0:00

Israel is a luxuriant vine that

0:02

yields its fruit. The more

0:04

his fruit increased, the more altars he built.

0:07

As his country improved, he improved his

0:09

pillars. Their heart is

0:11

false. Now they must bear

0:13

their guilt. The

0:15

Lord will break down their altars

0:17

and destroy their pillars. For now they

0:19

will say, We have no king, for

0:22

we do not fear the Lord, and a king,

0:24

what could he do for us? They

0:27

utter mere words, with empty oaths

0:29

they make covenants, so judgment

0:32

springs up like poisonous weeds in the

0:34

furrows of the field. The

0:37

inhabitants of Samaria tremble for the calf

0:39

of Beth-Avon. Its

0:41

people mourn for it, and so

0:44

do its idolatrous priests, those who

0:46

rejoiced over it and over its glory,

0:48

for it has departed from them. The

0:51

thing itself shall be carried to Assyria

0:53

as tribute to the great king. Ephraim

0:57

shall be put to shame, and Israel shall

0:59

be ashamed of his idol. Samaria's

1:02

king shall perish like a twig on the

1:04

face of the waters. The

1:06

high places of Avon, the sin of

1:09

Israel, shall be destroyed. Thorn

1:12

and thistle shall grow up on their altars,

1:14

and they shall say to the nations, Cover

1:17

us, and to the hills, Fall

1:19

on us. From

1:21

the days of Gibeah you have sinned,

1:23

O Israel. There they have continued. Shall

1:27

not the war against the unjust overtake

1:29

them in Gibeah? When

1:31

I please I will discipline them, and nations

1:33

shall be gathered against them when they are

1:36

bound up for their double iniquity. Ephraim

1:39

was a trained calf that loved to

1:41

Thresh, and I spared her fair neck.

1:44

But I will put Ephraim to the yoke. Judah

1:47

must plow. Jacob must

1:49

harrow for himself. So

1:53

for yourselves righteousness, reap steadfast

1:55

love. Break up your fallow

1:57

ground, for it is the time to seek the

1:59

Lord. Lord, that He may come and reign

2:02

righteousness upon you. You

2:04

have plowed iniquity, you have reaped in

2:06

justice, you have eaten the fruit of

2:09

lies. Because you have

2:11

trusted in your own way and in the multitude

2:13

of your warriors, therefore the tumult

2:15

of war shall arise among your people,

2:17

and all your fortresses shall be destroyed.

2:20

As Shalman destroyed Beth Arbel on the day

2:22

of battle, mothers were dashed in

2:25

pieces with their children. Thus

2:27

it shall be done to you, O Bethel, because

2:30

of your great evil. At

2:32

dawn the king of Israel shall be utterly

2:34

cut off. When Israel was

2:36

a child, I loved him, and out of

2:39

Egypt I called my son. The

2:41

more they were called, the more they

2:43

went away. They kept sacrificing to

2:45

the bales and burning offerings to

2:48

idols. Yet it was

2:50

I who taught Ephraim to walk. I took

2:52

them up by their arms, but they

2:54

did not know that I healed them. I

2:56

led them with cords of kindness, with

2:58

the bands of love, and I

3:00

became to them as one who eases the yoke

3:03

on their jaws, and I bent down to them

3:05

and fed them. They

3:07

shall not return to the land of

3:09

Egypt, but Assyria shall be their king,

3:11

because they have refused to return to

3:13

me. The sword

3:15

shall rage against their cities, consume the

3:17

bars of their gates, and devour them

3:19

because of their own counsels. My

3:23

people are bent on turning away from me, and though

3:25

they call out to the Most High, he

3:27

shall not raise them up at all. How

3:31

can I give you up, O Ephraim? How

3:34

can I hand you over, O Israel? How

3:37

can I make you like Admah? How

3:39

can I treat you like Zeboiam? My

3:42

heart recoils within me. My

3:45

compassion grows warm and tender. I

3:48

will not execute my burning anger. I will

3:51

not again destroy Ephraim, for

3:53

I am God and not a man, the

3:56

Holy One in your midst, and I will

3:58

not come in wrath. "'They

4:00

shall go after the Lord. He will

4:02

roar like a lion. When he roars,

4:05

his children shall come trembling from the

4:07

west. They shall come trembling like birds

4:09

from Egypt and like doves from the

4:11

land of Assyria, and I will return

4:13

them to their homes,' declares the Lord.

