Thematic Bible
Thematic Bible
overmuch Care » Sent as a punishment to the wicked
Moreover, He said to me, “Son of man, behold (listen carefully), I am going to break the staff of bread [that supports life] in Jerusalem; and they shall eat bread [rationed] by weight and [eat it] with anxiety and fear, and drink water by measure and [drink it] in horror [of the impending starvation],
Verse Concepts
Then say to the people of the land, ‘Thus says the Lord God concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the land of Israel, “They will eat their bread with anxiety and drink their water with horror, because their land will be stripped and looted of its fullness because of the violence of all those who live in it.
Verse Concepts
Instruction » Eating and drinking sparingly
Son of man, eat your bread with shaking, and drink water with trembling and with fearfulness; And say to the people of the land, Thus says the Lord God concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the land of Israel: They shall eat their bread with fearfulness and drink water with dismay, for their land will be stripped and plundered of all its fullness, because of the violence of all those who dwell in it. And the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall be deserted and become a desolation; and you shall know (understand and realize) that I am the Lord.
Symbols and similitudes » Eating bread with alertness
Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, eat your bread with shaking, and drink water with trembling and with fearfulness; And say to the people of the land, Thus says the Lord God concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the land of Israel: They shall eat their bread with fearfulness and drink water with dismay, for their land will be stripped and plundered of all its fullness, because of the violence of all those who dwell in it. read more.
And the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall be deserted and become a desolation; and you shall know (understand and realize) that I am the Lord.
And the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall be deserted and become a desolation; and you shall know (understand and realize) that I am the Lord.
Wicked people » Temporal punishment of
Yes, the light of the wicked shall be put out, and the flame of his fire shall not shine. The light shall be dark in his dwelling, and his lamp beside him shall be put out. The steps of his strength shall be shortened, and his own counsel and the plans in which he trusted shall bring about his downfall. read more.
For the wicked is cast into a net by his own feet, and he walks upon a lattice-covered pit. A trap will catch him by the heel, and a snare will lay hold on him. A noose is hidden for him on the ground and a trap for him in the way. Terrors shall make him afraid on every side and shall chase him at his heels. The strength [of the wicked] shall be hunger-bitten, and calamity is ready at his side [if he halts]. By disease his strength and his skin shall be devoured; the firstborn of death [the worst of diseases] shall consume his limbs. He shall be rooted out of his dwelling place in which he trusted, and he shall be brought to the king of terrors [death]. There shall dwell in his tent that which is none of his [family]; sulphur shall be scattered over his dwelling [to purify it after his going]. The roots [of the wicked] shall be dried up beneath, and above shall his branch be cut off and wither. His remembrance shall perish from the earth, and he shall have no name in the street. He shall be thrust from light into darkness and driven out of the world. He shall neither have son nor grandson among his people, nor any remaining where he sojourned. They [of the west] that come after [the wicked man] shall be astonished and appalled at his day, as they [of the east] that went before were seized with horror. Surely such are the dwellings of the ungodly, and such is the place of him who knows not (recognizes not and honors not) God.
For the wicked is cast into a net by his own feet, and he walks upon a lattice-covered pit. A trap will catch him by the heel, and a snare will lay hold on him. A noose is hidden for him on the ground and a trap for him in the way. Terrors shall make him afraid on every side and shall chase him at his heels. The strength [of the wicked] shall be hunger-bitten, and calamity is ready at his side [if he halts]. By disease his strength and his skin shall be devoured; the firstborn of death [the worst of diseases] shall consume his limbs. He shall be rooted out of his dwelling place in which he trusted, and he shall be brought to the king of terrors [death]. There shall dwell in his tent that which is none of his [family]; sulphur shall be scattered over his dwelling [to purify it after his going]. The roots [of the wicked] shall be dried up beneath, and above shall his branch be cut off and wither. His remembrance shall perish from the earth, and he shall have no name in the street. He shall be thrust from light into darkness and driven out of the world. He shall neither have son nor grandson among his people, nor any remaining where he sojourned. They [of the west] that come after [the wicked man] shall be astonished and appalled at his day, as they [of the east] that went before were seized with horror. Surely such are the dwellings of the ungodly, and such is the place of him who knows not (recognizes not and honors not) God.
‘Your wickedness has turned these [blessings] away,
And your sins have withheld good [harvests] from you.
