Peter has been warning about false teachers who will arise among believers, describing their destructive heresies and denial of the Master who bought them. He explains that God knows how to rescue the godly from trials while keeping the unrighteous under punishment until judgment day, particularly those who follow corrupt desires and despise authority. Peter characterizes these false teachers as bold, arrogant individuals who are not afraid to slander celestial beings, contrasting them with angels who, despite being stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations before the Lord. He emphasizes that these false teachers are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct born to be caught and destroyed, speaking evil of things they do not understand.
[9] then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, [10] and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, [11] whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord.
[12] But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption, [13] and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you, [14] having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. [15] They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; [16] but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet.
[17] These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.
[18] For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. [19] While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage. [20] For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. [21] For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. [22] But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.”
In the preceding verses, Solomon describes how he prayed for and received wisdom from God, recognizing it as a divine gift superior to all earthly treasures including gold, silver, and precious stones. He explains that wisdom brought him all good things together, including countless riches, yet he valued wisdom itself above these material benefits. Solomon emphasizes his genuine love for wisdom's light and acknowledges that all desirable things came to him through her. He recounts how he learned that God is the giver of wisdom and therefore prayed directly to the Lord with his whole heart. The passage now continues with Solomon elaborating on the comprehensive knowledge and understanding that wisdom has granted him, describing her nature and attributes as an artisan of all things who taught him everything.
[21] and all such things as are either secret or manifest, them I know. [22] For wisdom, which is the worker of all things, taught me.
For in her is an understanding spirit, holy, one only, manifold, subtle, lively, clear, undefiled, plain, not subject to hurt, loving the thing that is good, quick, which cannot be letted, ready to do good, [23] kind to man, steadfast, sure, free from care, having all power, overseeing all things, and going through all understanding, pure, and most subtle, spirits. [24] For wisdom is more moving than any motion: she passeth and goeth through all things by reason of her pureness.
A shoot will emerge from the stump of Jesse, marking a new beginning for David's royal line after judgment has fallen upon Judah and its corrupt leadership. The preceding chapters describe God's impending judgment against the nations, including Judah, due to pride, idolatry, and injustice. Isaiah has prophesied the Assyrian invasion that will devastate the land like a forest being cut down, leaving only stumps behind. The imagery of Jesse's stump represents the Davidic dynasty reduced to its humble origins in Bethlehem, stripped of its former glory and power. From this seemingly dead remnant, God promises to bring forth a righteous ruler endowed with the Spirit of the Lord, who will judge with perfect wisdom and equity, particularly defending the poor and afflicted whom the current leaders have oppressed.
[1] There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse,
And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
[2] The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
[3] His delight is in the fear of the Lord,
And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes,
Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;
[4] But with righteousness He shall judge the poor,
And decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,
And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.
The apostle John has been instructing believers about the importance of love and obedience to God's commandments while warning against the influence of the world. He has emphasized that true believers are born of God and overcome the world through faith in Jesus Christ. John has also distinguished between the children of God and the children of the devil, noting that those who practice righteousness and love their brothers are of God. Immediately before this passage, he warned that many false prophets have gone out into the world, making it necessary for believers to test the spirits to determine whether they are from God. John has been addressing the tension between truth and error, preparing his readers to discern authentic teaching from deception in the early church.
[1] Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. [2] By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, [3] and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
[4] You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. [5] They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. [6] We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
John the Baptist is preaching repentance and baptizing people at the Jordan River, drawing large crowds who wonder if he might be the Messiah. He has just instructed tax collectors to collect only what is owed, and now soldiers approach him seeking guidance on how they should live righteously. After addressing the soldiers, John clarifies to the crowds that while he baptizes with water, someone far greater is coming who will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire and will thoroughly judge humanity. Despite John's powerful ministry, Herod the tetrarch has imprisoned him for rebuking his marriage to Herodias, his brother's wife, and for other evil deeds. Following John's imprisonment, Jesus comes to be baptized among the people.
[14] Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, “And what shall we do?”
So he said to them, “Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.”
[15] Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, [16] John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. [17] His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.”
[18] And with many other exhortations he preached to the people. [19] But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, [20] also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison.
[21] When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. [22] And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”
Jeremiah receives his prophetic calling during the thirteenth year of King Josiah's reign in Judah, approximately 627 BC. The nation stands at a critical juncture, with the Assyrian Empire weakening and Babylon rising to power. Josiah has initiated religious reforms to restore proper worship of Yahweh after decades of idolatry under his predecessors Manasseh and Amon. Despite these reforms, Judah's spiritual condition remains fragile, and the people continue practicing syncretism and injustice. God has determined to raise up a prophet who will speak His words to the nation during the tumultuous decades ahead, warning of coming judgment while offering hope for restoration. Jeremiah, a young man from the priestly family in Anathoth, a small town near Jerusalem, becomes God's chosen messenger for this pivotal era.
