burned up, So that no one can pass through; Nor can men hear the voice of the cattle. Both the birds of the heavens and the beasts have fled; They are gone.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 5:10
Go up on her walls and destroy, But do not make a complete end. Take away her branches, For they are not the LORD's.
Jeremiah 5:18
Nevertheless in those days," says the LORD, "I will not make a complete end of you.
Jeremiah 30:11
For I am with you,' says the LORD, 'to save you; Though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you, Yet I will not make a complete end of you. But I will correct you in justice, And will not let you go altogether unpunished.
Jeremiah 46:28
Do not fear, O Jacob My servant," says the LORD, "For I am with you; For I will make a complete end of all the nations To which I have driven you, But I will not make a complete end of you. I will rightly correct you, For I will not leave you wholly unpunished.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 12:4
How long will the land mourn, And the herbs of every field wither? The beasts and birds are consumed, For the wickedness of those who dwell there, Because they said, "He will not see our final end.
Jeremiah 12:11
They have made it desolate; Desolate, it mourns to Me; The whole land is made desolate, Because no one takes it to heart.
Jeremiah 14:2
Judah mourns, And her gates languish; They mourn for the land, And the cry of Jerusalem has gone up.
Hosea 4:3
Therefore the land will mourn; And everyone who dwells there will waste away With the beasts of the field And the birds of the air; Even the fish of the sea will be taken away.
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Cross References
Isaiah 5:30
In that day they will roar against them Like the roaring of the sea. And if one looks to the land, Behold, darkness and sorrow; And the light is darkened by the clouds.
Isaiah 50:3
I clothe the heavens with blackness, And I make sackcloth their covering.
Joel 2:30
And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke.
Joel 2:31
The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.
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Cross References
Isaiah 46:10
Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, 'My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure.
Isaiah 46:11
Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it.
Daniel 4:35
All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven And among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand Or say to Him, "What have You done?
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Cross References
Numbers 23:19
God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
Jeremiah 7:16
Therefore do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them, nor make intercession to Me; for I will not hear you.
Jeremiah 23:30
Therefore behold, I am against the prophets," says the LORD, "who steal My words every one from his neighbor.
Jeremiah 30:24
The fierce anger of the LORD will not return until He has done it, And until He has performed the intents of His heart. In the latter days you will consider it.
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Cross References
2 Kings 9:30
Now when Jehu had come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she put paint on her eyes and adorned her head, and looked through a window.
Ezekiel 23:40
Furthermore you sent for men to come from afar, to whom a messenger was sent; and there they came. And you washed yourself for them, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with ornaments.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 22:20
Go up to Lebanon, and cry out, And lift up your...
Jeremiah 22:22
The wind shall eat up all your rulers, And your...
Lamentations 1:2
She weeps bitterly in the night, Her tears are ...
Lamentations 1:19
I called for my lovers, But they deceived me; M...
Ezekiel 23:9
Therefore I have delivered her Into the hand of...
Ezekiel 23:10
They uncovered her nakedness, Took away her son...
Ezekiel 23:22
Therefore, Oholibah, thus says the Lord GOD: 'B...
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Cross References
Isaiah 1:15
When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood.
Lamentations 1:17
Zion spreads out her hands, But no one comforts her; The LORD has commanded concerning Jacob That those around him become his adversaries; Jerusalem has become an unclean thing among them.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.