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A Devotional on Isaiah 15:5 5 My heart shall cry out for Moab; his fugitives shall flee unto Zoar, an heifer of three years old: for by the mounting up of Luhith with weeping shall they go it up; for in the way of Horonaim they shall raise up a cry of destruction. Show Me How To Love - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZGgIp450wE
Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 115 Psalm 115 (Listen) To Your Name Give Glory 115 Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! 2 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”3 Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. 4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.5 They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see.6 They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell.7 They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat.8 Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them. 9 O Israel,1 trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield.10 O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield.11 You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield. 12 The LORD has remembered us; he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron;13 he will bless those who fear the LORD, both the small and the great. 14 May the LORD give you increase, you and your children!15 May you be blessed by the LORD, who made heaven and earth! 16 The heavens are the LORD's heavens, but the earth he has given to the children of man.17 The dead do not praise the LORD, nor do any who go down into silence.18 But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and forevermore. Praise the LORD! Footnotes [1] 115:9 Masoretic Text; many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac O house of Israel (ESV) Pentateuch and History: 2 Kings 23:1–30 2 Kings 23:1–30 (Listen) Josiah's Reforms 23 Then the king sent, and all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem were gathered to him. 2 And the king went up to the house of the LORD, and with him all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priests and the prophets, all the people, both small and great. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the LORD. 3 And the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people joined in the covenant. 4 And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the priests of the second order and the keepers of the threshold to bring out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron and carried their ashes to Bethel. 5 And he deposed the priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to make offerings in the high places at the cities of Judah and around Jerusalem; those also who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and the moon and the constellations and all the host of the heavens. 6 And he brought out the Asherah from the house of the LORD, outside Jerusalem, to the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron and beat it to dust and cast the dust of it upon the graves of the common people. 7 And he broke down the houses of the male cult prostitutes who were in the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the Asherah. 8 And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had made offerings, from Geba to Beersheba. And he broke down the high places of the gates that were at the entrance of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on one's left at the gate of the city. 9 However, the priests of the high places did not come up to the altar of the LORD in Jerusalem, but they ate unleavened bread among their brothers. 10 And he defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, that no one might burn his son or his daughter as an offering to Molech.1 11 And he removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun, at the entrance to the house of the LORD, by the chamber of Nathan-melech the chamberlain, which was in the precincts.2 And he burned the chariots of the sun with fire. 12 And the altars on the roof of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars that Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the LORD, he pulled down and broke in pieces3 and cast the dust of them into the brook Kidron. 13 And the king defiled the high places that were east of Jerusalem, to the south of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 14 And he broke in pieces the pillars and cut down the Asherim and filled their places with the bones of men. 15 Moreover, the altar at Bethel, the high place erected by Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, that altar with the high place he pulled down and burned,4 reducing it to dust. He also burned the Asherah. 16 And as Josiah turned, he saw the tombs there on the mount. And he sent and took the bones out of the tombs and burned them on the altar and defiled it, according to the word of the LORD that the man of God proclaimed, who had predicted these things. 17 Then he said, “What is that monument that I see?” And the men of the city told him, “It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and predicted5 these things that you have done against the altar at Bethel.” 18 And he said, “Let him be; let no man move his bones.” So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet who came out of Samaria. 19 And Josiah removed all the shrines also of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which kings of Israel had made, provoking the LORD to anger. He did to them according to all that he had done at Bethel. 20 And he sacrificed all the priests of the high places who were there, on the altars, and burned human bones on them. Then he returned to Jerusalem. Josiah Restores the Passover 21 And the king commanded all the people, “Keep the Passover to the LORD your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.” 22 For no such Passover had been kept since the days of the judges who judged Israel, or during all the days of the kings of Israel or of the kings of Judah. 23 But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this Passover was kept to the LORD in Jerusalem. 24 Moreover, Josiah put away the mediums and the necromancers and the household gods and the idols and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might establish the words of the law that were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the LORD. 25 Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him. 26 Still the LORD did not turn from the burning of his great wrath, by which his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked him. 27 And the LORD said, “I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and I will cast off this city that I have chosen, Jerusalem, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.” Josiah's Death in Battle 28 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 29 In his days Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt went up to the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates. King Josiah went to meet him, and Pharaoh Neco killed him at Megiddo, as soon as he saw him. 30 And his servants carried him dead in a chariot from Megiddo and brought him to Jerusalem and buried him in his own tomb. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king in his father's place. Footnotes [1] 23:10 Hebrew might cause his son or daughter to pass through the fire for Molech [2] 23:11 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain [3] 23:12 Hebrew pieces from there [4] 23:15 Septuagint broke in pieces its stones [5] 23:17 Hebrew called (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Isaiah 15–16 Isaiah 15–16 (Listen) An Oracle Concerning Moab 15 An oracle concerning Moab. Because Ar of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone; because Kir of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone.2 He has gone up to the temple,1 and to Dibon, to the high places2 to weep; over Nebo and over Medeba Moab wails. On every head is baldness; every beard is shorn;3 in the streets they wear sackcloth; on the housetops and in the squares everyone wails and melts in tears.4 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out; their voice is heard as far as Jahaz; therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud; his soul trembles.5 My heart cries out for Moab; her fugitives flee to Zoar, to Eglath-shelishiyah. For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping; on the road to Horonaim they raise a cry of destruction;6 the waters of Nimrim are a desolation; the grass is withered, the vegetation fails, the greenery is no more.7 Therefore the abundance they have gained and what they have laid up they carry away over the Brook of the Willows.8 For a cry has gone around the land of Moab; her wailing reaches to Eglaim; her wailing reaches to Beer-elim.9 For the waters of Dibon3 are full of blood; for I will bring upon Dibon even more, a lion for those of Moab who escape, for the remnant of the land.16 Send the lamb to the ruler of the land, from Sela, by way of the desert, to the mount of the daughter of Zion.2 Like fleeing birds, like a scattered nest, so are the daughters of Moab at the fords of the Arnon. 3 “Give counsel; grant justice; make your shade like night at the height of noon; shelter the outcasts; do not reveal the fugitive;4 let the outcasts of Moab sojourn among you; be a shelter to them4 from the destroyer. When the oppressor is no more, and destruction has ceased, and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land,5 then a throne will be established in steadfast love, and on it will sit in faithfulness in the tent of David one who judges and seeks justice and is swift to do righteousness.” 6 We have heard of the pride of Moab— how proud he is!— of his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence; in his idle boasting he is not right.7 Therefore let Moab wail for Moab, let everyone wail. Mourn, utterly stricken, for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth. 8 For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah; the lords of the nations have struck down its branches, which reached to Jazer and strayed to the desert; its shoots spread abroad and passed over the sea.9 Therefore I weep with the weeping of Jazer for the vine of Sibmah; I drench you with my tears, O Heshbon and Elealeh; for over your summer fruit and your harvest the shout has ceased.10 And joy and gladness are taken away from the fruitful field, and in the vineyards no songs are sung, no cheers are raised; no treader treads out wine in the presses; I have put an end to the shouting.11 Therefore my inner parts moan like a lyre for Moab, and my inmost self for Kir-hareseth. 12 And when Moab presents himself, when he wearies himself on the high place, when he comes to his sanctuary to pray, he will not prevail. 13 This is the word that the LORD spoke concerning Moab in the past. 14 But now the LORD has spoken, saying, “In three years, like the years of a hired worker, the glory of Moab will be brought into contempt, in spite of all his great multitude, and those who remain will be very few and feeble.” Footnotes [1] 15:2 Hebrew the house [2] 15:2 Or temple, even Dibon to the high places [3] 15:9 Dead Sea Scroll, Vulgate (compare Syriac); Masoretic Text Dimon; twice in this verse [4] 16:4 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac; Masoretic Text let my outcasts sojourn among you; as for Moab, be a shelter to them (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: John 15:18–16:15 John 15:18–16:15 (Listen) The Hatred of the World 18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin,1 but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.' 26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning. 16 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. 3 And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. 4 But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. The Work of the Holy Spirit “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?' 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. Footnotes [1] 15:22 Greek they would not have sin; also verse 24 (ESV)
Audio Bible Old Testament Ecclesiastes to Malachi, King James Version
église AB Lausanne ; KJV Isaiah 15 The burden of Moab. Because in the night Ar of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence; because in the night Kir of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence; He is gone up to Bajith, and to Dibon, the high places, to weep: Moab shall howl over Nebo, and over Medeba: on all their heads shall be baldness, and every beard cut off. In their streets they shall gird themselves with sackcloth: on the tops of their houses, and in their streets, every one shall howl, weeping abundantly. And Heshbon shall cry, and Elealeh: their voice shall be heard even unto Jahaz: therefore the armed soldiers of Moab shall cry out; his life shall be grievous unto him. My heart shall cry out for Moab; his fugitives shall flee unto Zoar, an heifer of three years old: for by the mounting up of Luhith with weeping shall they go it up; for in the way of Horonaim they shall raise up a cry of destruction. For the waters of Nimrim shall be desolate: for the hay is withered away, the grass faileth, there is no green thing. Therefore the abundance they have gotten, and that which they have laid up, shall they carry away to the brook of the willows. For the cry is gone round about the borders of Moab; the howling thereof unto Eglaim, and the howling thereof unto Beer-elim. For the waters of Dimon shall be full of blood: for I will bring more upon Dimon, lions upon him that escapeth of Moab, and upon the remnant of the land. ...
Old Testament: Jeremiah 48 Jeremiah 48 (Listen) Judgment on Moab 48 Concerning Moab. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Woe to Nebo, for it is laid waste! Kiriathaim is put to shame, it is taken; the fortress is put to shame and broken down;2 the renown of Moab is no more. In Heshbon they planned disaster against her: ‘Come, let us cut her off from being a nation!' You also, O Madmen, shall be brought to silence; the sword shall pursue you. 3 “A voice! A cry from Horonaim, ‘Desolation and great destruction!'4 Moab is destroyed; her little ones have made a cry.5 For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping;1 for at the descent of Horonaim they have heard the distressed cry2 of destruction.6 Flee! Save yourselves! You will be like a juniper in the desert!7 For, because you trusted in your works and your treasures, you also shall be taken; and Chemosh shall go into exile with his priests and his officials.8 The destroyer shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape; the valley shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the LORD has spoken. 9 “Give wings to Moab, for she would fly away; her cities shall become a desolation, with no inhabitant in them. 10 “Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed. 11 “Moab has been at ease from his youth and has settled on his dregs; he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile; so his taste remains in him, and his scent is not changed. 12 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I shall send to him pourers who will pour him, and empty his vessels and break his3 jars in pieces. 