Podcasts about Assyrian

In 2021, our correspondent from Moscow Roland Bidjamov reported on 47 different international events and world affairs. He talks about some of these reports and explains some issues relating to reporting political and international affairs in the Assyrian language 

Latest national and international news in Assyrian

Woe to those who trust in Egypt and horses instead of Yahweh. Israel is called again to return to the God. The Assyrian's fall is described again as coming from a sword that is not of man. He speaks of a king reigning in righteousness. Careless women of ease are told pay attention because trouble is coming. But there is a promise of "until the Spirit is poured on us from on high." Justice and righteousness will bring peace, quietness, and confidence forever. Read from the World English Bible.

موقعنا على الفيسبوك Flow us on Facebook you @RadioCWRtwitter@ComfertWقناة مياه الراحة المسيحيةموقع الراديوradiocwr.comܫܕܸܪ ܐܸܠܢ ܡܛܠܒ ܕܨܠܵܘܬܐܫܘܼܒܼܚ̈ܐ ܘ ܚܘܼܖ̈ܙܐ ܦܪ̈ܝܼܫܐܦܪܣܬܐ ܒܠܫܢܐ ܐܬܘܿܪܝܐܦܪܤ ـ ܩܠܐ ܕܡܝ̈ܐ ܢܝܼܚ̈ܐ للمراسلة او طلبة صلاة او اسئلة على العنوانEmail: info@radiocwr.com

Community languages help communities to strive and share their heritage. Ramziyah Shaba, Principal at St Zaia Assyrian language school tells us about their 2022 plans. 

Woe to the rebellious children, who flee to Egypt for help instead of making an alliance with the Spirit of Yahweh, who say to prophets, "Cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us." Yahweh will wait, that he may be gracious. Though he give the bread of adversity, he will heal the wound they were struck with. Blessed are those who wait for him. His burning anger will strike the Assyrian, for his burning place has long been ready. Read from the World English Bible.

موقعنا على الفيسبوك Flow us on Facebook you @RadioCWRtwitter@ComfertWقناة مياه الراحة المسيحيةموقع الراديوradiocwr.comܫܕܸܪ ܐܸܠܢ ܡܛܠܒ ܕܨܠܵܘܬܐܫܘܼܒܼܚ̈ܐ ܘ ܚܘܼܖ̈ܙܐ ܦܪ̈ܝܼܫܐܦܪܣܬܐ ܒܠܫܢܐ ܐܬܘܿܪܝܐܦܪܤ ـ ܩܠܐ ܕܡܝ̈ܐ ܢܝܼܚ̈ܐ للمراسلة او طلبة صلاة او اسئلة على العنوانEmail: info@radiocwr.com

Synopsis: The Great Kings of Carchemish continue ruling over a Hittite rump state in northern Syria as they support the region's recovery.  After an attack by the Assyrian king Ashur-bel-kala, the Carchemish dynasty is supplanted by the house of Suhi. “In that year, in the […] The post Episode C8 – The Heirs of Hatti first appeared on THE ANCIENT WORLD.

موقعنا على الفيسبوك Flow us on Facebook you @RadioCWRtwitter@ComfertWقناة مياه الراحة المسيحيةموقع الراديوradiocwr.comܫܕܸܪ ܐܸܠܢ ܡܛܠܒ ܕܨܠܵܘܬܐܫܘܼܒܼܚ̈ܐ ܘ ܚܘܼܖ̈ܙܐ ܦܪ̈ܝܼܫܐܦܪܣܬܐ ܒܠܫܢܐ ܐܬܘܿܪܝܐܦܪܤ ـ ܩܠܐ ܕܡܝ̈ܐ ܢܝܼܚ̈ܐ للمراسلة او طلبة صلاة او اسئلة على العنوانEmail: info@radiocwr.com

Latest national and international news presented in Assyrian for 1 January 2022

Hezekiah sends his staff to Isaiah who encourages them that God will defeat the king of Assyria. The Assyrian chief of staff threatens, and Hezekiah prays.

Latest national and international news in Assyrian for 28 December 2021

Latest national and international news in Assyrian for 25 December 2021

Hoshea reigns in Israel and is an evil king. The king of Assyria imprisons him. God testifies against the sins of Israel and sends them into Assyrian captivity.

Interpreting services will continue to provide help throughout the holiday break. We find out what is involved when Assyrian interpreters provide their support. 

Old Testament: Micah 4–7 Micah 4–7 (Listen) The Mountain of the Lord 4   It shall come to pass in the latter days    that the mountain of the house of the LORD  shall be established as the highest of the mountains,    and it shall be lifted up above the hills;  and peoples shall flow to it,2     and many nations shall come, and say:  “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,    to the house of the God of Jacob,  that he may teach us his ways    and that we may walk in his paths.”  For out of Zion shall go forth the law,1    and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.3   He shall judge between many peoples,    and shall decide disputes for strong nations far away;  and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,    and their spears into pruning hooks;  nation shall not lift up sword against nation,    neither shall they learn war anymore;4   but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree,    and no one shall make them afraid,    for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken.5   For all the peoples walk    each in the name of its god,  but we will walk in the name of the LORD our God    forever and ever. The Lord Shall Rescue Zion 6   In that day, declares the LORD,    I will assemble the lame  and gather those who have been driven away    and those whom I have afflicted;7   and the lame I will make the remnant,    and those who were cast off, a strong nation;  and the LORD will reign over them in Mount Zion    from this time forth and forevermore. 8   And you, O tower of the flock,    hill of the daughter of Zion,  to you shall it come,    the former dominion shall come,    kingship for the daughter of Jerusalem. 9   Now why do you cry aloud?    Is there no king in you?  Has your counselor perished,    that pain seized you like a woman in labor?10   Writhe and groan,2 O daughter of Zion,    like a woman in labor,  for now you shall go out from the city    and dwell in the open country;    you shall go to Babylon.  There you shall be rescued;    there the LORD will redeem you    from the hand of your enemies. 11   Now many nations    are assembled against you,  saying, “Let her be defiled,    and let our eyes gaze upon Zion.”12   But they do not know    the thoughts of the LORD;  they do not understand his plan,    that he has gathered them as sheaves to the threshing floor.13   Arise and thresh,    O daughter of Zion,  for I will make your horn iron,    and I will make your hoofs bronze;  you shall beat in pieces many peoples;    and shall devote3 their gain to the LORD,    their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth. The Ruler to Be Born in Bethlehem 5   4 Now muster your troops, O daughter5 of troops;    siege is laid against us;  with a rod they strike the judge of Israel    on the cheek.2   6 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,    who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,  from you shall come forth for me    one who is to be ruler in Israel,  whose coming forth is from of old,    from ancient days.3   Therefore he shall give them up until the time    when she who is in labor has given birth;  then the rest of his brothers shall return    to the people of Israel.4   And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD,    in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.  And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great    to the ends of the earth.5   And he shall be their peace.   When the Assyrian comes into our land    and treads in our palaces,  then we will raise against him seven shepherds    and eight princes of men;6   they shall shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword,    and the land of Nimrod at its entrances;  and he shall deliver us from the Assyrian    when he comes into our land    and treads within our border. A Remnant Shall Be Delivered 7   Then the remnant of Jacob shall be    in the midst of many peoples  like dew from the LORD,    like showers on the grass,  which delay not for a man    nor wait for the children of man.8   And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations,    in the midst of many peoples,  like a lion among the beasts of the forest,    like a young lion among the flocks of sheep,  which, when it goes through, treads down    and tears in pieces, and there is none to deliver.9   Your hand shall be lifted up over your adversaries,    and all your enemies shall be cut off. 10   And in that day, declares the LORD,    I will cut off your horses from among you    and will destroy your chariots;11   and I will cut off the cities of your land    and throw down all your strongholds;12   and I will cut off sorceries from your hand,    and you shall have no more tellers of fortunes;13   and I will cut off your carved images    and your pillars from among you,  and you shall bow down no more    to the work of your hands;14   and I will root out your Asherah images from among you    and destroy your cities.15   And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance    on the nations that did not obey. The Indictment of the Lord 6   Hear what the LORD says:  Arise, plead your case before the mountains,    and let the hills hear your voice.2   Hear, you mountains, the indictment of the LORD,    and you enduring foundations of the earth,  for the LORD has an indictment against his people,    and he will contend with Israel. 3   “O my people, what have I done to you?    How have I wearied you? Answer me!4   For I brought you up from the land of Egypt    and redeemed you from the house of slavery,  and I sent before you Moses,    Aaron, and Miriam.5   O my people, remember what Balak king of Moab devised,    and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him,  and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal,    that you may know the righteous acts of the LORD.” What Does the Lord Require? 6   “With what shall I come before the LORD,    and bow myself before God on high?  Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,    with calves a year old?7   Will the LORD be pleased with7 thousands of rams,    with ten thousands of rivers of oil?  Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,    the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”8   He has told you, O man, what is good;    and what does the LORD require of you  but to do justice, and to love kindness,8    and to walk humbly with your God? Destruction of the Wicked 9   The voice of the LORD cries to the city—    and it is sound wisdom to fear your name:  “Hear of the rod and of him who appointed it!910     Can I forget any longer the treasures10 of wickedness in the house of the wicked,    and the scant measure that is accursed?11   Shall I acquit the man with wicked scales    and with a bag of deceitful weights?12   Your11 rich men are full of violence;    your inhabitants speak lies,    and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.13   Therefore I strike you with a grievous blow,    making you desolate because of your sins.14   You shall eat, but not be satisfied,    and there shall be hunger within you;  you shall put away, but not preserve,    and what you preserve I will give to the sword.15   You shall sow, but not reap;    you shall tread olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil;    you shall tread grapes, but not drink wine.16   For you have kept the statutes of Omri,12    and all the works of the house of Ahab;    and you have walked in their counsels,  that I may make you a desolation, and your13 inhabitants a hissing;    so you shall bear the scorn of my people.” Wait for the God of Salvation 7   Woe is me! For I have become    as when the summer fruit has been gathered,    as when the grapes have been gleaned:  there is no cluster to eat,    no first-ripe fig that my soul desires.2   The godly has perished from the earth,    and there is no one upright among mankind;  they all lie in wait for blood,    and each hunts the other with a net.3   Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well;    the prince and the judge ask for a bribe,  and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul;    thus they weave it together.4   The best of them is like a brier,    the most upright of them a thorn hedge.  The day of your watchmen, of your punishment, has come;    now their confusion is at hand.5   Put no trust in a neighbor;    have no confidence in a friend;  guard the doors of your mouth    from her who lies in your arms;146   for the son treats the father with contempt,    the daughter rises up against her mother,  the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;    a man's enemies are the men of his own house.7   But as for me, I will look to the LORD;    I will wait for the God of my salvation;    my God will hear me. 8   Rejoice not over me, O my enemy;    when I fall, I shall rise;  when I sit in darkness,    the LORD will be a light to me.9   I will bear the indignation of the LORD    because I have sinned against him,  until he pleads my cause    and executes judgment for me.  He will bring me out to the light;    I shall look upon his vindication.10   Then my enemy will see,    and shame will cover her who said to me,    “Where is the LORD your God?”  My eyes will look upon her;    now she will be trampled down    like the mire of the streets. 11   A day for the building of your walls!    In that day the boundary shall be far extended.12   In that day they15 will come to you,    from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,  and from Egypt to the River,16    from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.13   But the earth will be desolate    because of its inhabitants,    for the fruit of their deeds. 14   Shepherd your people with your staff,    the flock of your inheritance,  who dwell alone in a forest    in the midst of a garden land;17  let them graze in Bashan and Gilead    as in the days of old.15   As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt,    I will show them18 marvelous things.16   The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might;  they shall lay their hands on their mouths;    their ears shall be deaf;17   they shall lick the dust like a serpent,    like the crawling things of the earth;  they shall come trembling out of their strongholds;    they shall turn in dread to the LORD our God,    and they shall be in fear of you. God's Steadfast Love and Compassion 18   Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity    and passing over transgression    for the remnant of his inheritance?  He does not retain his anger forever,    because he delights in steadfast love.19   He will again have compassion on us;    he will tread our iniquities underfoot.  You will cast all our19 sins    into the depths of the sea.20   You will show faithfulness to Jacob    and steadfast love to Abraham,  as you have sworn to our fathers    from the days of old. Footnotes [1] 4:2 Or teaching [2]