4:16

"'Ephraim has surrounded me with lies

4:19

and the house of Israel with deceit. But

4:22

Judah still walks with God and is faithful

4:24

to the Holy One. Ephraim

4:26

feeds on the wind and pursues the

4:28

east wind all day long. They

4:31

multiply falsehood and violence. They

4:33

make a covenant with Assyria, and oil

4:36

is carried to Egypt. The

4:38

Lord has an indictment against Judah and

4:40

will punish Jacob according to his ways.

4:43

He will repay him according to his deeds.

4:47

In the womb he took his brother by the heel,

4:49

and in his manhood he strove

4:52

with God. He strove with the

4:54

angel and prevailed. He wept and

4:56

sought his favor. He met

4:58

God at Bethel, and there God

5:00

spoke with us. The Lord

5:02

the God of hosts, the Lord is his

5:04

memorial name. So

5:06

you, by the help of your God, return,

5:09

hold fast to love and justice, and

5:11

wait continually for your God. A

5:14

merchant in whose hands are false balances,

5:16

he loves to oppress. Ephraim

5:19

has said, Ah, but I am

5:21

rich. I have found wealth

5:23

for myself. In all my labors they cannot

5:25

find in me iniquity or sin. I am

5:29

the Lord your God from the land of Egypt. I

5:32

will again make you dwell in tents, as in

5:34

the days of the appointed feast. I

5:38

spoke to the prophets. It was

5:40

I who multiplied visions and through the

5:42

prophets gave parables. If

5:45

there is iniquity and Gilead, they

5:47

shall surely come to nothing. In

5:49

Gilgal they sacrifice bulls. Their

5:52

altars also are like stone heaps on the

5:54

furrows of the field. Jacob

5:56

fled to the land of Arim. Israel

6:00

served for a wife, and for a wife

6:02

he guarded sheep. By

6:04

a prophet the Lord brought Israel up from

6:06

Egypt, and by a prophet he was guarded.

6:10

Ephraim has given bitter provocation. So

6:13

his Lord will leave his blood-guilt on

6:15

him and will repay him for his

6:17

disgraceful deeds. When Ephraim

6:19

spoke there was trembling. He was exalted

6:22

in Israel. But he

6:24

incurred guilt through Baal and died. And

6:27

now they sin more and more, and

6:29

make for themselves metal images, idols

6:31

skillfully made of their silver, all of

6:33

them the work of craftsmen. It

6:36

is said of them, Those who offer

6:39

human sacrifice, kiss calves. Therefore

6:42

they shall be like the morning mist, or

6:44

like the dew that goes early away, like

6:46

the chaff that swirls from the threshing floor,

6:48

or like smoke from a window. But

6:52

I am the Lord your God from the land of Egypt.

6:54

You know no God but me, and besides

6:57

me there is no Saviour. It

7:00

was I who knew you in the wilderness,

7:02

in the land of drought. But

7:05

when they had grazed, they became full. They

7:08

were filled, and their heart was lifted up. Therefore

7:11

they forgot me. So

7:13

I am to them like a lion, like a

7:15

leopard I will lurk beside the way. I

7:18

will fall upon them like a bear robbed

7:20

of her cubs. I will tear

7:22

open their breasts, and there I will devour

7:24

them like a lion, as a wild beast

7:26

would rip them open. He

7:29

destroys you, O Israel, for you are

7:32

against me, against your helper. Where

7:35

now is your king to save you in all

7:37

your cities? Where

7:39

are all your rulers, those of whom you

7:42

said, Give me a king and

7:44

princes? I gave you

7:46

a king in my anger, and I

7:48

took him away in my wrath. The

7:52

iniquity of Ephraim is bound up. His

7:54

sin is kept in store. The

7:56

pangs of childbirth come for him, but he

7:58

is an unwise man. son, for at

8:01

the right time he does not present himself

8:03

at the opening of the womb. I

8:06

shall ransom them from the power of Sheol.