13 Then Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence. 14 “How do you say, ‘We are heroes and mighty men of war'?15 The destroyer of Moab and his cities has come up, and the choicest of his young men have gone down to slaughter, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.16 The calamity of Moab is near at hand, and his affliction hastens swiftly.17 Grieve for him, all you who are around him, and all who know his name; say, ‘How the mighty scepter is broken, the glorious staff.' 18 “Come down from your glory, and sit on the parched ground, O inhabitant of Dibon! For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you; he has destroyed your strongholds.19 Stand by the way and watch, O inhabitant of Aroer! Ask him who flees and her who escapes; say, ‘What has happened?'20 Moab is put to shame, for it is broken; wail and cry! Tell it beside the Arnon, that Moab is laid waste. 21 “Judgment has come upon the tableland, upon Holon, and Jahzah, and Mephaath, 22 and Dibon, and Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim, 23 and Kiriathaim, and Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon, 24 and Kerioth, and Bozrah, and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near. 25 The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, declares the LORD. 26 “Make him drunk, because he magnified himself against the LORD, so that Moab shall wallow in his vomit, and he too shall be held in derision. 27 Was not Israel a derision to you? Was he found among thieves, that whenever you spoke of him you wagged your head? 28 “Leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, O inhabitants of Moab! Be like the dove that nests in the sides of the mouth of a gorge.29 We have heard of the pride of Moab— he is very proud— of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance, and the haughtiness of his heart.30 I know his insolence, declares the LORD; his boasts are false, his deeds are false.31 Therefore I wail for Moab; I cry out for all Moab; for the men of Kir-hareseth I mourn.32 More than for Jazer I weep for you, O vine of Sibmah! Your branches passed over the sea, reached to the Sea of Jazer; on your summer fruits and your grapes the destroyer has fallen.33 Gladness and joy have been taken away from the fruitful land of Moab; I have made the wine cease from the winepresses; no one treads them with shouts of joy; the shouting is not the shout of joy. 34 “From the outcry at Heshbon even to Elealeh, as far as Jahaz they utter their voice, from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. For the waters of Nimrim also have become desolate. 35 And I will bring to an end in Moab, declares the LORD, him who offers sacrifice in the high place and makes offerings to his god. 36 Therefore my heart moans for Moab like a flute, and my heart moans like a flute for the men of Kir-hareseth. Therefore the riches they gained have perished. 37 “For every head is shaved and every beard cut off. On all the hands are gashes, and around the waist is sackcloth. 38 On all the housetops of Moab and in the squares there is nothing but lamentation, for I have broken Moab like a vessel for which no one cares, declares the LORD. 39 How it is broken! How they wail! How Moab has turned his back in shame! So Moab has become a derision and a horror to all that are around him.” 40 For thus says the LORD: “Behold, one shall fly swiftly like an eagle and spread his wings against Moab;41 the cities shall be taken and the strongholds seized. The heart of the warriors of Moab shall be in that day like the heart of a woman in her birth pains;42 Moab shall be destroyed and be no longer a people, because he magnified himself against the LORD.43 Terror, pit, and snare are before you, O inhabitant of Moab! declares the LORD.44 He who flees from the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For I will bring these things upon Moab, the year of their punishment, declares the LORD. 45 “In the shadow of Heshbon fugitives stop without strength, for fire came out from Heshbon, flame from the house of Sihon; it has destroyed the forehead of Moab, the crown of the sons of tumult.46 Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh are undone, for your sons have been taken captive, and your daughters into captivity.47 Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days, declares the LORD.” Thus far is the judgment on Moab. Footnotes [1] 48:5 Hebrew weeping goes up with weeping [2] 48:5 Septuagint (compare Isaiah 15:5) heard the cry [3] 48:12 Septuagint, Aquila; Hebrew their (ESV) New Testament: Revelation 3:1–13 Revelation 3:1–13 (Listen) To the Church in Sardis 3 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. 4 Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.' To the Church in Philadelphia 7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens. 8 “‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. 11 I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. 12 The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. 13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.' (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 119:17–24 Psalm 119:17–24 (Listen) Gimel 17 Deal bountifully with your servant, that I may live and keep your word.18 Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.19 I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not your commandments from me!20 My soul is consumed with longing for your rules1 at all times.21 You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones, who wander from your commandments.22 Take away from me scorn and contempt, for I have kept your testimonies.23 Even though princes sit plotting against me, your servant will meditate on your statutes.24 Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors. Footnotes [1] 119:20 Or your just decrees; also verses 30, 39, 43, 52, 75, 102, 108, 137, 156, 175 (ESV) Proverb: Proverbs 27:14 Proverbs 27:14 (Listen) 14 Whoever blesses his neighbor with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, will be counted as cursing. (ESV)
Old Testament: Jeremiah 48 Jeremiah 48 (Listen) Judgment on Moab 48 Concerning Moab. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Woe to Nebo, for it is laid waste! Kiriathaim is put to shame, it is taken; the fortress is put to shame and broken down;2 the renown of Moab is no more. In Heshbon they planned disaster against her: ‘Come, let us cut her off from being a nation!' You also, O Madmen, shall be brought to silence; the sword shall pursue you. 3 “A voice! A cry from Horonaim, ‘Desolation and great destruction!'4 Moab is destroyed; her little ones have made a cry.5 For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping;1 for at the descent of Horonaim they have heard the distressed cry2 of destruction.6 Flee! Save yourselves! You will be like a juniper in the desert!7 For, because you trusted in your works and your treasures, you also shall be taken; and Chemosh shall go into exile with his priests and his officials.8 The destroyer shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape; the valley shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the LORD has spoken. 9 “Give wings to Moab, for she would fly away; her cities shall become a desolation, with no inhabitant in them. 10 “Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed. 11 “Moab has been at ease from his youth and has settled on his dregs; he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile; so his taste remains in him, and his scent is not changed. 12 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I shall send to him pourers who will pour him, and empty his vessels and break his3 jars in pieces. 