Old Testament: Micah 4–7 Micah 4–7 (Listen) The Mountain of the Lord 4   It shall come to pass in the latter days    that the mountain of the house of the LORD  shall be established as the highest of the mountains,    and it shall be lifted up above the hills;  and peoples shall flow to it,2     and many nations shall come, and say:  “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,    to the house of the God of Jacob,  that he may teach us his ways    and that we may walk in his paths.”  For out of Zion shall go forth the law,1    and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.3   He shall judge between many peoples,    and shall decide disputes for strong nations far away;  and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,    and their spears into pruning hooks;  nation shall not lift up sword against nation,    neither shall they learn war anymore;4   but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree,    and no one shall make them afraid,    for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken.5   For all the peoples walk    each in the name of its god,  but we will walk in the name of the LORD our God    forever and ever. The Lord Shall Rescue Zion 6   In that day, declares the LORD,    I will assemble the lame  and gather those who have been driven away    and those whom I have afflicted;7   and the lame I will make the remnant,    and those who were cast off, a strong nation;  and the LORD will reign over them in Mount Zion    from this time forth and forevermore. 8   And you, O tower of the flock,    hill of the daughter of Zion,  to you shall it come,    the former dominion shall come,    kingship for the daughter of Jerusalem. 9   Now why do you cry aloud?    Is there no king in you?  Has your counselor perished,    that pain seized you like a woman in labor?10   Writhe and groan,2 O daughter of Zion,    like a woman in labor,  for now you shall go out from the city    and dwell in the open country;    you shall go to Babylon.  There you shall be rescued;    there the LORD will redeem you    from the hand of your enemies. 11   Now many nations    are assembled against you,  saying, “Let her be defiled,    and let our eyes gaze upon Zion.”12   But they do not know    the thoughts of the LORD;  they do not understand his plan,    that he has gathered them as sheaves to the threshing floor.13   Arise and thresh,    O daughter of Zion,  for I will make your horn iron,    and I will make your hoofs bronze;  you shall beat in pieces many peoples;    and shall devote3 their gain to the LORD,    their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth. The Ruler to Be Born in Bethlehem 5   4 Now muster your troops, O daughter5 of troops;    siege is laid against us;  with a rod they strike the judge of Israel    on the cheek.2   6 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,    who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,  from you shall come forth for me    one who is to be ruler in Israel,  whose coming forth is from of old,    from ancient days.3   Therefore he shall give them up until the time    when she who is in labor has given birth;  then the rest of his brothers shall return    to the people of Israel.4   And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD,    in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.  And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great    to the ends of the earth.5   And he shall be their peace.   When the Assyrian comes into our land    and treads in our palaces,  then we will raise against him seven shepherds    and eight princes of men;6   they shall shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword,    and the land of Nimrod at its entrances;  and he shall deliver us from the Assyrian    when he comes into our land    and treads within our border. A Remnant Shall Be Delivered 7   Then the remnant of Jacob shall be    in the midst of many peoples  like dew from the LORD,    like showers on the grass,  which delay not for a man    nor wait for the children of man.8   And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations,    in the midst of many peoples,  like a lion among the beasts of the forest,    like a young lion among the flocks of sheep,  which, when it goes through, treads down    and tears in pieces, and there is none to deliver.9   Your hand shall be lifted up over your adversaries,    and all your enemies shall be cut off. 10   And in that day, declares the LORD,    I will cut off your horses from among you    and will destroy your chariots;11   and I will cut off the cities of your land    and throw down all your strongholds;12   and I will cut off sorceries from your hand,    and you shall have no more tellers of fortunes;13   and I will cut off your carved images    and your pillars from among you,  and you shall bow down no more    to the work of your hands;14   and I will root out your Asherah images from among you    and destroy your cities.15   And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance    on the nations that did not obey. The Indictment of the Lord 6   Hear what the LORD says:  Arise, plead your case before the mountains,    and let the hills hear your voice.2   Hear, you mountains, the indictment of the LORD,    and you enduring foundations of the earth,  for the LORD has an indictment against his people,    and he will contend with Israel. 3   “O my people, what have I done to you?    How have I wearied you? Answer me!4   For I brought you up from the land of Egypt    and redeemed you from the house of slavery,  and I sent before you Moses,    Aaron, and Miriam.5   O my people, remember what Balak king of Moab devised,    and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him,  and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal,    that you may know the righteous acts of the LORD.” What Does the Lord Require? 6   “With what shall I come before the LORD,    and bow myself before God on high?  Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,    with calves a year old?7   Will the LORD be pleased with7 thousands of rams,    with ten thousands of rivers of oil?  Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,    the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”8   He has told you, O man, what is good;    and what does the LORD require of you  but to do justice, and to love kindness,8    and to walk humbly with your God? Destruction of the Wicked 9   The voice of the LORD cries to the city—    and it is sound wisdom to fear your name:  “Hear of the rod and of him who appointed it!910     Can I forget any longer the treasures10 of wickedness in the house of the wicked,    and the scant measure that is accursed?11   Shall I acquit the man with wicked scales    and with a bag of deceitful weights?12   Your11 rich men are full of violence;    your inhabitants speak lies,    and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.13   Therefore I strike you with a grievous blow,    making you desolate because of your sins.14   You shall eat, but not be satisfied,    and there shall be hunger within you;  you shall put away, but not preserve,    and what you preserve I will give to the sword.15   You shall sow, but not reap;    you shall tread olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil;    you shall tread grapes, but not drink wine.16   For you have kept the statutes of Omri,12    and all the works of the house of Ahab;    and you have walked in their counsels,  that I may make you a desolation, and your13 inhabitants a hissing;    so you shall bear the scorn of my people.” Wait for the God of Salvation 7   Woe is me! For I have become    as when the summer fruit has been gathered,    as when the grapes have been gleaned:  there is no cluster to eat,    no first-ripe fig that my soul desires.2   The godly has perished from the earth,    and there is no one upright among mankind;  they all lie in wait for blood,    and each hunts the other with a net.3   Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well;    the prince and the judge ask for a bribe,  and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul;    thus they weave it together.4   The best of them is like a brier,    the most upright of them a thorn hedge.  The day of your watchmen, of your punishment, has come;    now their confusion is at hand.5   Put no trust in a neighbor;    have no confidence in a friend;  guard the doors of your mouth    from her who lies in your arms;146   for the son treats the father with contempt,    the daughter rises up against her mother,  the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;    a man's enemies are the men of his own house.7   But as for me, I will look to the LORD;    I will wait for the God of my salvation;    my God will hear me. 8   Rejoice not over me, O my enemy;    when I fall, I shall rise;  when I sit in darkness,    the LORD will be a light to me.9   I will bear the indignation of the LORD    because I have sinned against him,  until he pleads my cause    and executes judgment for me.  He will bring me out to the light;    I shall look upon his vindication.10   Then my enemy will see,    and shame will cover her who said to me,    “Where is the LORD your God?”  My eyes will look upon her;    now she will be trampled down    like the mire of the streets. 11   A day for the building of your walls!    In that day the boundary shall be far extended.12   In that day they15 will come to you,    from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,  and from Egypt to the River,16    from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.13   But the earth will be desolate    because of its inhabitants,    for the fruit of their deeds. 14   Shepherd your people with your staff,    the flock of your inheritance,  who dwell alone in a forest    in the midst of a garden land;17  let them graze in Bashan and Gilead    as in the days of old.15   As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt,    I will show them18 marvelous things.16   The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might;  they shall lay their hands on their mouths;    their ears shall be deaf;17   they shall lick the dust like a serpent,    like the crawling things of the earth;  they shall come trembling out of their strongholds;    they shall turn in dread to the LORD our God,    and they shall be in fear of you. God's Steadfast Love and Compassion 18   Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity    and passing over transgression    for the remnant of his inheritance?  He does not retain his anger forever,    because he delights in steadfast love.19   He will again have compassion on us;    he will tread our iniquities underfoot.  You will cast all our19 sins    into the depths of the sea.20   You will show faithfulness to Jacob    and steadfast love to Abraham,  as you have sworn to our fathers    from the days of old. Footnotes [1] 4:2 Or teaching [2]

Jotham reigns in Judah. He is a good king. Ahaz reigns in Judah. He trusts in the Assyrian king and copies the Syrian altar and sacrifices on it.

On Sunday 19 December 2021, Chilean people elected the youngest president in the history of the country. Mr Gabriel Boric was elected president with nearly 56 per cent of the vote compared to 44 per cent for ultra-conservative Jose Antonio Kast, who conceded even before the final result was known. Roland Bidjamov looks at the elections and talks about the significance of this win and what does it mean to the  Chilean people and the west.

Mr Joe Joseph, vice-president of the Association, talks about the Association's AGM held on Sunday 19 November. He told SBS that in the meeting, members were told about the financial situation of the Association and how it managed to do well despite the pandemic lockdowns and the cancellation of many events and the decline of revenue. Mr Joseph talks about the importance of transparency when reporting to the authorities and members alike about the financial situation and how the association has the credibility and good reputation in this country.  

Latest national and international news in Assyrian

Opening Song:   O Little Town of Bethlehem by Lewis Henry Redner and Phillips Brooks, arranged by Ross Fishburn and Shane Barnard Lyrics: O little town of Bethlehem How still we see thee lie Above thy deep and dreamless sleep The silent stars go by   Yet in thy dark streets shineth The everlasting light The hopes and fears of all the years Are met in thee tonight   For Christ is born of Mary And gathered all above While mortals sleep The angels keep their watch Of wondering love   O morning stars together Proclaim the holy birth And praises sing to God the King And peace to men on earth   How silently how silently The wondrous gift is given So God imparts to human hearts The blessings of His Heaven   No ear may hear His calling But in this world of sin Where meek souls will receive Him still The dear Christ enters in   O holy Child of Bethlehem Descend to us we pray Cast out our sin and enter in Be born to us today   We hear the Christmas angels The great glad tidings tell O come to us abide with us Our Lord Emmanuel Passage:  2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. 3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel. 4 And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. 5 And he shall be their peace. When the Assyrian comes into our land and treads in our palaces, then we will raise against him seven shepherds and eight princes of men; (Micah 5:2–5 ESV) Musical Reflection: O Come, O Come Emmanuel (VENI, VENI, EMMANUEL) by Thomas Helmore Reflection Notes:  The tune VENI IMMANUEL comes from a 15th century chant and originally served as part of a requiem mass. Thomas Helmore adapted it for congregational use as a hymn in the late 1800s, while still retaining the speech-like flow of the original chant. The text dates back to the 8th century and was translated from Latin to English by J. M. Neal.  Prayer: Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and as we are sorely hindered by our sins from running the race that is set before us, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen. 

Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 140 Psalm 140 (Listen) Deliver Me, O Lord, from Evil Men To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 140   Deliver me, O LORD, from evil men;    preserve me from violent men,2   who plan evil things in their heart    and stir up wars continually.3   They make their tongue sharp as a serpent's,    and under their lips is the venom of asps. Selah 4   Guard me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked;    preserve me from violent men,    who have planned to trip up my feet.5   The arrogant have hidden a trap for me,    and with cords they have spread a net;1    beside the way they have set snares for me. Selah 6   I say to the LORD, You are my God;    give ear to the voice of my pleas for mercy, O LORD!7   O LORD, my Lord, the strength of my salvation,    you have covered my head in the day of battle.8   Grant not, O LORD, the desires of the wicked;    do not further their2 evil plot, or they will be exalted! Selah 9   As for the head of those who surround me,    let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them!10   Let burning coals fall upon them!    Let them be cast into fire,    into miry pits, no more to rise!11   Let not the slanderer be established in the land;    let evil hunt down the violent man speedily! 12   I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted,    and will execute justice for the needy.13   Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name;    the upright shall dwell in your presence. Footnotes [1] 140:5 Or they have spread cords as a net [2] 140:8 Hebrew his (ESV) Pentateuch and History: Job 29 Job 29 (Listen) Job's Summary Defense 29 And Job again took up his discourse, and said: 2   “Oh, that I were as in the months of old,    as in the days when God watched over me,3   when his lamp shone upon my head,    and by his light I walked through darkness,4   as I was in my prime,1    when the friendship of God was upon my tent,5   when the Almighty was yet with me,    when my children were all around me,6   when my steps were washed with butter,    and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!7   When I went out to the gate of the city,    when I prepared my seat in the square,8   the young men saw me and withdrew,    and the aged rose and stood;9   the princes refrained from talking    and laid their hand on their mouth;10   the voice of the nobles was hushed,    and their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth.11   When the ear heard, it called me blessed,    and when the eye saw, it approved,12   because I delivered the poor who cried for help,    and the fatherless who had none to help him.13   The blessing of him who was about to perish came upon me,    and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.14   I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;    my justice was like a robe and a turban.15   I was eyes to the blind    and feet to the lame.16   I was a father to the needy,    and I searched out the cause of him whom I did not know.17   I broke the fangs of the unrighteous    and made him drop his prey from his teeth.18   Then I thought, ‘I shall die in my nest,    and I shall multiply my days as the sand,19   my roots spread out to the waters,    with the dew all night on my branches,20   my glory fresh with me,    and my bow ever new in my hand.' 21   “Men listened to me and waited    and kept silence for my counsel.22   After I spoke they did not speak again,    and my word dropped upon them.23   They waited for me as for the rain,    and they opened their mouths as for the spring rain.24   I smiled on them when they had no confidence,    and the light of my face they did not cast down.25   I chose their way and sat as chief,    and I lived like a king among his troops,    like one who comforts mourners. Footnotes [1] 29:4 Hebrew my autumn days (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Isaiah 51–52:12 Isaiah 51–52:12 (Listen) The Lord's Comfort for Zion 51   “Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,    you who seek the LORD:  look to the rock from which you were hewn,    and to the quarry from which you were dug.2   Look to Abraham your father    and to Sarah who bore you;  for he was but one when I called him,    that I might bless him and multiply him.3   For the LORD comforts Zion;    he comforts all her waste places  and makes her wilderness like Eden,    her desert like the garden of the LORD;  joy and gladness will be found in her,    thanksgiving and the voice of song. 4   “Give attention to me, my people,    and give ear to me, my nation;  for a law1 will go out from me,    and I will set my justice for a light to the peoples.5   My righteousness draws near,    my salvation has gone out,    and my arms will judge the peoples;  the coastlands hope for me,    and for my arm they wait.6   Lift up your eyes to the heavens,    and look at the earth beneath;  for the heavens vanish like smoke,    the earth will wear out like a garment,    and they who dwell in it will die in like manner;2  but my salvation will be forever,    and my righteousness will never be dismayed. 7   “Listen to me, you who know righteousness,    the people in whose heart is my law;  fear not the reproach of man,    nor be dismayed at their revilings.8   For the moth will eat them up like a garment,    and the worm will eat them like wool,  but my righteousness will be forever,    and my salvation to all generations.” 9   Awake, awake, put on strength,    O arm of the LORD;  awake, as in days of old,    the generations of long ago.  Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces,    who pierced the dragon?10   Was it not you who dried up the sea,    the waters of the great deep,  who made the depths of the sea a way    for the redeemed to pass over?11   And the ransomed of the LORD shall return    and come to Zion with singing;  everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;    they shall obtain gladness and joy,    and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. 12   “I, I am he who comforts you;    who are you that you are afraid of man who dies,    of the son of man who is made like grass,13   and have forgotten the LORD, your Maker,    who stretched out the heavens    and laid the foundations of the earth,  and you fear continually all the day    because of the wrath of the oppressor,  when he sets himself to destroy?    And where is the wrath of the oppressor?14   He who is bowed down shall speedily be released;    he shall not die and go down to the pit,    neither shall his bread be lacking.15   I am the LORD your God,    who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—    the LORD of hosts is his name.16   And I have put my words in your mouth    and covered you in the shadow of my hand,  establishing3 the heavens    and laying the foundations of the earth,    and saying to Zion, ‘You are my people.'” 17   Wake yourself, wake yourself,    stand up, O Jerusalem,  you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD    the cup of his wrath,  who have drunk to the dregs    the bowl, the cup of staggering.18   There is none to guide her    among all the sons she has borne;  there is none to take her by the hand    among all the sons she has brought up.19   These two things have happened to you—    who will console you?—  devastation and destruction, famine and sword;    who will comfort you?420   Your sons have fainted;    they lie at the head of every street    like an antelope in a net;  they are full of the wrath of the LORD,    the rebuke of your God. 21   Therefore hear this, you who are afflicted,    who are drunk, but not with wine:22   Thus says your Lord, the LORD,    your God who pleads the cause of his people:  “Behold, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering;  the bowl of my wrath you shall drink no more;23   and I will put it into the hand of your tormentors,    who have said to you,    ‘Bow down, that we may pass over';  and you have made your back like the ground    and like the street for them to pass over.” The Lord's Coming Salvation 52   Awake, awake,    put on your strength, O Zion;  put on your beautiful garments,    O Jerusalem, the holy city;  for there shall no more come into you    the uncircumcised and the unclean.2   Shake yourself from the dust and arise;    be seated, O Jerusalem;  loose the bonds from your neck,    O captive daughter of Zion. 3 For thus says the LORD: “You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money.” 4 For thus says the Lord GOD: “My people went down at the first into Egypt to sojourn there, and the Assyrian oppressed them for nothing.5 5 Now therefore what have I here,” declares the LORD, “seeing that my people are taken away for nothing? Their rulers wail,” declares the LORD, “and continually all the day my name is despised. 6 Therefore my people shall know my name. Therefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here I am.” 7   How beautiful upon the mountains    are the feet of him who brings good news,  who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,    who publishes salvation,    who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”8   The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice;    together they sing for joy;  for eye to eye they see    the return of the LORD to Zion.9   Break forth together into singing,    you waste places of Jerusalem,  for the LORD has comforted his people;    he has redeemed Jerusalem.10   The LORD has bared his holy arm    before the eyes of all the nations,  and all the ends of the earth shall see    the salvation of our God. 11   Depart, depart, go out from there;    touch no unclean thing;  go out from the midst of her; purify yourselves,    you who bear the vessels of the LORD.12   For you shall not go out in haste,    and you shall not go in flight,  for the LORD will go before you,    and the God of Israel will be your rear guard. Footnotes [1] 51:4 Or for teaching; also verse 7 [2] 51:6 Or will die like gnats [3] 51:16 Or planting [4] 51:19 Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Masoretic Text how shall I comfort you [5] 52:4 Or the Assyrian has oppressed them of late (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: Revelation 11 Revelation 11 (Listen) The Two Witnesses 11 Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, 2 but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. 3 And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” 4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5 And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. 6 They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire. 7 And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit1 will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, 8 and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically2 is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. 9 For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, 10 and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. 11 But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. 13 And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. 14 The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come. The Seventh Trumpet 15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” 16 And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying,   “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,<