8:09

I shall redeem them from death. O

8:12

death, where are your plagues? O

8:14

Sheol, where is your sting? Compassion

8:18

is hidden from my eyes. Though

8:21

he may flourish among his brothers, the

8:23

east wind, the wind of the Lord,

8:26

shall come, rising from the wilderness, and

8:28

his fountain shall dry up, his spring

8:30

shall be parched, it shall

8:32

strip his treasury of every precious thing.

8:36

Samaria shall bear her guilt, because she

8:38

has rebelled against her God, they shall

8:40

fall by the sword, their little ones

8:43

shall be dashed in pieces, and their

8:45

pregnant women ripped open. Return,

8:47

O Israel, to the Lord your God,

8:50

for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.

8:54

Take with you words and return to the Lord.

8:56

Say to him, Take away all

8:58

iniquity. Accept what is

9:01

good, and we will pay with bulls the vows of our

9:03

lips. Assyria shall not

9:05

save us, we will not ride on horses,

9:07

and we will say no more, Our God,

9:09

to the work of our hands. In

9:12

you the orphan finds mercy. I

9:16

will heal their apostasy, I will love

9:18

them freely, for my anger has

9:20

turned from them. I

9:22

will be like the dew to Israel, he shall

9:25

blossom like the lily, he

9:27

shall take root like the trees of Lebanon, his

9:30

shoots shall spread out, his beauty

9:32

shall be like the olive, and

9:34

his fragrance like Lebanon. They

9:37

shall return and dwell beneath my shadow, they

9:40

shall flourish like the grain, they shall

9:42

blossom like the vine, their

9:44

fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon. O

9:48

Ephraim, what have I to do with

9:50

idols? It is

9:52

I who answer and look after you. I

9:55

am like an evergreen cypress. From

9:57

me comes your fruit. Whoever

10:00

is wise, let him understand these things.

10:04

Whoever is discerning, let him know them, for

10:06

the ways of the Lord are right and the

10:09

upright walk in them, but

10:11

transgressors stumble in them. Of

10:15

David I

10:17

give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart.

10:20

Before the gods I sing your praise. I

10:23

bow down toward your holy temple and

10:26

give thanks to your name for your

10:28

steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you

10:30

have exalted above all things your name

10:32

and your word. On

10:35

the day I called, you answered me.

10:38

My strength of soul you increased.

10:42

All the kings of the earth shall give

10:44

you thanks, O Lord, for they

10:46

have heard the words of your mouth, and

10:48

they shall sing of the ways of the Lord,

10:50

for great is the glory of the Lord. For

10:54

though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,

10:57

but the haughty he knows from afar.

11:01

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you

11:03

preserve my life. You

11:05

stretch out your hand against the wrath of

11:07

my enemies, and your right hand delivers me.

11:11

The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me. Your

11:14

steadfast love, O Lord, endures for

11:16

ever. Do

11:18

not forsake the work of your hands. Come

11:23

in, Peter, a servant and apostle of

11:25

Jesus Christ, to those who

11:27

have obtained a faith of equal standing

11:29

with ours by the righteousness of our

11:31

God and Savior Jesus Christ. May

11:34

grace and peace be multiplied to you in

11:36

the knowledge of God and of Jesus our

11:38

Lord. His

11:40

divine power has granted to us all

11:43

things that pertain to life and godliness,

11:45

through the knowledge of Him who called

11:48

us to His own glory and excellence,

11:50

by which He has granted to us His

11:53

precious and very great promises, so

11:55

that through them you may become partakers of

11:57

the divine nature, having escaped

11:59

from the cross. corruption that is in the

12:01

world because of sinful desire. For

12:04

this very reason, make every effort

12:07

to supplement your faith with virtue

12:09

and virtue with knowledge and knowledge

12:11

with self-control and self-control

12:14

with steadfastness and

12:16

steadfastness with godliness and

12:19

godliness with brotherly affection and

12:22

brotherly affection with love. For

12:25

if these qualities are yours and are

12:27

increasing, they keep you from being ineffective

12:29

or unfruitful in the knowledge of our

12:31

Lord Jesus Christ. For

12:34

whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted

12:36

that he is blind, having

12:38

forgotten that he was cleansed from his former

12:40

sins. Therefore,

12:43

brothers, be all the

12:45

more diligent to make your calling and

12:47

election, for if you practice these

12:49

qualities you will never fall. For

12:52

in this way there will be richly provided

12:54

for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom

12:56

of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Therefore

13:00

I intend always to remind you of these

13:02

qualities, though you know them and are established

13:04

in the truth that you have. I

13:07

think it right, as long as I am in this body, to

13:10

stir you up by way of reminder, since

13:12

I know that the putting off of my

13:14

body will be soon as our Lord Jesus

13:16

Christ made clear to me. And

13:19

I will make every effort so that after

13:21

my departure you may be able at any

13:23

time to recall these things. For

13:26

we did not follow cleverly devised myths

13:28

when we made known to you the

13:30

power and coming of our Lord Jesus

13:32

Christ, but we were eyewitnesses

13:34

of His majesty. For

13:37

when He received honor and glory from God

13:39

the Father, and the voice was borne to

13:41

Him by the majestic glory, this

13:43

is my beloved Son with whom I am well

13:45

pleased. We ourselves

13:47

heard this very voice, born

13:49

from heaven, for we were with Him

13:51

on the holy mountain, and we

13:54

have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which

13:56

you will do well to pay attention as to

13:58

a lamp shining in a dark sky. place

14:01

until the day dawns and the morning star

14:03

rises in your hearts, knowing

14:05

this first of all, that no

14:07

prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's

14:09

own interpretation. For

14:12

no prophecy was ever produced by the will of

14:14

man, but men spoke from

14:16

God as they were carried along by the Holy

14:18

Spirit. But false prophets

14:20

also arose among the people, just

14:23

as there will be false teachers among

14:25

you who will secretly bring in destructive

14:27

heresies, even denying the Master who bought

14:30

them, bringing upon themselves

14:32

swift destruction. And

14:35

many will follow their sensuality, and because of them

14:37

the way of truth will be blasphemed. And

14:40

in their greed they will exploit you with

14:42

false words. Their condemnation

14:44

from long ago is not idle, and

14:46

their destruction is not asleep. For

14:49

if God did not spare angels when

14:51

they sinned, but cast them into hell

14:53

and committed them to chains of gloomy

14:55

darkness to be kept until the judgment,

14:58

if He did not spare the ancient

15:00

world but preserve Noah, a herald

15:02

of righteousness, with seven others when He brought

15:05

a flood upon the world of the ungodly,

15:07

if by turning the cities of Sodom

15:10

and Gomorrah to ashes He condemned them

15:12

to extinction, making them an example

15:14

of what is going to happen to the ungodly.

15:17

And if He rescued righteous Lot, greatly

15:20

distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked,

15:23

for as that righteous man lived among them

15:25

day after day, He was tormenting His righteous

15:27

soul over their lawless deeds that He saw

15:29

and heard, then the

15:31

Lord knows how to rescue the godly from

15:34

trials and to keep the unrighteous

15:36

under punishment until the day of judgment, and

15:39

especially those who indulge in the lust of

15:41

defiling passion and despise authority.

15:45

For they do not tremble as

15:47

they blaspheme the glorious ones, whereas

15:50

angels, though greater in might and power,

15:53

do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against

15:55

them before the Lord. But

15:57

these, like irrational animals, do not need to be

16:00

creatures of instinct, born to

16:02

be caught and destroyed, blaspheming

16:04

about matters of which they are ignorant,

16:07

will also be destroyed in their destruction,

16:10

suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing.

16:13

They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime.

16:16

They are blots and blemishes, reveling in

16:18

their deceptions while they feast with you.