This [which I am about to tell] is the portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage which oppressors shall receive from the Almighty: If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword; and his offspring will not have sufficient bread. Those who survive him, [the pestilence] will bury, and [their] widows will make no lamentation. read more.
Though he heaps up silver like dust and piles up clothing like clay, He may prepare it, but the just will wear it, and the innocent will divide the silver. He builds his house like a moth or a spider, like a booth which a watchman makes [to last for a season]. [The wicked] will lie down rich, but does it not again; he opens his eyes, and [his wealth] is gone. Terrors overtake him like a [suddenly loosened] flood; a windstorm steals him away in the night. The east wind lifts him up, and he is gone; it sweeps him out of his place. For [God and the storm] hurl at him without pity and unsparingly [their thunderbolts of wrath]; he flees in haste before His power. [God causes] men to clap their hands at him [in malignant joy] and hiss him out of his place.
Though he heaps up silver like dust and piles up clothing like clay, He may prepare it, but the just will wear it, and the innocent will divide the silver. He builds his house like a moth or a spider, like a booth which a watchman makes [to last for a season]. [The wicked] will lie down rich, but does it not again; he opens his eyes, and [his wealth] is gone. Terrors overtake him like a [suddenly loosened] flood; a windstorm steals him away in the night. The east wind lifts him up, and he is gone; it sweeps him out of his place. For [God and the storm] hurl at him without pity and unsparingly [their thunderbolts of wrath]; he flees in haste before His power. [God causes] men to clap their hands at him [in malignant joy] and hiss him out of his place.
The wicked man suffers with [self-inflicted] torment all his days, through all the years that are numbered and laid up for him, the oppressor. A [dreadful] sound of terrors is in his ears; in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him [the dwellings of robbers are not at peace]. He believes that he will not return out of darkness, and [because of his guilt] he is waited for by the sword [of God's vengeance]. read more.
He wanders abroad for food, saying, Where is it? He knows that the day of darkness and destruction is already close upon him. Distress and anguish terrify him; [he knows] they shall prevail against him, like a king ready for battle. Because he has stretched out his hand against God and bids defiance and behaves himself proudly against the Almighty, Running stubbornly against Him with a thickly ornamented shield; Because he has covered his face with his fat, adding layers of fat on his loins [giving himself up to animal pleasures], And has lived in desolate [God-forsaken] cities and in houses which no man should inhabit, which were destined to become heaps [of ruins]; He shall not be rich, neither shall his wealth last, neither shall his produce bend to the earth nor his possessions be extended on the earth. He shall not depart out of darkness [and escape from calamity; the wrath of God] shall consume him as flame consumes a dry tree, and by the blast of His mouth he shall be swept away. Let him not deceive himself and trust in vanity (emptiness, falseness, and futility), for these shall be his recompense [for such living]. It shall be accomplished and paid in full while he still lives, and his branch shall not be green [but shall wither away]. He shall fail to bring his grapes to maturity [leaving them to wither unnourished] on the vine and shall cast off blossoms [and fail to bring forth fruit] like the olive tree. For the company of the godless shall be barren, and fire shall consume the tents of bribery (wrong and injustice). They conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity, and their inmost soul hatches deceit.
He wanders abroad for food, saying, Where is it? He knows that the day of darkness and destruction is already close upon him. Distress and anguish terrify him; [he knows] they shall prevail against him, like a king ready for battle. Because he has stretched out his hand against God and bids defiance and behaves himself proudly against the Almighty, Running stubbornly against Him with a thickly ornamented shield; Because he has covered his face with his fat, adding layers of fat on his loins [giving himself up to animal pleasures], And has lived in desolate [God-forsaken] cities and in houses which no man should inhabit, which were destined to become heaps [of ruins]; He shall not be rich, neither shall his wealth last, neither shall his produce bend to the earth nor his possessions be extended on the earth. He shall not depart out of darkness [and escape from calamity; the wrath of God] shall consume him as flame consumes a dry tree, and by the blast of His mouth he shall be swept away. Let him not deceive himself and trust in vanity (emptiness, falseness, and futility), for these shall be his recompense [for such living]. It shall be accomplished and paid in full while he still lives, and his branch shall not be green [but shall wither away]. He shall fail to bring his grapes to maturity [leaving them to wither unnourished] on the vine and shall cast off blossoms [and fail to bring forth fruit] like the olive tree. For the company of the godless shall be barren, and fire shall consume the tents of bribery (wrong and injustice). They conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity, and their inmost soul hatches deceit.