Morning: Micah 4–5 Micah 4–5 (Listen) The Mountain of the Lord 4   It shall come to pass in the latter days    that the mountain of the house of the LORD  shall be established as the highest of the mountains,    and it shall be lifted up above the hills;  and peoples shall flow to it,2     and many nations shall come, and say:  “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,    to the house of the God of Jacob,  that he may teach us his ways    and that we may walk in his paths.”  For out of Zion shall go forth the law,1    and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.3   He shall judge between many peoples,    and shall decide disputes for strong nations far away;  and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,    and their spears into pruning hooks;  nation shall not lift up sword against nation,    neither shall they learn war anymore;4   but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree,    and no one shall make them afraid,    for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken.5   For all the peoples walk    each in the name of its god,  but we will walk in the name of the LORD our God    forever and ever. The Lord Shall Rescue Zion 6   In that day, declares the LORD,    I will assemble the lame  and gather those who have been driven away    and those whom I have afflicted;7   and the lame I will make the remnant,    and those who were cast off, a strong nation;  and the LORD will reign over them in Mount Zion    from this time forth and forevermore. 8   And you, O tower of the flock,    hill of the daughter of Zion,  to you shall it come,    the former dominion shall come,    kingship for the daughter of Jerusalem. 9   Now why do you cry aloud?    Is there no king in you?  Has your counselor perished,    that pain seized you like a woman in labor?10   Writhe and groan,2 O daughter of Zion,    like a woman in labor,  for now you shall go out from the city    and dwell in the open country;    you shall go to Babylon.  There you shall be rescued;    there the LORD will redeem you    from the hand of your enemies. 11   Now many nations    are assembled against you,  saying, “Let her be defiled,    and let our eyes gaze upon Zion.”12   But they do not know    the thoughts of the LORD;  they do not understand his plan,    that he has gathered them as sheaves to the threshing floor.13   Arise and thresh,    O daughter of Zion,  for I will make your horn iron,    and I will make your hoofs bronze;  you shall beat in pieces many peoples;    and shall devote3 their gain to the LORD,    their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth. The Ruler to Be Born in Bethlehem 5   4 Now muster your troops, O daughter5 of troops;    siege is laid against us;  with a rod they strike the judge of Israel    on the cheek.2   6 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,    who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,  from you shall come forth for me    one who is to be ruler in Israel,  whose coming forth is from of old,    from ancient days.3   Therefore he shall give them up until the time    when she who is in labor has given birth;  then the rest of his brothers shall return    to the people of Israel.4   And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD,    in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.  And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great    to the ends of the earth.5   And he shall be their peace.   When the Assyrian comes into our land    and treads in our palaces,  then we will raise against him seven shepherds    and eight princes of men;6   they shall shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword,    and the land of Nimrod at its entrances;  and he shall deliver us from the Assyrian    when he comes into our land    and treads within our border. A Remnant Shall Be Delivered 7   Then the remnant of Jacob shall be    in the midst of many peoples  like dew from the LORD,    like showers on the grass,  which delay not for a man    nor wait for the children of man.8   And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations,    in the midst of many peoples,  like a lion among the beasts of the forest,    like a young lion among the flocks of sheep,  which, when it goes through, treads down    and tears in pieces, and there is none to deliver.9   Your hand shall be lifted up over your adversaries,    and all your enemies shall be cut off. 10   And in that day, declares the LORD,    I will cut off your horses from among you    and will destroy your chariots;11   and I will cut off the cities of your land    and throw down all your strongholds;12   and I will cut off sorceries from your hand,    and you shall have no more tellers of fortunes;13   and I will cut off your carved images    and your pillars from among you,  and you shall bow down no more    to the work of your hands;14   and I will root out your Asherah images from among you    and destroy your cities.15   And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance    on the nations that did not obey. Footnotes [1] 4:2 Or teaching [2] 4:10 Or push [3] 4:13 Hebrew devote to destruction [4] 5:1 Ch 4:14 in Hebrew [5] 5:1 That is, city [6] 5:2 Ch 5:1 in Hebrew (ESV) Evening: Revelation 11 Revelation 11 (Listen) The Two Witnesses 11 Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, 2 but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. 3 And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” 4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5 And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. 6 They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire. 7 And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit1 will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, 8 and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically2 is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. 9 For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, 10 and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. 11 But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. 13 And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. 14 The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come. The Seventh Trumpet 15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” 16 And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying,   “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,    who is and who was,  for you have taken your great power    and begun to reign.18   The nations raged,    but your wrath came,    and the time for the dead to be judged,  and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints,    and those who fear your name,    both small and great,  and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.” 19 Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings,3 peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail. Footnotes [1] 11:7 Or the abyss [2] 11:8 Greek spiritually [3] 11:19 Or voices, or sounds (ESV)

Migration agent Valentine Aghajani talks about the procedures and important documents needed for Assyrian migrants from overseas waiting to come to Australia via the Community Sponsored Program.  Ms Aghajani says visa holders must check and be sure that they have all the necessary documents in their possession before embarking on the plane for their journey to their new home Australia. 

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“I cut off their heads. I burned them with fire. With their blood I dyed the mountain red like red wool. Men I impaled on stakes. The city I destroyed, devastated… the young men and maidens I burned in the fire.” Ashurnairpal II “I filled the wide plain with the corpses of his warriors…. These [rebels] I impaled on stakes. …A pyramid of heads I erected in front of the city.” Salmaneser III “Don't let Hezekiah mislead you by saying, ‘The Lord will rescue us!' Have the gods of any other nations ever saved their people from the king of Assyria?  What happened to the gods of Hamath and Arpad? And what about the gods of Sepharvaim? Did any god rescue Samaria from my power? What god of any nation has ever been able to save its people from my power? So what makes you think that the Lord can rescue Jerusalem from me?” Isaiah 36:18-20 History is a fickle beast. Some events may not seem like much at the time when they happen, but they end up radically shaping all events afterwards. For example, had just one event turned out different—an event largely forgotten today, such as the siege of Jerusalem in 701 BCE—and all of history would have changed. If the siege had ended in the way everyone expected it to end, Judaism would have disappeared from the pages of history, and Christianity and Islam would have never been born. Can you imagine how different the world would be if you were to remove the entire history of the three main monotheistic religions? In this episode we'll tackle this greatest of ‘what ifs.' In the process of doing so, we'll discuss the origins of Western monotheism, Assyrian culture, Hebrew legends, the Assyrian protection racket, the clash between monotheistic Hebrews and polytheistic Hebrews, how the Assyrians turned 10 of the tribes of Israel into the “lost tribes”, committing ‘suicide by Assyrian', the destruction of Lachish, what may have happened in Jerusalem in 701 BCE, and much more.

Latest national and international news in Assyrian

Interview with Mr Haig Kayserian, Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of Australia. Some of the discussed topics include Australian Government's position on Artsakh and the peace process, aid to Armenia, meetings with foreign ambassadors, Armenian, Assyrian and Greek genocide recognition and the latest motion in the House of Representatives on the issue. - Հարցազրոյց Աւստրալիոյ Հայ Դատի Յանձնախումբի Գործադիր Տնօրէն Հայկ Գայսերեանի հետ: 

Naseem Sadiq interviewed Ms Bahija Nisho, Secretary of Assyrian Women‘s Union in Duhok. She talked about the work the union does to empower Assyrian women enabling them to display their talents and creativity through a charity Bazaar. Mr Sadiq explored the exhibits and talked to Ms Glinda Aprim who had many handcrafts made by her at home and most of her work received interest from the attendees. The proceeds from the sales of the products go to the exhibitors to help them manage their daily life expenses.

Milan Maksimovic with his wife Hilda and son Christian have been volunteering and working hard to prepare presents to Assyrian refugees families and during the Christmas and Easter times to help them feel happy and appreciated.In the past couple of years, Milan and his wife founded the MILAN HILDA CARE, a registered charity organisation that tries to help not only Assyrians but also the wider communities including the Aboriginal communities.In this interview, Milan explains what they are preparing for the children for this Christmas.

Latest national and international news in Assyrian

His parents are from a country that is no longer, and he grew up in one of the most culturally diverse areas of the country. In this episode of Testimony: A Musician's Story, the Middle Eastern Bay Area rapper Marc Stevens, shares his Christian Testimony. Marc talks about his people being persecuted for their Christian faith, and how his experience as a Rapzilla Freshman has been a revival of his heart. Additionally, he breaks down: “Yeah Right”, “Say That” feat. Porsha Love, “Run Up”, and “We the Wave” feat. Mission in the 4-song-breakdown.