[1] The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, [2] to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. [3] It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.
[4] Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
[5] “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;
Before you were born I sanctified you;
I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
[6] Then said I:
“Ah, Lord God!
Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.”
[7] But the Lord said to me:
“Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’
For you shall go to all to whom I send you,
And whatever I command you, you shall speak.
[8] Do not be afraid of their faces,
For I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord.
[9] Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me:
“Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.
[10] See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms,
To root out and to pull down,
To destroy and to throw down,
To build and to plant.”
Jeremiah has been prophesying Jerusalem's inevitable fall to Babylon and urging surrender to avoid destruction, a message he has consistently delivered despite fierce opposition from Jerusalem's leaders. King Zedekiah, though personally sympathetic to Jeremiah, lacks the strength to protect him from hostile officials who view the prophet's words as treasonous and demoralizing to the city's defenders. The Babylonian siege has created desperate conditions in Jerusalem, with famine and military pressure intensifying. Jeremiah's repeated counsel to surrender has made him extremely unpopular among the ruling class, who see him as undermining their resistance efforts. Previously imprisoned in the court of the guard, Jeremiah continues delivering his unwelcome message that Babylon's victory is divinely ordained and that survival depends on submission rather than resistance.
[1] Now Shephatiah the son of Mattan, Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchiah heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken to all the people, saying, [2] “Thus says the Lord: ‘He who remains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but he who goes over to the Chaldeans shall live; his life shall be as a prize to him, and he shall live.’ [3] Thus says the Lord: ‘This city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army, which shall take it.’ ”
[4] Therefore the princes said to the king, “Please, let this man be put to death, for thus he weakens the hands of the men of war who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man does not seek the welfare of this people, but their harm.”
[5] Then Zedekiah the king said, “Look, he is in your hand. For the king can do nothing against you.” [6] So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the king’s son, which was in the court of the prison, and they let Jeremiah down with ropes. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire. So Jeremiah sank in the mire.
[7] Now Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs, who was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon. When the king was sitting at the Gate of Benjamin, [8] Ebed-Melech went out of the king’s house and spoke to the king, saying: [9] “My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon, and he is likely to die from hunger in the place where he is. For there is no more bread in the city.” [10] Then the king commanded Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, saying, “Take from here thirty men with you, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon before he dies.” [11] So Ebed-Melech took the men with him and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took from there old clothes and old rags, and let them down by ropes into the dungeon to Jeremiah. [12] Then Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, “Please put these old clothes and rags under your armpits, under the ropes.” And Jeremiah did so. [13] So they pulled Jeremiah up with ropes and lifted him out of the dungeon. And Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.
King Herod the Great, having been visited by wise men from the East seeking a newborn king of the Jews, secretly asked them to report back the child's location under the pretense of worshiping him. The wise men found Jesus in Bethlehem, presented him with gifts, but were warned in a dream not to return to Herod. They departed by another route. An angel then appeared to Joseph, instructing him to flee to Egypt with Mary and Jesus because Herod would seek to destroy the child. Joseph obeyed immediately, taking his family to Egypt during the night. When Herod realized the wise men had not returned to him, he became furious at being outwitted.
[16] Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. [17] Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:
[18] “A voice was heard in Ramah,
Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted,
Because they are no more.”
A religious leader named Nicodemus, a Pharisee and member of the Jewish ruling council called the Sanhedrin, comes to Jesus at night. This meeting occurs early in Jesus's public ministry, shortly after he cleansed the temple in Jerusalem and performed miraculous signs during the Passover feast. Many people witnessed these signs and believed in Jesus's name, though Jesus did not entrust himself to them because he knew what was in their hearts. Nicodemus approaches Jesus acknowledging him as a teacher who has come from God, recognizing that no one could perform the signs Jesus does unless God is with him. Nicodemus is addressing Jesus.
[1] There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. [2] This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”
[3] Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
[4] Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
[5] Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. [6] That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
After Jesus's nighttime conversation with Nicodemus in Jerusalem during the Passover feast, He and His disciples leave the city and travel into the Judean countryside. There Jesus spends time with His disciples and baptizes people, while John the Baptist continues his own baptizing ministry at Aenon near Salim, where water is plentiful. A dispute arises between John's disciples and a Jew about ceremonial washing, prompting John's disciples to express concern that Jesus is also baptizing and attracting crowds. John the Baptist responds by affirming Jesus's divine authority and supremacy, explaining his own role as the forerunner who must decrease while Jesus increases. John the Baptist is addressing his disciples.
[22] After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized. [23] Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. And they came and were baptized. [24] For John had not yet been thrown into prison.
[25] Then there arose a dispute between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purification. [26] And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified—behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!”
[27] John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. [28] You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’ [29] He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. [30] He must increase, but I must decrease. [31] He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. [32] And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. [33] He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true. [34] For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure.