Good News [1976], GOOD NEWS BIBLE WITH DEUTEROCANONICALS / APOCRYPHA Today's English Version (AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY, New York) [word count] [B15000].
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1 This is the second book of the
prophet Ezra. He was the son of
Seraiah, the grandson of Azariah,
and a descendant of Hilkiah, Shallum,
Zadok, Ahitub,
2 Ahijah, Phinehas,
Eli, Amariah, Azariah, Meraioth,
Arna, Uzzi, Borith, Abishua,
Phinehas, Eleazar,
3 and Aaron, of
the tribe of Levi.
The Rejection of Israel
3 When I, Ezra, was a captive in Media
during the reign of Artaxerxes,
king of Persia, note
4 the Lord said to me,
5 “Go and remind my people and
their children of the sins they have
committed against me, and let them
tell their grandchildren. note
6 My people
have sinned even more than their
ancestors, for they have forgotten
me and offered sacrifices to foreign
gods.
7 I rescued them from Egypt,
where they were slaves, but they
have done things that made me angry
and have refused to listen to my
warnings.
8 “Ezra, tear your hair in grief and
call down on these people all the disasters
they deserve. They are rebellious
and refuse to obey my Law.
9 How much longer can I tolerate
these people for whom I have done
so much?
10 For their sake I overthrew
many kings and crushed the
king of Egypt together with his officials
and all his army. note
11 I destroyed
all the nations that opposed them,
and in the east I scattered the people
of the provinces of Tyre and Sidon
and killed all the enemies of Israel.
12 “Ezra, tell them that the Lord
says:
13 I brought you across the Red
sea and made safe roads for you
where there were none. I made
Moses your leader and gave you
-- --
Aaron as your priest. note
14 I provided
you with light from a pillar of fire
and performed great miracles
among you, but you have forgotten
me. I, the Lord, have spoken. note
15 “The Lord Almighty says: I sent
you quails as a sign of my care for
you. I provided you with camps
where you could be safe, but all you
did there was complain. note
16 Even
when I destroyed your enemies, you
did not appreciate what I had done.
You have never done anything but
complain.
17 Have you forgotten the
blessings I gave you? There in the
desert when you were hungry and
thirsty you cried out to me:
18 ‘Why
have you brought us out to this desert
to kill us? Being slaves to the
Egyptians was better than coming
here to die.’ note
19 I was moved by your
bitter groans and gave you manna,
the bread of angels.
20 When you
were thirsty, I split the rock and all
the water you needed flowed out. To
protect you from the heat, I provided
you with shade trees. note
21 I divided
fertile lands among you and
drove out the Canaanites, the Perizzites,
and the Philistines who opposed
your advance. What more
could I have done for you?
22 “The Lord Almighty says: There
in the desert by the river of bitter
water when you were thirsty and
cursed me,
23 in spite of your insults
I did not send fire upon you. Instead,
I made the water fit to drink by
throwing wood into the river. note
24 People
of Israel, what can I do with you?
People of Judah, you refuse to obey
me. So I will turn to other nations
and make them my people. They will
keep my laws.
25 Because you have
abandoned me, I will abandon you.
You will beg me for mercy, but I will
show you none.
26 When you pray to
me, I will not hear you. You never
hesitate to commit murder; your
hands are stained with the blood of
those you have killed.
27 It is not me
that you have betrayed; you have betrayed
yourselves.
Israel Is to Be Replaced
28 “The Lord Almighty says: I have
pleaded with you as a father pleads
with his sons, as a mother pleads
with her daughters, or as a nursemaid
pleads with her small children.
29 I begged you to be my people so
that I could be your God, to be my
children so that I could be your father.
30 I gathered you together as a
hen gathers her chicks under her
wings. But now what can I do with
you? I will banish you from my
sight; note
31 and even when you offer
sacrifices to me, I will turn away
from you. Your religious festivals,
your New Moon celebrations, or
your circumcision ceremonies mean
nothing to me.
32 I sent to you my
servants, the prophets, but you
killed them and mutilated their
corpses. I will make you pay for
murdering them.
33 “The Lord Almighty says: Your
Temple is abandoned. I will scatter
you like straw blown away by the
wind.
34 Your children will have no
descendants because they rejected
my commandments and did what I
hated, just as you did.
35 I will give
your home to a people that is about
to appear. They will believe me,
even though they have not yet heard
of me. They will do what I command,
even though I never performed
any miracles for them.
36 They have not seen the prophets,
but they will live by their ancient
teachings. note
37 I give my solemn promise
that I will bless those people, and
their little children will laugh and
shout for joy. Those people have
never seen me, but deep within them
they will believe my words.
38 “Now, Father Ezra, look with
pride at the people you see coming
from the east.
39 Look at the leaders I
have given them: Abraham, Isaac,
Jacob, Hosea, Amos, Micah, Joel,
Obadiah, Jonah,
40 Nahum, Habakkuk,
Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah,
and Malachi (who is also called the
Lord's messenger).
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Good News [1976], GOOD NEWS BIBLE WITH DEUTEROCANONICALS / APOCRYPHA Today's English Version (AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY, New York) [word count] [B15000].
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