13 Then Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence. 14 “How do you say, ‘We are heroes and mighty men of war'?15 The destroyer of Moab and his cities has come up, and the choicest of his young men have gone down to slaughter, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.16 The calamity of Moab is near at hand, and his affliction hastens swiftly.17 Grieve for him, all you who are around him, and all who know his name; say, ‘How the mighty scepter is broken, the glorious staff.' 18 “Come down from your glory, and sit on the parched ground, O inhabitant of Dibon! For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you; he has destroyed your strongholds.19 Stand by the way and watch, O inhabitant of Aroer! Ask him who flees and her who escapes; say, ‘What has happened?'20 Moab is put to shame, for it is broken; wail and cry! Tell it beside the Arnon, that Moab is laid waste. 21 “Judgment has come upon the tableland, upon Holon, and Jahzah, and Mephaath, 22 and Dibon, and Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim, 23 and Kiriathaim, and Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon, 24 and Kerioth, and Bozrah, and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near. 25 The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, declares the LORD. 26 “Make him drunk, because he magnified himself against the LORD, so that Moab shall wallow in his vomit, and he too shall be held in derision. 27 Was not Israel a derision to you? Was he found among thieves, that whenever you spoke of him you wagged your head? 28 “Leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, O inhabitants of Moab! Be like the dove that nests in the sides of the mouth of a gorge.29 We have heard of the pride of Moab— he is very proud— of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance, and the haughtiness of his heart.30 I know his insolence, declares the LORD; his boasts are false, his deeds are false.31 Therefore I wail for Moab; I cry out for all Moab; for the men of Kir-hareseth I mourn.32 More than for Jazer I weep for you, O vine of Sibmah! Your branches passed over the sea, reached to the Sea of Jazer; on your summer fruits and your grapes the destroyer has fallen.33 Gladness and joy have been taken away from the fruitful land of Moab; I have made the wine cease from the winepresses; no one treads them with shouts of joy; the shouting is not the shout of joy. 34 “From the outcry at Heshbon even to Elealeh, as far as Jahaz they utter their voice, from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. For the waters of Nimrim also have become desolate. 35 And I will bring to an end in Moab, declares the LORD, him who offers sacrifice in the high place and makes offerings to his god. 36 Therefore my heart moans for Moab like a flute, and my heart moans like a flute for the men of Kir-hareseth. Therefore the riches they gained have perished. 37 “For every head is shaved and every beard cut off. On all the hands are gashes, and around the waist is sackcloth. 38 On all the housetops of Moab and in the squares there is nothing but lamentation, for I have broken Moab like a vessel for which no one cares, declares the LORD. 39 How it is broken! How they wail! How Moab has turned his back in shame! So Moab has become a derision and a horror to all that are around him.” 40 For thus says the LORD: “Behold, one shall fly swiftly like an eagle and spread his wings against Moab;41 the cities shall be taken and the strongholds seized. The heart of the warriors of Moab shall be in that day like the heart of a woman in her birth pains;42 Moab shall be destroyed and be no longer a people, because he magnified himself against the LORD.43 Terror, pit, and snare are before you, O inhabitant of Moab! declares the LORD.44 He who flees from the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For I will bring these things upon Moab, the year of their punishment, declares the LORD. 45 “In the shadow of Heshbon fugitives stop without strength, for fire came out from Heshbon, flame from the house of Sihon; it has destroyed the forehead of Moab, the crown of the sons of tumult.46 Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh are undone, for your sons have been taken captive, and your daughters into captivity.47 Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days, declares the LORD.” Thus far is the judgment on Moab. Footnotes [1] 48:5 Hebrew weeping goes up with weeping [2] 48:5 Septuagint (compare Isaiah 15:5) heard the cry [3] 48:12 Septuagint, Aquila; Hebrew their (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 119:17–24 Psalm 119:17–24 (Listen) Gimel 17 Deal bountifully with your servant, that I may live and keep your word.18 Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.19 I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not your commandments from me!20 My soul is consumed with longing for your rules1 at all times.21 You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones, who wander from your commandments.22 Take away from me scorn and contempt, for I have kept your testimonies.23 Even though princes sit plotting against me, your servant will meditate on your statutes.24 Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors. Footnotes [1] 119:20 Or your just decrees; also verses 30, 39, 43, 52, 75, 102, 108, 137, 156, 175 (ESV) New Testament: 2 Corinthians 1–2 2 Corinthians 1–2 (Listen) Greeting 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. God of All Comfort 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.1 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. 8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers,2 of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. 11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many. Paul's Change of Plans 12 For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity3 and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you. 13 For we are not writing to you anything other than what you read and understand and I hope you will fully understand—14 just as you did partially understand us—that on the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you. 15 Because I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a second experience of grace. 16 I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and to come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on my way to Judea. 17 Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans according to the flesh, ready to say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time? 18 As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No. 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. 20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. 21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.4 23 But I call God to witness against me—it was to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth. 24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith. 2 For I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you. 2 For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? 3 And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all. 4 For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you. Forgive the Sinner 5 Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. 6 For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, 7 so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. 9 For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. 10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, 11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs. Triumph in Christ 12 When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, 13 my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia. 14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ. Footnotes [1] 1:5 Or For as the sufferings of Christ abound for us, so also our comfort abounds through Christ [2] 1:8 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 [3] 1:12 Some manuscripts holiness [4] 1:22 Or down payment (ESV)