That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the godless and defiled is but for a moment? Though his [proud] height mounts up to the heavens and his head reaches to the clouds, Yet he will perish forever like his own dung; those who have seen him will say, Where is he? read more.
He will fly away like a dream and will not be found; yes, he will be chased away as a vision of the night. The eye which saw him will see him no more, neither will his [accustomed] place any more behold him. The poor will oppress his children, and his hands will give back his [ill-gotten] wealth. His bones are full of youthful energy, but it will lie down with him in the dust. Though wickedness is sweet in his mouth, though he hides it under his tongue, Though he is loath to let it go but keeps it still within his mouth, Yet his food turns [to poison] in his stomach; it is the venom of asps within him. He has swallowed down [his ill-gotten] riches, and he shall vomit them up again; God will cast them out of his belly. He shall suck the poison of asps [which ill-gotten wealth contains]; the viper's tongue shall slay him. He shall not look upon the rivers, the flowing streams of honey and butter [to enjoy his wealth]. That which he labored for shall he give back and shall not swallow it down [to enjoy it]; according to his wealth shall the restitution be, and he shall not rejoice in it. For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor; he has violently taken away a house which he did not build. Because his desire and greed knew no quietness within him, he will not save anything of that in which he delights. There was nothing left that he did not devour; therefore his prosperity will not endure. In the fullness of his sufficiency [in the time of his great abundance] he shall be poor and in straits; every hand of everyone who is in misery shall come upon him [he is but a wretch on every side]. When he is about to fill his belly [as in the wilderness when God sent the quails], God will cast the fierceness of His wrath upon him and will rain it upon him while he is eating. He will flee from the iron weapon, but the bow of bronze shall strike him through. [The arrow] is drawn forth and it comes out after passing through his body; yes, the glittering point comes out of his gall. Terrors march in upon him; Every misfortune is laid up for his treasures. A fire not blown by man shall devour him; it shall consume what is left in his tent [and it shall go ill with him who remains there]. The heavens shall reveal his iniquity, and the earth shall rise up against him. The produce and increase of his house will go into exile [with the victors], dragged away in the day of [God's] wrath. This is the wicked man's portion from God, and the heritage appointed to him by God.
He will fly away like a dream and will not be found; yes, he will be chased away as a vision of the night. The eye which saw him will see him no more, neither will his [accustomed] place any more behold him. The poor will oppress his children, and his hands will give back his [ill-gotten] wealth. His bones are full of youthful energy, but it will lie down with him in the dust. Though wickedness is sweet in his mouth, though he hides it under his tongue, Though he is loath to let it go but keeps it still within his mouth, Yet his food turns [to poison] in his stomach; it is the venom of asps within him. He has swallowed down [his ill-gotten] riches, and he shall vomit them up again; God will cast them out of his belly. He shall suck the poison of asps [which ill-gotten wealth contains]; the viper's tongue shall slay him. He shall not look upon the rivers, the flowing streams of honey and butter [to enjoy his wealth]. That which he labored for shall he give back and shall not swallow it down [to enjoy it]; according to his wealth shall the restitution be, and he shall not rejoice in it. For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor; he has violently taken away a house which he did not build. Because his desire and greed knew no quietness within him, he will not save anything of that in which he delights. There was nothing left that he did not devour; therefore his prosperity will not endure. In the fullness of his sufficiency [in the time of his great abundance] he shall be poor and in straits; every hand of everyone who is in misery shall come upon him [he is but a wretch on every side]. When he is about to fill his belly [as in the wilderness when God sent the quails], God will cast the fierceness of His wrath upon him and will rain it upon him while he is eating. He will flee from the iron weapon, but the bow of bronze shall strike him through. [The arrow] is drawn forth and it comes out after passing through his body; yes, the glittering point comes out of his gall. Terrors march in upon him; Every misfortune is laid up for his treasures. A fire not blown by man shall devour him; it shall consume what is left in his tent [and it shall go ill with him who remains there]. The heavens shall reveal his iniquity, and the earth shall rise up against him. The produce and increase of his house will go into exile [with the victors], dragged away in the day of [God's] wrath. This is the wicked man's portion from God, and the heritage appointed to him by God.
Why do the wicked live, become old, and become mighty in power? Their children are established with them in their sight, and their offspring before their eyes. Their houses are safe and in peace, without fear; neither is the rod of God upon them. read more.