16:22

They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable

16:24

for sin. They entice

16:26

unsteady souls. They

16:28

have hearts trained in greed, accursed

16:32

children. Forsaking

16:34

the right way, they have gone astray. They

16:37

have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor,

16:40

who loved gain from wrongdoing, but

16:43

was rebuked for his own transgression. A

16:45

speechless donkey spoke with human voice

16:48

and restrained the Prophet's madness. These

16:51

are waterless springs and mists driven by

16:54

a storm. For them

16:56

the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved.

16:59

For speaking loud boasts of folly,

17:01

they entice by sensual passions of

17:03

the flesh those who are barely

17:05

escaping from those who live in error. They

17:08

promise them freedom, but they

17:11

themselves are slaves of corruption. For

17:14

whatever overcomes a person, to that he

17:17

is enslaved. For if, after

17:19

they have escaped the defilements of the world through

17:21

the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,

17:24

they are again entangled in them

17:26

and overcome, the last state has become

17:28

worse for them than the first. For

17:31

it would have been better for them never to have

17:33

known the way of righteousness than after knowing it

17:36

to turn back from the holy commandment delivered

17:38

to them. What

17:40

the true proverb says has happened to them. The

17:43

dog returns to its own vomit, and

17:45

the sow, after washing herself, returns

17:48

to wallow in the mire. This

17:50

is now the second letter that I am writing to

17:52

you, beloved. In both of

17:54

them I am stirring up your sincere mind

17:57

by way of reminder that you should

17:59

remember the prediction. the holy prophets,

18:01

and the commandment of the Lord and Savior

18:04

through your apostles, knowing this

18:06

first of all, that scoffers will come

18:08

in the last days with scoffing, following

18:11

their own sinful desires. They

18:13

will say, Where is the promise

18:15

of His coming? For ever since

18:18

the fathers fell asleep, all things are

18:20

continuing as they were from the beginning

18:22

of creation. For they

18:24

deliberately overlooked this fact that the

18:26

heavens existed long ago, and

18:29

the earth was formed out of water and through water

18:31

by the word of God, and that

18:33

by means of these the world that

18:36

then existed was deluged with water and

18:38

perished. But by

18:40

the same word the heavens and earth

18:42

that now exist are stored up for

18:44

fire, being kept until the day

18:46

of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. But

18:50

do not overlook this one fact, David, that

18:52

with the Lord one day is as

18:54

a thousand years, and a thousand years

18:57

as one day. The

18:59

Lord is not slow to fulfill His

19:01

promise as some count slowness, but is

19:03

patient toward you, not wishing

19:05

that any should perish, but

19:08

that all should reach repentance. But

19:11

the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and

19:13

then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and

19:16

the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved,

19:18

and the earth and the works that are done

19:20

on it will be exposed. Since

19:23

all these things are thus to be dissolved,

19:26

what sort of people ought you to

19:28

be in lives of holiness and godliness,

19:31

waiting for and hastening the coming of the day

19:33

of God, because of which

19:35

the heavens will be set on fire and

19:37

dissolved and the heavenly bodies will melt as

19:40

they burn? But

19:42

according to His promise we are waiting for

19:44

new heavens and a new earth in

19:46

which righteousness dwells. Therefore,

19:50

beloved, since you are waiting

19:52

for these, be diligent to be

19:54

found by Him without spot

19:56

or blemish and at peace, and

19:59

count the patience of the Lord. of our Lord as

20:01

salvation, just as our beloved

20:03

brother Paul also wrote to you, according to

20:05

the wisdom given him, as

20:07

he does in all his letters, when he

20:09

speaks in them of these matters. There

20:12

are some things in them that are hard to

20:14

understand, which the ignorant and unstable

20:17

twist to their own destruction as they

20:19

do the other scriptures. You

20:22

therefore, beloved, knowing this

20:24

beforehand, take care that you are

20:26

not carried away with the error of lawless people

20:29

and lose your own stability, but

20:31

grow in the grace and knowledge of our

20:33

Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To

20:36

Him be the glory, both now and to the

20:38

day of eternity.