Morning: Jeremiah 46–48 Jeremiah 46–48 (Listen) Judgment on Egypt 46 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations. 2 About Egypt. Concerning the army of Pharaoh Neco, king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates at Carchemish and which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: 3 “Prepare buckler and shield, and advance for battle!4 Harness the horses; mount, O horsemen! Take your stations with your helmets, polish your spears, put on your armor!5 Why have I seen it? They are dismayed and have turned backward. Their warriors are beaten down and have fled in haste; they look not back— terror on every side! declares the LORD. 6 “The swift cannot flee away, nor the warrior escape; in the north by the river Euphrates they have stumbled and fallen. 7 “Who is this, rising like the Nile, like rivers whose waters surge?8 Egypt rises like the Nile, like rivers whose waters surge. He said, ‘I will rise, I will cover the earth, I will destroy cities and their inhabitants.'9 Advance, O horses, and rage, O chariots! Let the warriors go out: men of Cush and Put who handle the shield, men of Lud, skilled in handling the bow.10 That day is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, to avenge himself on his foes. The sword shall devour and be sated and drink its fill of their blood. For the Lord GOD of hosts holds a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates.11 Go up to Gilead, and take balm, O virgin daughter of Egypt! In vain you have used many medicines; there is no healing for you.12 The nations have heard of your shame, and the earth is full of your cry; for warrior has stumbled against warrior; they have both fallen together.” 13 The word that the LORD spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to strike the land of Egypt: 14 “Declare in Egypt, and proclaim in Migdol; proclaim in Memphis and Tahpanhes; say, ‘Stand ready and be prepared, for the sword shall devour around you.'15 Why are your mighty ones face down? They do not stand1 because the LORD thrust them down.16 He made many stumble, and they fell, and they said one to another, ‘Arise, and let us go back to our own people and to the land of our birth, because of the sword of the oppressor.'17 Call the name of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, ‘Noisy one who lets the hour go by.' 18 “As I live, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts, like Tabor among the mountains and like Carmel by the sea, shall one come.19 Prepare yourselves baggage for exile, O inhabitants of Egypt! For Memphis shall become a waste, a ruin, without inhabitant. 20 “A beautiful heifer is Egypt, but a biting fly from the north has come upon her.21 Even her hired soldiers in her midst are like fattened calves; yes, they have turned and fled together; they did not stand, for the day of their calamity has come upon them, the time of their punishment. 22 “She makes a sound like a serpent gliding away; for her enemies march in force and come against her with axes like those who fell trees.23 They shall cut down her forest, declares the LORD, though it is impenetrable, because they are more numerous than locusts; they are without number.24 The daughter of Egypt shall be put to shame; she shall be delivered into the hand of a people from the north.” 25 The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, said: “Behold, I am bringing punishment upon Amon of Thebes, and Pharaoh and Egypt and her gods and her kings, upon Pharaoh and those who trust in him. 26 I will deliver them into the hand of those who seek their life, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his officers. Afterward Egypt shall be inhabited as in the days of old, declares the LORD. 27 “But fear not, O Jacob my servant, nor be dismayed, O Israel, for behold, I will save you from far away, and your offspring from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease, and none shall make him afraid.28 Fear not, O Jacob my servant, declares the LORD, for I am with you. I will make a full end of all the nations to which I have driven you, but of you I will not make a full end. I will discipline you in just measure, and I will by no means leave you unpunished.” Judgment on the Philistines 47 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines, before Pharaoh struck down Gaza. 2 “Thus says the LORD: Behold, waters are rising out of the north, and shall become an overflowing torrent; they shall overflow the land and all that fills it, the city and those who dwell in it. Men shall cry out, and every inhabitant of the land shall wail.3 At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his stallions, at the rushing of his chariots, at the rumbling of their wheels, the fathers look not back to their children, so feeble are their hands,4 because of the day that is coming to destroy all the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Sidon every helper that remains. For the LORD is destroying the Philistines, the remnant of the coastland of Caphtor.5 Baldness has come upon Gaza; Ashkelon has perished. O remnant of their valley, how long will you gash yourselves?6 Ah, sword of the LORD! How long till you are quiet? Put yourself into your scabbard; rest and be still!7 How can it2 be quiet when the LORD has given it a charge? Against Ashkelon and against the seashore he has appointed it.” Judgment on Moab 48 Concerning Moab. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Woe to Nebo, for it is laid waste! Kiriathaim is put to shame, it is taken; the fortress is put to shame and broken down;2 the renown of Moab is no more. In Heshbon they planned disaster against her: ‘Come, let us cut her off from being a nation!' You also, O Madmen, shall be brought to silence; the sword shall pursue you. 3 “A voice! A cry from Horonaim, ‘Desolation and great destruction!'4 Moab is destroyed; her little ones have made a cry.5 For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping;3 for at the descent of Horonaim they have heard the distressed cry4 of destruction.6 Flee! Save yourselves! You will be like a juniper in the desert!7 For, because you trusted in your works and your treasures, you also shall be taken; and Chemosh shall go into exile with his priests and his officials.8 The destroyer shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape; the valley shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the LORD has spoken. 9 “Give wings to Moab, for she would fly away; her cities shall become a desolation, with no inhabitant in them. 10 “Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed. 11 “Moab has been at ease from his youth and has settled on his dregs; he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile; so his taste remains in him, and his scent is not changed. 12 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I shall send to him pourers who will pour him, and empty his vessels and break his5 jars in pieces. 13 Then Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence. 14 “How do you say, ‘We are heroes and mighty men of war'?15 The destroyer of Moab and his cities has come up, and the choicest of his young men have gone down to slaughter, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.16 The calamity of Moab is near at hand, and his affliction hastens swiftly.17 Grieve for him, all you who are around him, and all who know his name; say, ‘How the mighty scepter is broken, the glorious staff.' 