Adapted by Julie Hoverson from a story by Saki (H.H. Munro) When the Christmas rush takes shoppers off to the big city, how do you get them to stick to the local shops? A lovely tale of viral marketing! [Saki was often way ahead of his time!] Announcer - Jennifer Dixon Mr. Scarrick - John Lingard Jimmy - Will Watt Lucy - Tanja Milojevic [Lightning Bolt Theater] Boy - Reynaud LeBoeuf Man - Anthony D.P. Mann [Horror Etc.] Miss Fritten - Robyn Keyes Mrs. Greyes - Jennifer Dixon Mrs. Gordon - Judith Moore Gloria - Beverly Poole Other women - Julie Hoverson Sound and mastering by Julie Hoverson Music by Kevin McLeod (Incompetech.com) Picture by lucias_clay, found with help from Bill Jones. ************************************************ Quail Seed Cast: Announcer Scarrick, shopkeeper (M50s) Jimmy, Assistant (M20s) Lucy, Jimmy's girl (F20s) Boy (M20s) Man/Beard (M30s) Miss Fritten (F30s) Greyes (F30s) Gordon (F30s) Miss Jones (F30s) Miss Smith (F30s) Gloria (F20s) Lipping (F30s)   SAKI OPENING MUSIC   SCENE 1.    SCARRICK'S SUNDRIES (SHOP) SOUND     SHOP DOOR, BELL, FOOTSTEPS LUCY    Hello?  Helloooo? JIMMY    [close]  Morning, Lucy! LUCY    [startled gasp]  Jimmy! There you are.  Bit... empty in here, isn't it? JIMMY    [heavy sigh] A bit. LUCY    But where are all the Christmas shoppers? JIMMY    Shh!  Whatever you do, don't ask that in front of Mr. Scarrick.  You'll quite set him off.  LUCY    Oh! JIMMY    It's all right, he's out at the moment. LUCY    [impressed] He left you in charge? JIMMY    [heavy sigh, morose]  Only in the certainty that there won't be a stampede on our services. LUCY    That bad, eh? JIMMY    Yeah.  Quite. SOUND    DOOR, BELL, FOOTSTEPS MISS SMITH    Hello? SOUND    QUICK STEPS JIMMY    Yes?  How may I assist you? MISS SMITH    [nervous] Oh, I was -um- just looking for a railway timetable?  I'm going up to the city-- [breaks off] JIMMY    Sorry.  Clean out.  Perhaps next week. MISS SMITH    Ah.  Thank you. SOUND    FOOTSTEPS, BELL DOOR LUCY    You might have made a sale! JIMMY    She just wanted to look. LUCY    You don't know that. JIMMY    [bitter admission] She's the fourth today.  Everyone would rather take the train to town and shop in a big department store than [quoting] bother to take advantage of the convenience-- SOUND    DOOR BELL MISS JONES    Hello? JIMMY    ...and that's five. MUSIC   SCENE 2.    PUB SCARRICK    The outlook is not encouraging for us smaller businesses. SOUND    POURING DRINK SCARRICK    These big concerns are offering all sorts of attractions to the shopping public which we couldn't afford to imitate, even on a small scale-- reading-rooms and play-rooms and gramophones and Heaven knows what. BOY    [normal, commiserating] People like shiny objects. SCARRICK    And they don't care to buy half a pound of sugar nowadays unless they can listen to Harry Lauder and have the latest Australian cricket scores ticked off before their eyes. MAN    Seems like quite a trip for sugar. SCARRICK    With the big Christmas stock we've got in, we ought to keep half a dozen assistants hard at work.  But as it is my nephew Jimmy and myself can pretty well attend to it ourselves.  In fact, I've left him in charge.  I've never done that before. BOY    I'm sure he'll be fine. SCARRICK    [drinks] It's a nice stock of goods, too.  I could run it all off in a few weeks time, but there's no chance of that--not unless the London line was to get snowed up for a fortnight before Christmas. MAN    [musing] How you gonna keep them home on the farm? MUSIC   SCENE 3.    SCARRICK'S SOUND    SHOP DOOR, BELL MRS. GREYES    --so tedious, but there it is, and what else is one to do? MISS FRITTEN    We shall simply wait for the next--  SCARRICK    May I help you ladies? MRS. GREYES    Oh!  [evasive] Really, we just stopped in to see about --- um, about-- MISS FRITTEN    Bootlaces.  MRS. GREYES    Bootlaces!  Yes!  I've been in dire need of some-- SCARRICK    [hearty] Of course.  Over on the left wall, near the back. MRS. GREYES    Oh, yes, of course.  [whispering]  You knew he'd try and sell us something if we came in here!  Bootlaces indeed.  I already have more laces than boots! MISS FRITTEN    At least if we do make a purchase, they're small enough to carry when we go to-- MRS. GREYES    Shh! SCARRICK    Finding everything? MRS. GREYES    Oh, yes.  This is the best ... um... anchovy paste.  Just what I was looking for. MISS FRITTEN    Just lovely! SCARRICK    Perhaps you ladies could help me.  I was thinking of adding a little entertainment to the shop. MRS. GREYES    Oh? SCARRICK    I did have a sort of idea of engaging Miss Luffcombe to give recitations during afternoons; she made a great hit at the Post Office entertainment with her rendering of 'Little Beatrice's Resolve'. MISS FRITTEN    [very uncertain] Oh, that would be ...just ... lovely. SOUND    DOOR OPENS, BELL RINGS ODDLY SCARRICK    What? SOUND    ODD FOOTSTEPS ENTER SCARRICK    [excusing himself] Your pardon. SOUND    SCARRICK GOES TO THE COUNTER MRS. GREYES    [whispered] Perhaps we should just do our shopping here. MISS FRITTEN    But I'm in my best hat! MRS. GREYES    Shh! Shh!  Look at that! MISS FRITTEN    What an odd looking boy.  Brown as a nut, but we've not had sun in weeks! MRS. GREYES    And those clothes.  Like something out of the Arabian nights! SOUND    CLANG BOY    [accented now] Six pomegranates, please, and a packet of quail seed. MISS FRITTEN    What's the bowl for? MRS. GREYES    To carry the pomegranates? MISS FRITTEN    Why not a string bag? MRS. GREYES    Allergies?  Shh! SCARRICK    [business as usual]  Here you are.  We have some lovely pomegranates. MISS FRITTEN    He doesn't even look surprised! MRS. GREYES    The boy must have been here before. SOUND    COIN SKITTERING, CAUGHT BOY    The wine and figs were not paid for yesterday.  Keep what is over of the money for our future purchases. SCARRICK    [formal and serious] As you wish.  SOUND    BOY LEAVES, DOOR SHUTS SOUND    SKITTERING OF LADIES FEET MISS FRITTEN    [to Scarrick, hinting] A very strange-looking boy? SCARRICK    [final]  A foreigner, I believe. MRS. GREYES    Does he shop here often?  Surely there can't be much call for ...quail seed... at this time of year. SCARRICK    It takes all sorts. SOUND    DOOR OPENS SOUND    HEAVY OMINOUS FOOTSTEPS MISS FRITTEN    [gasp] MRS. GREYES    Oh!  [covering her consternation]  Oh, I forgot those bootlaces!  [hissed] Come on! SOUND    THEY SKITTER AWAY MAN    [accented] I wish for a pound and a half of the best coffee you have. SCARRICK    [wary] Certainly sir. MRS. GREYES    Look at that beard! MISS FRITTEN    Like a comedy Russian. MRS. GREYES    No, more like an ancient Assyrian. MAN    [suspicious] Has a dark-faced boy been here buying pomegranates? SCARRICK    Can't say that I've seen anyone like that. MRS. GREYES    Oh!  [muffles self] MISS FRITTEN    [whispered]  How could he! SCARRICK    [offhanded] We have a few pomegranates in stock, but there has been no real demand for them. MAN    My servant will fetch the coffee, as usual. SOUND    COIN SKITTERS, HEAVY FEET START TO WALK AWAY, THEN STOP MAN    [very importantly] Have you, perhaps, any quail seed? SCARRICK    [unhesitating] No.  we don't stock it. GREYES AND FRITTEN [gasp] SOUND    FEET WALK AWAY MRS. GREYES    [whispered] What will he deny next? MISS FRITTEN    And I always believed Mr. Scarrick to be such a truthful man.  Heavens! He just presided at a lecture on Savonarola. SOUND    DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES MRS. GREYES    Don't let's bother about the 3.12.  Let's dash, and talk this out at Laura Lipping's MISS FRITTEN     Perhaps we should buy a few things first.  Since we're here. MUSIC   SCENE 4.    TEA MISS FRITTEN    [recounting lusciously] Turning up the deep astrakhan collar of his long coat, the stranger swept out of the shop, with the air of a Satrap proroguing a Sanhedrim. MRS. LIPPING    Do Satraps prorogue? MISS FRITTEN    [coldly superior] Have you ever seen one that didn't? GLORIA    I don't even know what a Sanhedrim is.  Is it a dance? MISS FRITTEN    It is a simile and hardly matters.  Or do I mean an allegory? MRS. GORDON    And the boy? MRS. GREYES    I should have though him Greek, but after seeing that beard-- MRS. LIPPING    They could have been unrelated. MISS FRITTEN    Unrelated?  And both asking for "quail seed"?  Mark my words.  There's something afoot. MRS. GREYES    What bothers me most is this unprecedented streak of falsity in our local grocer! GLORIA    I've never known Mr. Scarrick to prevaricate like that before! MRS. GREYES    It's the influence of that artist that took the flat above the shop.  Mark my words.  [importantly] Bohemian. MRS. GORDON    [tragically] I shall never again be able to believe what he tells me about the absence of colouring matter in the jam. MUSIC   SCENE 5.    SCARRICK'S SOUND    DOOR, BELL SOUND    BROOM LUCY    Jimmy? JIMMY    Yeah.  Here. LUCY    Goodness, it looks like a tornado touched down. JIMMY    Fabulous, isn't it? LUCY    But, what happened? JIMMY    This afternoon, from tea onwards, we had a constant stream of shoppers.  LUCY    Is this something to do with the odd individuals who may or may not have been in this afternoon? JIMMY    [overly innocent] Whomever do you refer to? LUCY    Come on!  It's all over town.  People talked about it at tea, and more people talked about it at supper.  I expect they're all talking about it over Bridge even as we speak.  The dark young man and the Beard.  JIMMY    Sounds a bit like a music hall act. LUCY    [speculatively] Yes... yes, it does.... MUSIC   SCENE 6.    SCARRICK'S [MANY CUSTOMERS] MISS SMITH    Is this the freshest jar of pickles? JIMMY    Miss?  I suppose so. MISS SMITH    It looks a bit dusty. JIMMY    That would be my fault-- SCARRICK    [commanding] Jimmy! JIMMY    So sorry, must jump. MISS FRITTEN    [whispered]  Do you think they will return? MRS. GREYES    I have it on good authority someone's rented that house at the far end of Plummergen. MISS FRITTEN    But why should they come all this way to shop? MRS. GREYES    [knowing] Plummergen drapers don't stock quail seed.  MISS FRITTEN    [getting it] Ah! SOUND    REGISTER NOISE SCARRICK    That will be three shillings and four pence. SOUND    COINS MRS. LIPPING    I'm looking for something interesting for a savory.  Have you any, any‑‑ SOUND    GENERAL HUSH MRS. LIPPING    [nervous] --any, um-- SCARRICK    [as if nothing is amiss]  I have some pickled olives.  Imported from turkey. MRS. LIPPING    Yes, anything. SOUND    JAR SET DOWN, CASH REGISTER SOUND    JABBER BEGINS AGAIN SOUND    DOOR OPENS, BELL, JABBER SLOWLY DIES AWAY. SILENCE SOUND    BOY WALKS IN. SOUND    BOWL SET DOWN. SCARRICK    [normal]  What can I get for you today? BOY    I require a pound of honey. SOUND    BREATH BEING LET OUT ALL OVER BOY    and - [quieter] and a packet of quail seed. SOUND    GENERAL INTAKE OF BREATH, GIGGLE QUICKLY MUFFLED SCARRICK    Very good, sir. SOUND    CONVERSATIONS, FORCED LAUGHTER, BUT MUTED, LISTENING MISS FRITTEN    [excited whisper] We might be living in the Arabian Nights. MRS. GREYES    Hush! Listen! SOUND    THINGS PLACED INTO BOWL, BOWL REMOVED, BOY STARTS TO LEAVE. SOUND    QUICK FOOTSTEPS JIMMY    [hurried, fraught with meaning] We have some very fine Jaffa oranges.  Around behind here. BOY    [gasps] SOUND    QUICK SHUFFLE OF FEET SOUND    DOOR OPENS, MAN STRIDES IN. SOUND    GASPS SCARRICK    [unperturbed]  What may I get for you today, Sir? MAN    A pound of dates and a tin of the best Smyrna halva. MISS FRITTEN    Halva?  What is that? MRS. GREYES    It comes from Smyrna - that's figs, isn't it, Smyrna is? GLORIA    Who would want dates AND figs? MRS. LIPPING    Hush. SCARRICK    There you are.  MAN    Hmm [evaluating noise]  Yes. SOUND    COINS DROPPED MAN    Has the dark-faced boy, of whom I spoke yesterday, been here to-day? GLORIA    [stifled squeak of excitement] SOUND    [shushing all round] SCARRICK    We've had rather more people than usual in the shop to-day... but I can't recall a boy such as you describe. SOUND    [gasps] MRS. GREYES    [satisfied] Didn't we say? MISS FRITTEN    It's too too terrible. MUSIC   SCENE 7.    TEA MRS. GREYES    It is deplorable that anyone - particularly someone in a position such as Mr. Scarrick -should treat the truth as an article temporarily and excusably out of stock. MISS FRITTEN    More quail seed!  Those quails must be voracious!  [realizing]  or else... perhaps it isn't quail seed at all. MRS. GREYES    I believe it's opium, and the bearded man is a detective. MRS. LIPPING    I don't.  I'm sure it's something to do with the Portuguese Throne. MISS FRITTEN     More likely to be a Persian intrigue on behalf of the ex-Shah.  The bearded man belongs to the Government Party. The quail-seed is a countersign, of course; Persia is almost next door to Palestine, and quails come into the Old Testament, you know. GLORIA    [exasperated] Only as a miracle.  [knowing] I've thought all along it was part of a love intrigue. MRS. LIPPING    I distinctly saw a snarl of baffled rage as the man departed, sandwiched between that heavy moustache and upturned astrakhan collar. GLORIA    I can't imagine that that boy is the guilty party here.  Much more likely he's simply perishing of love for someone - perhaps the daughter of the beard, but the match is quite unsuitable-- MISS FRITTEN    Honey and pomegranates - of course!!! MUSIC   SCENE 8.    SCARRICK'S SHOP, NIGHT, QUIET SOUND    DOOR, BELL JIMMY    [calling from off] Closed! LUCY    I know, mutton head. JIMMY    Oh, Lucy! SOUND    BROOM DOWN, STEPS LUCY    Another busy day? JIMMY    The busiest.  Another day or two of brisk trade and we'll be--[cut off with a gasp] SOUND    KISS LUCY    [laughing] I was here today, you know. JIMMY    [uneasy] Oh? LUCY    [indulgent] You were quite the hero.  Hustling that poor young man off behind the biscuit tins in the very nick of time. JIMMY    [flustered] Well, I've got a good view of the street from my post at the cheese and bacon counter. LUCY    [pouty] Jimmy.  Have you EVER known me to gossip? JIMMY    You, Lucy?  I don't think so. LUCY    Quite a vote of confidence. JIMMY    I didn't mean that-- [sigh] No.  No I've never known you to gossip. LUCY    Let me in, then!  Perhaps there's something I can do to help? MUSIC   SCENE 9.    PUB SCARRICK    It was quite marvelous!  And we sold out of that blasted Halva. MAN    It looked crowded, but they were actually buying? SCARRICK     They bought and bought - some came back three or four times, just to have an excuse to linger.  BOY    "Oh, I forgot" and "silly me, one more thing." SCARRICK    Exactly.  Even those women whose purchases were of "modest proportions" dawdled over them as though they had, uh-- MAN    Brutal, drunken husbands to go home to? SCARRICK    [chuckles] I've even had to take on a couple of extra assistants for tomorrow. MUSIC   SCENE 10.    SCARRICK'S STORE - BUSY MISS FRITTEN    What do you think?  Is this bowl anything like the one the young gentleman carries? MRS. GREYES    Nonsense.  His is brass.  Or bronze, perhaps.  That one is copper. MISS FRITTEN    Still, it's got a lovely patina. MRS GORDON    Ducks? SCARRICK    [distracted] Pardon? MRS GORDON    Ducks?  I found a lovely recipe for Bombay duck, and I was wondering if a domestic duck would suffice. SCARRICK    I suspect that ducks are much the same the world over-- [small gasp] SOUND    DOOR OPENS, BELL GENERAL EXPECTANT HUSH SCARRICK    You'll excuse me. SOUND    BOY'S FOOTSTEPS, SCARRICK MEETS HIM MRS GORDON    oh! SCARRICK    Sir?  BOY    Yes? SCARRICK    [overtly confidential]  I must warn you-- SOUND    [gasps] SCARRICK    [as if saying something else] We have run out of quail seed. BOY    [shocked and disappointed] Oh.  I should-- I must-- MRS GORDON    Oh no! SOUND    SCUTTLING FEET JIMMY    [excited]  We do have some much finer oranges today, if you want to step over here. BOY    [dramatic gasp] SOUND    BOY RUNS SOUND    DOOR SLAMS OPEN, BELL SOUND    OMINOUS FOOTSTEPS MRS. GORDON     [voice over] I found my self sub-consciously repeating "The Assyrian came down like a wolf on the fold" under my breath. MISS FRITTEN    [whispered] Watch the door! SCARRICK    [very tense]  Ah.  Coffee again today sir?  Perhaps figs? MAN    I am looking for-- LUCY    [in disguise, foreign sounding]  Jaffa oranges, I think. MAN    What? MRS GREYES    [voiceover] She slithered out of the aisle like the lady in the lake. LUCY    Your Excellency does his shopping himself? MAN    [suspicious] I order the things myself.  I find it difficult to make my servants understand. MISS FRITTEN    [voiceover]  How ever did we miss a mysterious veiled lady, right in the midst of us all? LUCY    I was saying... They have some excellent Jaffa oranges here.  [tinkling laugh] SOUND    HER FEET TAP AWAY TO THE DOOR, BELL MAN    [considering] Hmph.  MRS. GORDON    [gasp] MAN    You! SCARRICK    [tense] Yes? MAN    You have, perhaps, some good Jaffa oranges? GLORIA    [voiceover] Everyone expected an instant denial on the part of Mr. Scarrick of any such possession, but before he could answer‑‑ BOY    No! SOUND    RUNNING FEET, DOOR, BELL MISS FRITTEN    [voiceover] Holding his empty brass bowl before him as he dashed into the street. His face was masked with studied indifference SOUND    THE VOICEOVERS START TO FADE INTO TEA   SCENE 11.    TEA MRS GREYES    Overspread with ghastly pallor! MRS. LIPPING    I would call it blazing with defiance. GLORIA    How defiant could he be!  He was so terrified that his teeth chattered! MRS. GORDON    I distinctly heard him whistling the Persian National anthem. MISS FRITTEN    But the bearded man - his face was a mask of abject terror! MRS GREYES    I thought he would dash out after the boy, but he just paced to and fro like a caged animal seeking an outlet for escape. GLORIA    He couldn't take his eyes off the door. MRS GORDON    Did he ever come back for his purchases?  Or send his servant? MISS FRITTEN    I've not had the nerve to ask Mr. Scarrick.  The whole thing was so ...  overwhelming. MUSIC   SCENE 12.    SCARRICK'S STORE LUCY    It was so overwhelming.  Trying not to laugh while watching all their faces. JIMMY    [chuckles] You did a fabulous job. LUCY    You like me in a veil? JIMMY    I can think of a certain veil I'd like to see you in. LUCY    [interested, pleased] Really? JIMMY    Mm-hmm  [yes] SOUND    KISS MUSIC   SCENE 13.    PUB SCARRICK    I can never thank you fellows enough. MAN    We enjoyed the fun of it.  [laughs, then  talks like beard]  And the figs. BOY    It was a welcome vacation from posing for hours for 'The Lost Hylas' MAN    You just have to sit still.  I'm the one who has to make you look good. SCARRICK    What do I owe you? MAN    No, no.  It was far too entertaining.  BOY    We did get all those lovely pomegranates. SCARRICK    At any rate... I insist on paying for the hire of the black beard.   THE END  

Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 128 Psalm 128 (Listen) Blessed Is Everyone Who Fears the Lord A Song of Ascents. 128   Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD,    who walks in his ways!2   You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;    you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you. 3   Your wife will be like a fruitful vine    within your house;  your children will be like olive shoots    around your table.4   Behold, thus shall the man be blessed    who fears the LORD. 5   The LORD bless you from Zion!    May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem    all the days of your life!6   May you see your children's children!    Peace be upon Israel! (ESV) Pentateuch and History: Job 14 Job 14 (Listen) Job Continues: Death Comes Soon to All 14   “Man who is born of a woman    is few of days and full of trouble.2   He comes out like a flower and withers;    he flees like a shadow and continues not.3   And do you open your eyes on such a one    and bring me into judgment with you?4   Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?    There is not one.5   Since his days are determined,    and the number of his months is with you,    and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass,6   look away from him and leave him alone,1    that he may enjoy, like a hired hand, his day. 7   “For there is hope for a tree,    if it be cut down, that it will sprout again,    and that its shoots will not cease.8   Though its root grow old in the earth,    and its stump die in the soil,9   yet at the scent of water it will bud    and put out branches like a young plant.10   But a man dies and is laid low;    man breathes his last, and where is he?11   As waters fail from a lake    and a river wastes away and dries up,12   so a man lies down and rises not again;    till the heavens are no more he will not awake    or be roused out of his sleep.13   Oh that you would hide me in Sheol,    that you would conceal me until your wrath be past,    that you would appoint me a set time, and remember me!14   If a man dies, shall he live again?    All the days of my service I would wait,    till my renewal2 should come.15   You would call, and I would answer you;    you would long for the work of your hands.16   For then you would number my steps;    you would not keep watch over my sin;17   my transgression would be sealed up in a bag,    and you would cover over my iniquity. 18   “But the mountain falls and crumbles away,    and the rock is removed from its place;19   the waters wear away the stones;    the torrents wash away the soil of the earth;    so you destroy the hope of man.20   You prevail forever against him, and he passes;    you change his countenance, and send him away.21   His sons come to honor, and he does not know it;    they are brought low, and he perceives it not.22   He feels only the pain of his own body,    and he mourns only for himself.” Footnotes [1] 14:6 Probable reading; Hebrew look away from him, that he may cease [2] 14:14 Or relief (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Isaiah 36–37 Isaiah 36–37 (Listen) Sennacherib Invades Judah 36 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. 2 And the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh1 from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem, with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer's Field. 3 And there came out to him Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder. 4 And the Rabshakeh said to them, “Say to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: On what do you rest this trust of yours? 5 Do you think that mere words are strategy and power for war? In whom do you now trust, that you have rebelled against me? 6 Behold, you are trusting in Egypt, that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. 7 But if you say to me, “We trust in the LORD our God,” is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, “You shall worship before this altar”? 8 Come now, make a wager with my master the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them. 9 How then can you repulse a single captain among the least of my master's servants, when you trust in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? 10 Moreover, is it without the LORD that I have come up against this land to destroy it? The LORD said to me, “Go up against this land and destroy it.”'” 11 Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it. Do not speak to us in the language of Judah within the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” 12 But the Rabshakeh said, “Has my master sent me to speak these words to your master and to you, and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are doomed with you to eat their own dung and drink their own urine?” 13 Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah: “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria! 14 Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you. 15 Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD by saying, “The LORD will surely deliver us. This city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” 16 Do not listen to Hezekiah. For thus says the king of Assyria: Make your peace with me2 and come out to me. Then each one of you will eat of his own vine, and each one of his own fig tree, and each one of you will drink the water of his own cistern, 17 until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards. 18 Beware lest Hezekiah mislead you by saying, “The LORD will deliver us.” Has any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? 19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? 20 Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their lands out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?'” 21 But they were silent and answered him not a word, for the king's command was, “Do not answer him.” 22 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of the Rabshakeh. Hezekiah Seeks Isaiah's Help 37 As soon as King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house of the LORD. 2 And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and the senior priests, covered with sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz. 3 They said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah, ‘This day is a day of distress, of rebuke, and of disgrace; children have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth. 4 It may be that the LORD your God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to mock the living God, and will rebuke the words that the LORD your God has heard; therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.'” 5 When the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah, 6 Isaiah said to them, “Say to your master, ‘Thus says the LORD: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the young men of the king of Assyria have reviled me. 7 Behold, I will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land, and I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.'” 8 The Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he had heard that the king had left Lachish. 9 Now the king heard concerning Tirhakah king of Cush,3 “He has set out to fight against you.” And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “Thus shall you speak to Hezekiah king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. 11 Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, devoting them to destruction. And shall you be delivered? 12 Have the gods of the nations delivered them, the nations that my fathers destroyed, Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, the king of Hena, or the king of Ivvah?'” Hezekiah's Prayer for Deliverance 14 Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. 15 And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: 16 “O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. 17 Incline your ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. 18 Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, 19 and have cast their gods into the fire. For they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. 20 So now, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the LORD.” Sennacherib's Fall 21 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria, 22 this is the word that the LORD has spoken concerning him:   “‘She despises you, she scorns you—    the virgin daughter of Zion;  she wags her head behind you—    the daughter of Jerusalem. 23   “‘Whom have you mocked and reviled?    Against whom have you raised your voice  and lifted your eyes to the heights?    Against the Holy One of Israel!24   By your servants you have mocked the Lord,    and you have said, With my many chariots  I have gone up the heights of the mountains,    to the far recesses of Lebanon,  to cut down its tallest cedars,    its choicest cypresses,  to come to its remotest height,    its most fruitful forest.25   I dug wells    and drank waters,  to dry up with the sole of my foot    all the streams of Egypt. 26   “‘Have you not heard    that I determined it long ago?  I planned from days of old    what now I bring to pass,  that you should make fortified cities    crash into heaps of ruins,27   while their inhabitants, shorn of strength,    are dismayed and confounded,  and have become like plants of the field    and like tender grass,  like grass on the housetops,    blighted4 before it is grown. 28   “‘I know your sitting down    and your going out and coming in,    and your raging against me.29   Because you have raged against me    and your complacency has come to my ears,  I will put my hook in your nose    and my bit in your mouth,  and I will turn you back on the way    by which you came.' 30 “And this shall be the sign for you: this year you shall eat what grows of itself, and in the second year what springs from that. Then in the third year sow and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. 31 And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward. 32 For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. 33 “Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there or come before it with a shield or cast up a siege mound against it. 34 By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, declares the LORD. 35 For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.” 36 And the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. 37 Then Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned home and lived at Nineveh. 38 And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him down with the sword. And after they escaped into the land of Ararat, Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place. Footnotes [1] 36:2 Rabshakeh is the title of a high-ranking Assyrian military officer [2] 36:16 Hebrew Make a blessing with me [3] 37:9 Probably Nubia [4] 37:27 Some Hebrew manuscripts and 2 Kings 19:26; most Hebrew manuscripts a field (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: 2 John 2 John (Listen) Greeting 1 The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth, 2 because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever: 3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father's Son, in truth and love. Walking in Truth and Love 4 I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. 5 And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another. 6 And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. 7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8 Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we1 have worked for, but may win a full reward. 9 Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, 11 for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works. Final Greetings 12 Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete. 13 The children of your elect sister greet you. Footnotes [1] 1:8 Some manuscripts you (ESV)

A new committee for the Assyrian Aid Society-Australia was elected in their GM on Sunday 5 December 2021. Ms Shushan Tower was selected as the President of the committee. She says her role is temporarily and the AIS will be looking for a young person to take the position. Ms Tower outlined her plans for the main activities of the AIS for next year.

