He said to her, “Stand watch at the entrance to the tent. If anyone comes along and asks you, ‘Is there a man here?’ say ‘No.’”

I thought,<n id="1" /> &#8216;Now the Philistines will come down on me at Gilgal and I have not sought the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s favor.&#8217; So I felt obligated<n id="2" /> to offer the burnt offering.&#8221;p>

Now, run to meet her and ask her, &#8216;Are you well? Are your husband and the boy well?&#8217;&#8221; She told Gehazi,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Everything&#8217;s fine.&#8221;

So we boiled my son and ate him. Then I said to her the next day, &#8216;Hand over your son and we&#8217;ll eat him.&#8217; But she hid her son!&#8221;

As for this temple, which was once majestic,<n id="1" /> everyone who passes by it will be shocked and say, &#8216;Why did the <sc>Lordsc> do this to this land and this temple?&#8217;

He said to him, &#8220;Take these vessels and go deposit them in the temple in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt in its proper location.&#8221;<n id="1" />

Then I said, &#8220;Please, O <sc>LORDsc> God of heaven, great and awesome God, who keeps his loving covenant<n id="1" /> with those who love him and obey<n id="2" /> his commandments,

<p class="bodytext">I replied to the king, &#8220;O king, live forever! Why would I not appear dejected when the city with the graves of my ancestors<n id="1" /> lies desolate and its gates destroyed<n id="2" /> by fire?&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">These are the ones who came up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon, and Immer (although they were unable to certify<n id="1" /> their family connection<n id="2" /> or their ancestry,<n id="3" /> as to whether they were really from Israel):p>

<p class="poetry">For forty years I was continually disgusted<n id="1" /> with that generation,p> <p class="poetry">and I said, &#8216;These people desire to go astray;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">they do not obey my commands.&#8217;<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel deserves praise,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">in the future and forevermore.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Let all the people say, &#8220;We agree!<n id="3" /> Praise the <sc>Lordsc>!&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

They called out to one another, &#8220;Holy, holy, holy<n id="1" /> is the Lord who commands armies!<n id="2" /> His majestic splendor fills the entire earth!&#8221;

I heard the voice of the sovereign master say, &#8220;Whom will I send? Who will go on our behalf?&#8221;<n id="1" /> I answered, &#8220;Here I am, send me!&#8221;

<p class="poetry">I replied, &#8220;How long, sovereign master?&#8221; He said,p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Until cities are in ruins and unpopulated,p> <p class="poetry">and houses are uninhabited,p> <p class="poetry">and the land is ruined and devastated,p>

<p class="poetry">From the ends of the earth we<n id="1" /> hear songs &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">the Just One is majestic.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">But I<n id="3" /> say, &#8220;I&#8217;m wasting away! I&#8217;m wasting away! I&#8217;m doomed!p> <p class="poetry">Deceivers deceive, deceivers thoroughly deceive!&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">At that time they will say,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Look, here<n id="2" /> is our God!p> <p class="poetry">We waited for him and he delivered us.p> <p class="poetry">Here<n id="3" /> is the <sc>Lordsc>! We waited for him.p> <p class="poetry">Let&#8217;s rejoice and celebrate his deliverance!&#8221;p>

Or when they hand the scroll to one who can&#8217;t read<n id="1" /> and say, &#8220;Read this,&#8221; he says, &#8220;I can&#8217;t read.&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">A voice says, &#8220;Cry out!&#8221;p> <p class="poetry">Another asks,<n id="1" /> &#8220;What should I cry out?&#8221;p> <p class="poetry">The first voice responds:<n id="2" /> &#8220;All people are like grass,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">and all their promises<n id="4" /> are like the flowers in the field.p>

<p class="poetry">you whom I am bringing back<n id="1" /> from the earth&#8217;s extremities,p> <p class="poetry">and have summoned from the remote regions &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">I told you, &#8220;You are my servant.&#8221;p> <p class="poetry">I have chosen you and not rejected you.p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">Later the <sc>Lordsc> asked me, &#8220;What do you see, Jeremiah?&#8221; I answered, &#8220;I see a branch of an almond tree.&#8221;