18 “Come down from your glory, and sit on the parched ground, O inhabitant of Dibon! For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you; he has destroyed your strongholds.19 Stand by the way and watch, O inhabitant of Aroer! Ask him who flees and her who escapes; say, ‘What has happened?'20 Moab is put to shame, for it is broken; wail and cry! Tell it beside the Arnon, that Moab is laid waste. 21 “Judgment has come upon the tableland, upon Holon, and Jahzah, and Mephaath, 22 and Dibon, and Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim, 23 and Kiriathaim, and Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon, 24 and Kerioth, and Bozrah, and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near. 25 The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, declares the LORD. 26 “Make him drunk, because he magnified himself against the LORD, so that Moab shall wallow in his vomit, and he too shall be held in derision. 27 Was not Israel a derision to you? Was he found among thieves, that whenever you spoke of him you wagged your head? 28 “Leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, O inhabitants of Moab! Be like the dove that nests in the sides of the mouth of a gorge.29 We have heard of the pride of Moab— he is very proud— of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance, and the haughtiness of his heart.30 I know his insolence, declares the LORD; his boasts are false, his deeds are false.31 Therefore I wail for Moab; I cry out for all Moab; for the men of Kir-hareseth I mourn.32 More than for Jazer I weep for you, O vine of Sibmah! Your branches passed over the sea, reached to the Sea of Jazer; on your summer fruits and your grapes the destroyer has fallen.33 Gladness and joy have been taken away from the fruitful land of Moab; I have made the wine cease from the winepresses; no one treads them with shouts of joy; the shouting is not the shout of joy. 34 “From the outcry at Heshbon even to Elealeh, as far as Jahaz they utter their voice, from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. For the waters of Nimrim also have become desolate. 35 And I will bring to an end in Moab, declares the LORD, him who offers sacrifice in the high place and makes offerings to his god. 36 Therefore my heart moans for Moab like a flute, and my heart moans like a flute for the men of Kir-hareseth. Therefore the riches they gained have perished. 37 “For every head is shaved and every beard cut off. On all the hands are gashes, and around the waist is sackcloth. 38 On all the housetops of Moab and in the squares there is nothing but lamentation, for I have broken Moab like a vessel for which no one cares, declares the LORD. 39 How it is broken! How they wail! How Moab has turned his back in shame! So Moab has become a derision and a horror to all that are around him.” 40 For thus says the LORD: “Behold, one shall fly swiftly like an eagle and spread his wings against Moab;41 the cities shall be taken and the strongholds seized. The heart of the warriors of Moab shall be in that day like the heart of a woman in her birth pains;42 Moab shall be destroyed and be no longer a people, because he magnified himself against the LORD.43 Terror, pit, and snare are before you, O inhabitant of Moab! declares the LORD.44 He who flees from the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For I will bring these things upon Moab, the year of their punishment, declares the LORD. 45 “In the shadow of Heshbon fugitives stop without strength, for fire came out from Heshbon, flame from the house of Sihon; it has destroyed the forehead of Moab, the crown of the sons of tumult.46 Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh are undone, for your sons have been taken captive, and your daughters into captivity.47 Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days, declares the LORD.” Thus far is the judgment on Moab. Footnotes [1] 46:15 Hebrew He does not stand
Jeremiah 48 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane. 1 This message was given concerning Moab. This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies, the God of Israel, says: “What sorrow awaits the city of Nebo; it will soon lie in ruins.The city of Kiriathaim will be humiliated and captured; the fortress will be humiliated and broken down.2 No one will ever brag about Moab again, for in Heshbon there is a plot to destroy her.‘Come,' they say, ‘we will cut her off from being a nation.' The town of Madmen, too, will be silenced; the sword will follow you there.3 Listen to the cries from Horonaim, cries of devastation and great destruction.4 All Moab is destroyed. Her little ones will cry out.5 Her refugees weep bitterly, climbing the slope to Luhith.They cry out in terror, descending the slope to Horonaim.6 Flee for your lives! Hide in the wilderness!7 Because you have trusted in your wealth and skill, you will be taken captive.Your god Chemosh, with his priests and officials, will be hauled off to distant lands! 8 “All the towns will be destroyed, and no one will escape—either on the plateaus or in the valleys, for the Lord has spoken.9 Oh, that Moab had wings so she could fly away,for her towns will be left empty, with no one living in them.10 Cursed are those who refuse to do the Lord's work, who hold back their swords from shedding blood! 11 “From his earliest history, Moab has lived in peace, never going into exile.He is like wine that has been allowed to settle. He has not been poured from flask to flask, and he is now fragrant and smooth.12 But the time is coming soon,” says the Lord, “when I will send men to pour him from his jar.They will pour him out, then shatter the jar!13 At last Moab will be ashamed of his idol Chemosh, as the people of Israel were ashamed of their gold calf at Bethel. 14 “You used to boast, ‘We are heroes, mighty men of war.'15 But now Moab and his towns will be destroyed. His most promising youth are doomed to slaughter,” says the King, whose name is the Lord of Heaven's Armies.16 “Destruction is coming fast for Moab; calamity threatens ominously.17 You friends of Moab, weep for him and cry!See how the strong scepter is broken, how the beautiful staff is shattered! 18 “Come down from your glory and sit in the dust, you people of Dibon,for those who destroy Moab will shatter Dibon, too. They will tear down all your towers.19 You people of Aroer, stand beside the road and watch.Shout to those who flee from Moab, ‘What has happened there?' 20 “And the reply comes back,‘Moab lies in ruins, disgraced; weep and wail!Tell it by the banks of the Arnon River: Moab has been destroyed!'21 Judgment has been poured out on the towns of the plateau— on Holon and Jahaz and Mephaath,22 on Dibon and Nebo and Beth-diblathaim,23 on Kiriathaim and Beth-gamul and Beth-meon,24 on Kerioth and Bozrah— all the towns of Moab, far and near. 25 “The strength of Moab has ended. His arm has been broken,” says the Lord.26 “Let him stagger and fall like a drunkard, for he has rebelled against the Lord.Moab will wallow in his own vomit, ridiculed by all.27 Did you not ridicule the people of Israel? Were they caught in the company of thieves that you should despise them as you do? 28 “You people of Moab, flee from your towns and live in the caves.Hide like doves that nest in the clefts of the rocks.29 We have all heard of the pride of Moab, for his pride is very great.We know of his lofty pride, his arrogance, and his haughty heart.30 I know about his insolence,” says the Lord,“but his boasts are empty— as empty as his deeds.31 So now I wail for Moab; yes, I will mourn for Moab. My heart is broken for the men of Kir-hareseth.