Latest national and international news in Assyrian

King Sennacherib of Assyria threatens the Jews in Jerusalem that if they don’t surrender, they will be destroyed. The Jewish officials tear their clothes.

Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 125 Psalm 125 (Listen) The Lord Surrounds His People A Song of Ascents. 125   Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion,    which cannot be moved, but abides forever.2   As the mountains surround Jerusalem,    so the LORD surrounds his people,    from this time forth and forevermore.3   For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest    on the land allotted to the righteous,  lest the righteous stretch out    their hands to do wrong.4   Do good, O LORD, to those who are good,    and to those who are upright in their hearts!5   But those who turn aside to their crooked ways    the LORD will lead away with evildoers!    Peace be upon Israel! (ESV) Pentateuch and History: Job 11 Job 11 (Listen) Zophar Speaks: You Deserve Worse 11 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said: 2   “Should a multitude of words go unanswered,    and a man full of talk be judged right?3   Should your babble silence men,    and when you mock, shall no one shame you?4   For you say, ‘My doctrine is pure,    and I am clean in God's1 eyes.'5   But oh, that God would speak    and open his lips to you,6   and that he would tell you the secrets of wisdom!    For he is manifold in understanding.2  Know then that God exacts of you less than your guilt deserves. 7   “Can you find out the deep things of God?    Can you find out the limit of the Almighty?8   It is higher than heaven3—what can you do?    Deeper than Sheol—what can you know?9   Its measure is longer than the earth    and broader than the sea.10   If he passes through and imprisons    and summons the court, who can turn him back?11   For he knows worthless men;    when he sees iniquity, will he not consider it?12   But a stupid man will get understanding    when a wild donkey's colt is born a man! 13   “If you prepare your heart,    you will stretch out your hands toward him.14   If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away,    and let not injustice dwell in your tents.15   Surely then you will lift up your face without blemish;    you will be secure and will not fear.16   You will forget your misery;    you will remember it as waters that have passed away.17   And your life will be brighter than the noonday;    its darkness will be like the morning.18   And you will feel secure, because there is hope;    you will look around and take your rest in security.19   You will lie down, and none will make you afraid;    many will court your favor.20   But the eyes of the wicked will fail;    all way of escape will be lost to them,    and their hope is to breathe their last.” Footnotes [1] 11:4 Hebrew your [2] 11:6 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain [3] 11:8 Hebrew The heights of heaven (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Isaiah 30:18–32:20 Isaiah 30:18–32:20 (Listen) The Lord Will Be Gracious 18   Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you,    and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.  For the LORD is a God of justice;    blessed are all those who wait for him. 19 For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you. 20 And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. 21 And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. 22 Then you will defile your carved idols overlaid with silver and your gold-plated metal images. You will scatter them as unclean things. You will say to them, “Be gone!” 23 And he will give rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and bread, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous. In that day your livestock will graze in large pastures, 24 and the oxen and the donkeys that work the ground will eat seasoned fodder, which has been winnowed with shovel and fork. 25 And on every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be brooks running with water, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. 26 Moreover, the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when the LORD binds up the brokenness of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow. 27   Behold, the name of the LORD comes from afar,    burning with his anger, and in thick rising smoke;1  his lips are full of fury,    and his tongue is like a devouring fire;28   his breath is like an overflowing stream    that reaches up to the neck;  to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction,    and to place on the jaws of the peoples a bridle that leads astray. 29 You shall have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept, and gladness of heart, as when one sets out to the sound of the flute to go to the mountain of the LORD, to the Rock of Israel. 30 And the LORD will cause his majestic voice to be heard and the descending blow of his arm to be seen, in furious anger and a flame of devouring fire, with a cloudburst and storm and hailstones. 31 The Assyrians will be terror-stricken at the voice of the LORD, when he strikes with his rod. 32 And every stroke of the appointed staff that the LORD lays on them will be to the sound of tambourines and lyres. Battling with brandished arm, he will fight with them. 33 For a burning place2 has long been prepared; indeed, for the king it is made ready, its pyre made deep and wide, with fire and wood in abundance; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of sulfur, kindles it. Woe to Those Who Go Down to Egypt 31   Woe3 to those who go down to Egypt for help    and rely on horses,  who trust in chariots because they are many    and in horsemen because they are very strong,  but do not look to the Holy One of Israel    or consult the LORD!2   And yet he is wise and brings disaster;    he does not call back his words,  but will arise against the house of the evildoers    and against the helpers of those who work iniquity.3   The Egyptians are man, and not God,    and their horses are flesh, and not spirit.  When the LORD stretches out his hand,    the helper will stumble, and he who is helped will fall,    and they will all perish together. 4   For thus the LORD said to me,  “As a lion or a young lion growls over his prey,    and when a band of shepherds is called out against him  he is not terrified by their shouting    or daunted at their noise,  so the LORD of hosts will come down    to fight4 on Mount Zion and on its hill.5   Like birds hovering, so the LORD of hosts    will protect Jerusalem;  he will protect and deliver it;    he will spare and rescue it.” 6 Turn to him from whom people5 have deeply revolted, O children of Israel. 7 For in that day everyone shall cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which your hands have sinfully made for you. 8   “And the Assyrian shall fall by a sword, not of man;    and a sword, not of man, shall devour him;  and he shall flee from the sword,    and his young men shall be put to forced labor.9   His rock shall pass away in terror,    and his officers desert the standard in panic,”  declares the LORD, whose fire is in Zion,    and whose furnace is in Jerusalem. A King Will Reign in Righteousness 32   Behold, a king will reign in righteousness,    and princes will rule in justice.2   Each will be like a hiding place from the wind,    a shelter from the storm,  like streams of water in a dry place,    like the shade of a great rock in a weary land.3   Then the eyes of those who see will not be closed,    and the ears of those who hear will give attention.4   The heart of the hasty will understand and know,    and the tongue of the stammerers will hasten to speak distinctly.5   The fool will no more be called noble,    nor the scoundrel said to be honorable.6   For the fool speaks folly,    and his heart is busy with iniquity,  to practice ungodliness,    to utter error concerning the LORD,  to leave the craving of the hungry unsatisfied,    and to deprive the thirsty of drink.7   As for the scoundrel—his devices are evil;    he plans wicked schemes  to ruin the poor with lying words,    even when the plea of the needy is right.8   But he who is noble plans noble things,    and on noble things he stands. Complacent Women Warned of Disaster 9   Rise up, you women who are at ease, hear my voice;    you complacent daughters, give ear to my speech.10   In little more than a year    you will shudder, you complacent women;  for the grape harvest fails,    the fruit harvest will not come.11   Tremble, you women who are at ease,    shudder, you complacent ones;  strip, and make yourselves bare,    and tie sackcloth around your waist.12   Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields,    for the fruitful vine,13   for the soil of my people    growing up in thorns and briers,  yes, for all the joyous houses    in the exultant city.14   For the palace is forsaken,    the populous city deserted;  the hill and the watchtower    will become dens forever,  a joy of wild donkeys,    a pasture of flocks;15   until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high,    and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field,    and the fruitful field is deemed a forest.16   Then justice will dwell in the wilderness,    and righteousness abide in the fruitful field.17   And the effect of righteousness will be peace,    and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust6 forever.18   My people will abide in a peaceful habitation,    in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.19   And it will hail when the forest falls down,    and the city will be utterly laid low.20   Happy are you who sow beside all waters,    who let the feet of the ox and the donkey range free. Footnotes [1] 30:27 Hebrew in weight of uplifted clouds [2] 30:33 Or For Topheth [3] 31:1 Or Ah, [4] 31:4 The Hebrew words for hosts and to fight sound alike [5] 31:6 Hebrew they [6] 32:17 Or security (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: 1 John 3:4–24 1 John 3:4–24 (Listen) 4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's1 seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. Love One Another 11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, brothers,2 that the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. 19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God,3 and God4 in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us. Footnotes [1] 3:9 Greek his [2] 3:13 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters; also verses 14, 16 [3] 3:24 Greek him [4] 3:24 Greek he (ESV)

The first section of the book of Isaiah is all about trusting the Lord. This section ends with the story of Hezekiah, a king who was challenged to trust the Lord to deliver Judah from the Assyrian army. But the story is complex, and serves as a reminder to us that we should keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, give God the glory when given the opportunity, and be more concerned about the nations coming to know Jesus as Lord than our own prosperity and security (Isaiah 36-39) November 28, 2021

Matthew 13: 31-35Usually when we talk about a mustard seed in the Bible, we are talking about our faith. However, Jesus talks about another mustard seed. This one is His kingdom. Andrew and Edwin survey the prophets to see what this parable about a seed growing into a huge tree is really all about.Read the written devo that goes along with this episode by clicking here.    Let us know what you are learning or any questions you have. Email us at TextTalk@ChristiansMeetHere.org.    Join the Facebook community and join the conversation by clicking here. We'd love to meet you. Be a guest among the Christians who meet on Livingston Avenue. Click here to find out more. Michael Eldridge sang all four parts of our theme song. Find more from him by clicking here.   Thanks for talking about the text with us today.________________________________________________If the hyperlinks do not work, copy the following addresses and paste them into the URL bar of your web browser: Daily Written Devo: https://readthebiblemakedisciples.wordpress.com/?p=8155The Christians Who Meet on Livingston Avenue: http://www.christiansmeethere.org/Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TalkAboutTheTextFacebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/texttalkMichael Eldridge: https://acapeldridge.com/ 