Their bull breeds and fails not; their cows calve and do not miscarry. They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children skip about. They themselves lift up their voices and sing to the tambourine and the lyre and rejoice to the sound of the pipe. They spend their days in prosperity and go down to Sheol (the unseen state) in a moment and peacefully. Yet they say to God, Depart from us, for we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways. Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? And what profit do we have if we pray to Him? But notice, [you say] the prosperity of the wicked is not in their power; the mystery [of God's dealings] with the ungodly is far from my comprehension. How often [then] is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out? That their calamity comes upon them? That God distributes pains and sorrows to them in His anger? That they are like stubble before the wind and like chaff that the storm steals and carries away? You say, God lays up [the punishment of the wicked man's] iniquity for his children. Let Him recompense it to the man himself, that he may know and feel it. Let his own eyes see his destruction, and let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty. For what pleasure or interest has a man in his house and family after he is dead, when the number of his months is cut off? Shall any teach God knowledge, seeing that He judges those who are on high? One dies in his full strength, being wholly at ease and quiet; His pails are full of milk [his veins are filled with nourishment], and the marrow of his bones is fresh and moist, Whereas another man dies in bitterness of soul and never tastes of pleasure or good fortune. They lie down alike in the dust, and the worm spreads a covering over them. Behold, I know your thoughts and plans and the devices with which you would wrong me. For you say, Where is the house of the rich and liberal prince [meaning me]? And where is the tent in which the wicked [Job] dwelt? Have you not asked those who travel this way, and do you not accept their testimony and evidences -- " That the evil man is [now] spared in the day of calamity and destruction, and they are led forth and away on the day of [God's] wrath? But who declares [a man's] way [and rebukes] him to his face? And who pays him back for what he has done? When he is borne to the grave, watch is kept over his tomb. The clods of the valley are sweet to him, and every man shall follow him to a grave, as innumerable people [have gone] before him.
Their bull breeds and fails not; their cows calve and do not miscarry. They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children skip about. They themselves lift up their voices and sing to the tambourine and the lyre and rejoice to the sound of the pipe. They spend their days in prosperity and go down to Sheol (the unseen state) in a moment and peacefully. Yet they say to God, Depart from us, for we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways. Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? And what profit do we have if we pray to Him? But notice, [you say] the prosperity of the wicked is not in their power; the mystery [of God's dealings] with the ungodly is far from my comprehension. How often [then] is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out? That their calamity comes upon them? That God distributes pains and sorrows to them in His anger? That they are like stubble before the wind and like chaff that the storm steals and carries away? You say, God lays up [the punishment of the wicked man's] iniquity for his children. Let Him recompense it to the man himself, that he may know and feel it. Let his own eyes see his destruction, and let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty. For what pleasure or interest has a man in his house and family after he is dead, when the number of his months is cut off? Shall any teach God knowledge, seeing that He judges those who are on high? One dies in his full strength, being wholly at ease and quiet; His pails are full of milk [his veins are filled with nourishment], and the marrow of his bones is fresh and moist, Whereas another man dies in bitterness of soul and never tastes of pleasure or good fortune. They lie down alike in the dust, and the worm spreads a covering over them. Behold, I know your thoughts and plans and the devices with which you would wrong me. For you say, Where is the house of the rich and liberal prince [meaning me]? And where is the tent in which the wicked [Job] dwelt? Have you not asked those who travel this way, and do you not accept their testimony and evidences -- " That the evil man is [now] spared in the day of calamity and destruction, and they are led forth and away on the day of [God's] wrath? But who declares [a man's] way [and rebukes] him to his face? And who pays him back for what he has done? When he is borne to the grave, watch is kept over his tomb. The clods of the valley are sweet to him, and every man shall follow him to a grave, as innumerable people [have gone] before him.
Some remove the landmarks; they violently take away flocks and pasture them [appropriating land and flocks openly]. They drive away the donkey of the fatherless; they take the widow's ox for a pledge. They crowd the poor and needy off the road; the poor and meek of the earth all hide themselves. read more.