Old Testament: Isaiah 15–19 Isaiah 15–19 (Listen) An Oracle Concerning Moab 15 An oracle concerning Moab. Because Ar of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone; because Kir of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone.2 He has gone up to the temple,1 and to Dibon, to the high places2 to weep; over Nebo and over Medeba Moab wails. On every head is baldness; every beard is shorn;3 in the streets they wear sackcloth; on the housetops and in the squares everyone wails and melts in tears.4 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out; their voice is heard as far as Jahaz; therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud; his soul trembles.5 My heart cries out for Moab; her fugitives flee to Zoar, to Eglath-shelishiyah. For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping; on the road to Horonaim they raise a cry of destruction;6 the waters of Nimrim are a desolation; the grass is withered, the vegetation fails, the greenery is no more.7 Therefore the abundance they have gained and what they have laid up they carry away over the Brook of the Willows.8 For a cry has gone around the land of Moab; her wailing reaches to Eglaim; her wailing reaches to Beer-elim.9 For the waters of Dibon3 are full of blood; for I will bring upon Dibon even more, a lion for those of Moab who escape, for the remnant of the land.16 Send the lamb to the ruler of the land, from Sela, by way of the desert, to the mount of the daughter of Zion.2 Like fleeing birds, like a scattered nest, so are the daughters of Moab at the fords of the Arnon. 3 “Give counsel; grant justice; make your shade like night at the height of noon; shelter the outcasts; do not reveal the fugitive;4 let the outcasts of Moab sojourn among you; be a shelter to them4 from the destroyer. When the oppressor is no more, and destruction has ceased, and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land,5 then a throne will be established in steadfast love, and on it will sit in faithfulness in the tent of David one who judges and seeks justice and is swift to do righteousness.” 6 We have heard of the pride of Moab— how proud he is!— of his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence; in his idle boasting he is not right.7 Therefore let Moab wail for Moab, let everyone wail. Mourn, utterly stricken, for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth. 8 For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah; the lords of the nations have struck down its branches, which reached to Jazer and strayed to the desert; its shoots spread abroad and passed over the sea.9 Therefore I weep with the weeping of Jazer for the vine of Sibmah; I drench you with my tears, O Heshbon and Elealeh; for over your summer fruit and your harvest the shout has ceased.10 And joy and gladness are taken away from the fruitful field, and in the vineyards no songs are sung, no cheers are raised; no treader treads out wine in the presses; I have put an end to the shouting.11 Therefore my inner parts moan like a lyre for Moab, and my inmost self for Kir-hareseth. 12 And when Moab presents himself, when he wearies himself on the high place, when he comes to his sanctuary to pray, he will not prevail. 13 This is the word that the LORD spoke concerning Moab in the past. 14 But now the LORD has spoken, saying, “In three years, like the years of a hired worker, the glory of Moab will be brought into contempt, in spite of all his great multitude, and those who remain will be very few and feeble.” An Oracle Concerning Damascus 17 An oracle concerning Damascus. Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins.2 The cities of Aroer are deserted; they will be for flocks, which will lie down, and none will make them afraid.3 The fortress will disappear from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus; and the remnant of Syria will be like the glory of the children of Israel, declares the LORD of hosts. 4 And in that day the glory of Jacob will be brought low, and the fat of his flesh will grow lean.5 And it shall be as when the reaper gathers standing grain and his arm harvests the ears, and as when one gleans the ears of grain in the Valley of Rephaim.6 Gleanings will be left in it, as when an olive tree is beaten— two or three berries in the top of the highest bough, four or five on the branches of a fruit tree, declares the LORD God of Israel. 7 In that day man will look to his Maker, and his eyes will look on the Holy One of Israel. 8 He will not look to the altars, the work of his hands, and he will not look on what his own fingers have made, either the Asherim or the altars of incense. 9 In that day their strong cities will be like the deserted places of the wooded heights and the hilltops, which they deserted because of the children of Israel, and there will be desolation. 10 For you have forgotten the God of your salvation and have not remembered the Rock of your refuge; therefore, though you plant pleasant plants and sow the vine-branch of a stranger,11 though you make them grow5 on the day that you plant them, and make them blossom in the morning that you sow, yet the harvest will flee away6 in a day of grief and incurable pain. 12 Ah, the thunder of many peoples; they thunder like the thundering of the sea! Ah, the roar of nations; they roar like the roaring of mighty waters!13 The nations roar like the roaring of many waters, but he will rebuke them, and they will flee far away, chased like chaff on the mountains before the wind and whirling dust before the storm.14 At evening time, behold, terror! Before morning, they are no more! This is the portion of those who loot us, and the lot of those who plunder us. An Oracle Concerning Cush 18 Ah, land of whirring wings that is beyond the rivers of Cush,72 which sends ambassadors by the sea, in vessels of papyrus on the waters! Go, you swift messengers, to a nation tall and smooth, to a people feared near and far, a nation mighty and conquering, whose land the rivers divide. 3 All you inhabitants of the world, you who dwell on the earth, when a signal is raised on the mountains, look! When a trumpet is blown, hear!4 For thus the LORD said to me: “I will quietly look from my dwelling like clear heat in sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”5 For before the harvest, when the blossom is over, and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he cuts off the shoots with pruning hooks, and the spreading branches he lops off and clears away.6 They shall all of them be left to the birds of prey of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth. And the birds of prey will summer on them, and all the beasts of the earth will winter on them. 7 At that time tribute will be brought to the LORD of hosts from a people tall and smooth, from a people feared near and far, a nation mighty and conquering, whose land the rivers divide, to Mount Zion, the place of the name of the LORD of hosts. An Oracle Concerning Egypt 19 An oracle concerning Egypt. Behold, the LORD is riding on a swift cloud and comes to Egypt; and the idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence, and the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them.2 And I will stir up Egyptians against Egyptians, and they will fight, each against another and each against his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom;3 and the spirit of the Egyptians within them will be emptied out, and I will confound8 their counsel; and they will inquire of the idols and the sorcerers, and the mediums and the necromancers;4 and I will give over the Egyptians into the hand of a hard master, and a fierce king will rule over them, declares the Lord GOD of hosts. 