With family: 1 Chronicles 28; 2 Peter 2 1 Chronicles 28 (Listen) David's Charge to Israel 28 David assembled at Jerusalem all the officials of Israel, the officials of the tribes, the officers of the divisions that served the king, the commanders of thousands, the commanders of hundreds, the stewards of all the property and livestock of the king and his sons, together with the palace officials, the mighty men and all the seasoned warriors. 2 Then King David rose to his feet and said: “Hear me, my brothers and my people. I had it in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD and for the footstool of our God, and I made preparations for building. 3 But God said to me, ‘You may not build a house for my name, for you are a man of war and have shed blood.' 4 Yet the LORD God of Israel chose me from all my father's house to be king over Israel forever. For he chose Judah as leader, and in the house of Judah my father's house, and among my father's sons he took pleasure in me to make me king over all Israel. 5 And of all my sons (for the LORD has given me many sons) he has chosen Solomon my son to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel. 6 He said to me, ‘It is Solomon your son who shall build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. 7 I will establish his kingdom forever if he continues strong in keeping my commandments and my rules, as he is today.' 8 Now therefore in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the LORD, and in the hearing of our God, observe and seek out all the commandments of the LORD your God, that you may possess this good land and leave it for an inheritance to your children after you forever. David's Charge to Solomon 9 “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever. 10 Be careful now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong and do it.” 11 Then David gave Solomon his son the plan of the vestibule of the temple,1 and of its houses, its treasuries, its upper rooms, and its inner chambers, and of the room for the mercy seat; 12 and the plan of all that he had in mind for the courts of the house of the LORD, all the surrounding chambers, the treasuries of the house of God, and the treasuries for dedicated gifts; 13 for the divisions of the priests and of the Levites, and all the work of the service in the house of the LORD; for all the vessels for the service in the house of the LORD, 14 the weight of gold for all golden vessels for each service, the weight of silver vessels for each service, 15 the weight of the golden lampstands and their lamps, the weight of gold for each lampstand and its lamps, the weight of silver for a lampstand and its lamps, according to the use of each lampstand in the service, 16 the weight of gold for each table for the showbread, the silver for the silver tables, 17 and pure gold for the forks, the basins and the cups; for the golden bowls and the weight of each; for the silver bowls and the weight of each; 18 for the altar of incense made of refined gold, and its weight; also his plan for the golden chariot of the cherubim that spread their wings and covered the ark of the covenant of the LORD. 19 “All this he made clear to me in writing from the hand of the LORD, all the work to be done according to the plan.” 20 Then David said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the LORD God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished. 21 And behold the divisions of the priests and the Levites for all the service of the house of God; and with you in all the work will be every willing man who has skill for any kind of service; also the officers and all the people will be wholly at your command.” Footnotes [1] 28:11 Hebrew lacks of the temple (ESV) 2 Peter 2 (Listen) False Prophets and Teachers 2 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. 4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell1 and committed them to chains2 of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; 5 if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6 if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;3 7 and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked 8 (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials,4 and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who indulge5 in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, 11 whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord. 12 But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction, 13 suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions,6 while they feast with you. 14 They have eyes full of adultery,7 insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! 15 Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, 16 but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's madness. 17 These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. 18 For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves8 of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. 20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22 What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.” Footnotes [1] 2:4 Greek Tartarus [2] 2:4 Some manuscripts pits [3] 2:6 Some manuscripts an example to those who were to be ungodly [4] 2:9 Or temptations [5] 2:10 Greek who go after the flesh [6] 2:13 Some manuscripts love feasts [7] 2:14 Or eyes full of an adulteress [8] 2:19 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface (ESV) In private: Micah 5; Luke 14 Micah 5 (Listen) The Ruler to Be Born in Bethlehem 5   1 Now muster your troops, O daughter2 of troops;    siege is laid against us;  with a rod they strike the judge of Israel    on the cheek.2   3 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,    who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,  from you shall come forth for me    one who is to be ruler in Israel,  whose coming forth is from of old,    from ancient days.3   Therefore he shall give them up until the time    when she who is in labor has given birth;  then the rest of his brothers shall return    to the people of Israel.4   And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD,    in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.  And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great    to the ends of the earth.5   And he shall be their peace.   When the Assyrian comes into our land    and treads in our palaces,  then we will raise against him seven shepherds    and eight princes of men;6   they shall shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword,    and the land of Nimrod at its entrances;  and he shall deliver us from the Assyrian    when he comes into our land    and treads within our border. A Remnant Shall Be Delivered 7   Then the remnant of Jacob shall be    in the midst of many peoples  like dew from the LORD,    like showers on the grass,  which delay not for a man    nor wait for the children of man.8   And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations,    in the midst of many peoples,  like a lion among the beasts of the forest,    like a young lion among the flocks of sheep,  which, when it goes through, treads down    and tears in pieces, and there is none to deliver.9   Your hand shall be lifted up over your adversaries,    and all your enemies shall be cut off. 10   And in that day, declares the LORD,    I will cut off your horses from among you    and will destroy your chariots;11   and I will cut off the cities of your land    and throw down all your strongholds;12   and I will cut off sorceries from your hand,    and you shall have no more tellers of fortunes;13   and I will cut off your carved images    and your pillars from among you,  and you shall bow down no more    to the work of your hands;14   and I will root out your Asherah images from among you    and destroy your cities.15   And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance    on the nations that did not obey. Footnotes [1] 5:1 Ch 4:14 in Hebrew [2] 5:1 That is, city [3] 5:2 Ch 5:1 in Hebrew (ESV) Luke 14 (Listen) Healing of a Man on the Sabbath 14 One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully. 2 And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy. 3 And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” 4 But they remained silent. Then he took him and healed him and sent him away. 5 And he said to them, “Which of you, having a son1 or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?” 6 And they could not reply to these things. The Parable of the Wedding Feast 7 Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, 8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, 9 and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,' and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” The Parable of the Great Banquet 12 He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers2 or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. 13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” 15 When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” 16 But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. 17 And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant3 to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.' 18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.' 19 And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.' 20 And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' 21 So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.' 22 And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.' 23 And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I tell you,4 none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.'” The Cost of Discipleship 25 Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.' 31 Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. Salt Without Taste Is Worthless 34 “Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? 35 It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Footnotes [1] 14:5 Some manuscripts a donkey [2] 14:12 Or your brothers and sisters [3] 14:17 Or bondservant; also verses 21 (twice), 22, 23 [4] 14:24 The Greek word for you here is plural (ESV)

Episode 161 - Robert Noghli is a drummer who began his musical career in Iran before the Islamic Revolution. Under the tutorage of an Armenian drummer, he worked on his craft and began playing with some of the giants of Persian pop music like Ebi, Googoosh, and Dariush. After moving to the United States, he worked with various Assyrian singers like Linda George, Walter Aziz, Shamiram Urshan, and Ogen Betsamo to record some of their most legendary albums in the 1980's, as he continued to perform and record for various Persian singers as well. In this episode we discuss how he came to play the drums, how his knowledge of Assyrian music has helped shape him into the musician he is today, and what he thinks of the current state of Assyrian music. This episode is sponsored by The Oushana Partners-- a husband and wife real estate team. Are you considering purchasing or selling a home in Arizona or California? John and Reata are available to help make your next real estate decision into a seamless transaction. Contact the Oushana's at 209-968-9519. Get to know them a bit more by checking out their website TheOushanaPartners.com ANB SAT Documentary: https://youtu.be/ASDwHGbsaHw 

This is the earliest depiction of and Israelite King, Jehu. It was discovered in 1846 in Nimrud. God bless you! Thank you so much for listening!

Israel's sovereignty is formally surrendered as Jehu bows down before the Assyrian king Shalmaneser III—an event immortalized on the famous Black Obelisk. In Judah, the heroic princess Yehosheba rescues the last male heir of David from a second palace massacre by Athaliah. Music by Kevin MacLeod.

Can you map out the Oregon Trail? If you just flashed back to playing The Oregon Trail video game in your sixth grade computer lab, get ready for a journey. Jonathan and Professor Margaret Huettl explore how Native knowledge systems established the Oregon Trail; how Native peoples experienced non-Native settlers moving West; and how Indigenous communities today are reckoning with this past to build a better future. Margaret Huettl, a descendant of Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibweg, Assyrian refugees, and European settlers, is Assistant Professor in History and Ethnic Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is a scholar of Native American history and North American Wests, and her research examines the continuities of Ojibwe sovereignty in the context of settler colonialism in both the United States and Canada, centering Ojibwe ways of knowing.  You can follow her on Twitter @historianhuettl. Want to learn more about the Oregon Trail?  See whose land you're living on, or learn more about the Native nations whose land was crossed by the Oregon Trail: Native-Land.ca Visit the only Oregon Trail museum run by Indigenous people: TAMÁSTSLIKT CULTURAL INSTITUTE Explore the Fort Laramie Treaty through an interactive case study: Fort Laramie Treaty Case Study Read Margaret's work: “Treaty Stories: Reclaiming the Unbroken History of Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe Sovereignty” Learn more about Indigenous representations: IllumiNative.  Check out some Indigenous-centered games: When Rivers Were TrailsInvadersGrowing Up OjibweNever Alone Find out what today's guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com.Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com.Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.

Episode 157 – Nineb Toma is best known as Nineb Lamassu. Born in Kirkuk, his family and him fled to Iran in 1986 and later settled in New Zealand. His hardships as a refugee and the culture shock he experienced as an immigrant in New Zealand had a deep impact on him, inspiring him to take pen to paper and write poetry.  Poet, organic academic, politician and peace builder, Nineb's passion is to work for the Assyrian people; a work that was recently put into question by, what Nineb calls, an attempt at character assassination. Tune in to hear more!  This episode is sponsored by The Oushana Partners-- a husband and wife real estate team. Are you considering purchasing or selling a home in Arizona or California? John and Reata are available to help make your next real estate decision into a seamless transaction. Contact the Oushana's at 209-968-9519. Get to know them a bit more by checking out their website TheOushanaPartners.com

2021 may not be over just yet, but we've got a lot to review and be thankful for, so why not have a Thanksgiving edition year in review! Answering questions, recapping the year, and discussing topics that you want to hear from gear to mental health and more!!!

Episode 159 - Dr. Sargon Donabed is an associate professor of history at Roger Williams University. He holds a PhD in Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations from the University of Toronto and a MSci from Canisius College in Anthrozoology/Animal Studies. He also serves as one of the Board of Directors for the Assyrian Studies Association.  Donabed is one of the foremost experts on the perennial history of Assyria-Mesopotamia and its heritage. His recent focus consists of indigenous and marginalized methodologies concerning the development of Assyrian Studies as an anti-orientalist and anti-colonialist field, as well as issues of cultural continuity. Currently, his studies in animal studies touch upon storytelling and folklore and issues of re-enchantment of reality through myth and panentheism. In this episode, we discuss his unique and enriching upbringing, his journey into academia, his book, “Reforging a Forgotten History”, the interesting intersection between Assyrian studies and Animal studies, and the importance of establishing the Assyrian Studies Association.  Purchase Dr. Sargon's “Reforging a Forgotten History” here: https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-reforging-a-forgotten-history.html  “Discussing Diaspora” - The Shifting Lens podcast episode featuring Dr. Sargon Donabed: https://soundcloud.com/theshiftinglens/discussing-diaspora-with-dr-sargon-donabed  The Assyrian Studies Association:  https://www.assyrianstudiesassociation.org/  This episode is sponsored by @theoushanapartners -- a husband and wife real estate team. Are you considering purchasing or selling a home in Arizona or California? John and Reata are available to help make your next real estate decision into a seamless transaction. Contact the Oushana's at 209-968-9519. Get to know them a bit more by checking out their website TheOushanaPartners.com