Behold, as wild asses in the desert, [the poor] go forth to their work, seeking diligently for prey and food; the wilderness yields them bread for their children [in roots and herbage]. They reap each one his fodder in a field [that is not his own], and they glean the vintage of the wicked man. They lie all night naked, without clothing, and have no covering in the cold. They are wet with the showers of the mountains and cling to the rock for want of shelter. [The violent men whose wickedness seems unnoticed] pluck the fatherless infants from the breast [to sell or make them slaves], and take [the clothing on] the poor for a pledge, So that the needy go about naked for lack of clothing, and though hungry, they must carry [but not eat from] the sheaves. Among the olive rows [of the wicked, the poor] make oil; they tread [the fresh juice of the grape from] the presses, but suffer thirst. From out of the populous city men groan, and the very life of the wounded cries for help; yet God [seemingly] regards not the wrong done them. These wrongdoers are of those who rebel against the light; they know not its ways nor stay in its paths. The murderer rises with the light; he kills the poor and the needy, and in the night he becomes as a thief. The eye also of the adulterer waits for the twilight, saying, No eye shall see me, and he puts a disguise upon his face. In the dark, they dig through [the penetrable walls of] houses; by day they shut themselves up; they do not know the sunlight. For midnight is morning to all of them; for they are familiar with the terrors of deep darkness. [You say] Swiftly such men pass away on the face of the waters; their portion is cursed in the earth; [no treader] turns into their vineyards. Drought and heat consume the snow waters; so does Sheol (the place of the dead) those who have sinned. The womb shall forget him, the worm shall feed sweetly on him; he shall be no more remembered, and unrighteousness shall be broken like a tree [which cannot be healed]. [The evil man] preys upon the barren, childless woman and does no good to the widow. Yet [God] prolongs the life of the [wicked] mighty by His power; they rise up when they had despaired of life. God gives them security, and they rest on it; and His eyes are upon their ways. They are exalted for a little while, and then are gone and brought low; they are taken out of the way as all others are and are cut off as the tops of the ears of grain.
Behold, as wild asses in the desert, [the poor] go forth to their work, seeking diligently for prey and food; the wilderness yields them bread for their children [in roots and herbage]. They reap each one his fodder in a field [that is not his own], and they glean the vintage of the wicked man. They lie all night naked, without clothing, and have no covering in the cold. They are wet with the showers of the mountains and cling to the rock for want of shelter. [The violent men whose wickedness seems unnoticed] pluck the fatherless infants from the breast [to sell or make them slaves], and take [the clothing on] the poor for a pledge, So that the needy go about naked for lack of clothing, and though hungry, they must carry [but not eat from] the sheaves. Among the olive rows [of the wicked, the poor] make oil; they tread [the fresh juice of the grape from] the presses, but suffer thirst. From out of the populous city men groan, and the very life of the wounded cries for help; yet God [seemingly] regards not the wrong done them. These wrongdoers are of those who rebel against the light; they know not its ways nor stay in its paths. The murderer rises with the light; he kills the poor and the needy, and in the night he becomes as a thief. The eye also of the adulterer waits for the twilight, saying, No eye shall see me, and he puts a disguise upon his face. In the dark, they dig through [the penetrable walls of] houses; by day they shut themselves up; they do not know the sunlight. For midnight is morning to all of them; for they are familiar with the terrors of deep darkness. [You say] Swiftly such men pass away on the face of the waters; their portion is cursed in the earth; [no treader] turns into their vineyards. Drought and heat consume the snow waters; so does Sheol (the place of the dead) those who have sinned. The womb shall forget him, the worm shall feed sweetly on him; he shall be no more remembered, and unrighteousness shall be broken like a tree [which cannot be healed]. [The evil man] preys upon the barren, childless woman and does no good to the widow. Yet [God] prolongs the life of the [wicked] mighty by His power; they rise up when they had despaired of life. God gives them security, and they rest on it; and His eyes are upon their ways. They are exalted for a little while, and then are gone and brought low; they are taken out of the way as all others are and are cut off as the tops of the ears of grain.
You will fall by the sword; I will judge and punish you [in front of your neighbors] at the border of [the land of] Israel; and you will know [without any doubt] that I am the Lord.
Verse Concepts
And say to the people of the land, Thus says the Lord God concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the land of Israel: They shall eat their bread with fearfulness and drink water with dismay, for their land will be stripped and plundered of all its fullness, because of the violence of all those who dwell in it. And the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall be deserted and become a desolation; and you shall know (understand and realize) that I am the Lord.
And it shall be that whoso of the families of the earth shall not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, upon them there shall be no rain. And if the family of Egypt does not go up to Jerusalem and present themselves, upon them there shall be no rain, but there shall be the plague with which the Lord will smite the nations that go not up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. This shall be the consequent punishment of the sin of Egypt and the consequent punishment of the sin of all the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.