5 And the waters of the sea will be dried up, and the river will be dry and parched,6 and its canals will become foul, and the branches of Egypt's Nile will diminish and dry up, reeds and rushes will rot away.7 There will be bare places by the Nile, on the brink of the Nile, and all that is sown by the Nile will be parched, will be driven away, and will be no more.8 The fishermen will mourn and lament, all who cast a hook in the Nile; and they will languish who spread nets on the water.9 The workers in combed flax will be in despair, and the weavers of white cotton.10 Those who are the pillars of the land will be crushed, and all who work for pay will be grieved. 11 The princes of Zoan are utterly foolish; the wisest counselors of Pharaoh give stupid counsel. How can you say to Pharaoh, “I am a son of the wise, a son of ancient kings”?12 Where then are your wise men? Let them tell you that they might know what the LORD of hosts has purposed against Egypt.13 The princes of Zoan have become fools, and the princes of Memphis are deluded; those who are the cornerstones of her tribes have made Egypt stagger.14 The LORD has mingled within her a spirit of confusion, and they will make Egypt stagger in all its deeds, as a drunken man staggers in his vomit.15 And there will be nothing for Egypt that head or tail, palm branch or reed, may do. Egypt, Assyria, Israel Blessed 16 In that day the Egyptians will be like women, and tremble with fear before the hand that the LORD of hosts shakes over them. 17 And the land of Judah will become a terror to the Egyptians. Everyone to whom it is mentioned will fear because of the purpose that the LORD of hosts has purposed against them. 18 In that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the LORD of hosts. One of these will be called the City of Destruction.9 19 In that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the LORD at its border. 20 It will be a sign and a witness to the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt. When they cry to the LORD because of oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and deliver them. 21 And the LORD will make himself known to the Egyptians, and the Egyptians will know the LORD in that day and worship with sacrifice and offering, and they will make vows to the LORD and perform them. 22 And the LORD will strike Egypt, striking and healing, and they will return to the LORD, and he will listen to their pleas for mercy and heal them. 23 In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria will come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians. 24 In that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, 25 whom the LORD of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.” Footnotes [1] 15:2 Hebrew the house [2] 15:2 Or temple, even Dibon to the high places [3] 15:9 Dead Sea Scroll, Vulgate (compare Syriac); Masoretic Text Dimon; twice in this verse [4] 16:4 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac; Masoretic Text let my outcasts sojourn among you; as for Moab, be a shelter to them [5] 17:11 Or though you carefully fence them [6] 17:11 Or will be a heap [7] 18:1 Probably Nubia [8] 19:3 Or I will swallow up [9] 19:18 Dead Sea Scroll and some other manuscripts City of the Sun (ESV) New Testament: Hebrews 9:11–10:18 Hebrews 9:11–10:18 (Listen) Redemption Through the Blood of Christ 11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come,1 then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify2 for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our3 conscience from dead works to serve the living God. 15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.4 16 For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. &
Old Testament: Isaiah 15–19 Isaiah 15–19 (Listen) An Oracle Concerning Moab 15 An oracle concerning Moab. Because Ar of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone; because Kir of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone.2 He has gone up to the temple,1 and to Dibon, to the high places2 to weep; over Nebo and over Medeba Moab wails. On every head is baldness; every beard is shorn;3 in the streets they wear sackcloth; on the housetops and in the squares everyone wails and melts in tears.4 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out; their voice is heard as far as Jahaz; therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud; his soul trembles.5 My heart cries out for Moab; her fugitives flee to Zoar, to Eglath-shelishiyah. For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping; on the road to Horonaim they raise a cry of destruction;6 the waters of Nimrim are a desolation; the grass is withered, the vegetation fails, the greenery is no more.7 Therefore the abundance they have gained and what they have laid up they carry away over the Brook of the Willows.8 For a cry has gone around the land of Moab; her wailing reaches to Eglaim; her wailing reaches to Beer-elim.9 For the waters of Dibon3 are full of blood; for I will bring upon Dibon even more, a lion for those of Moab who escape, for the remnant of the land.16 Send the lamb to the ruler of the land, from Sela, by way of the desert, to the mount of the daughter of Zion.2 Like fleeing birds, like a scattered nest, so are the daughters of Moab at the fords of the Arnon. 3 “Give counsel; grant justice; make your shade like night at the height of noon; shelter the outcasts; do not reveal the fugitive;4 let the outcasts of Moab sojourn among you; be a shelter to them4 from the destroyer. When the oppressor is no more, and destruction has ceased, and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land,5 then a throne will be established in steadfast love, and on it will sit in faithfulness in the tent of David one who judges and seeks justice and is swift to do righteousness.” 6 We have heard of the pride of Moab— how proud he is!— of his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence; in his idle boasting he is not right.7 Therefore let Moab wail for Moab, let everyone wail. Mourn, utterly stricken, for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth. 8 For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah; the lords of the nations have struck down its branches, which reached to Jazer and strayed to the desert; its shoots spread abroad and passed over the sea.9 Therefore I weep with the weeping of Jazer for the vine of Sibmah; I drench you with my tears, O Heshbon and Elealeh; for over your summer fruit and your harvest the shout has ceased.10 And joy and gladness are taken away from the fruitful field, and in the vineyards no songs are sung, no cheers are raised; no treader treads out wine in the presses; I have put an end to the shouting.11 Therefore my inner parts moan like a lyre for Moab, and my inmost self for Kir-hareseth. 12 And when Moab presents himself, when he wearies himself on the high place, when he comes to his sanctuary to pray, he will not prevail. 13 This is the word that the LORD spoke concerning Moab in the past. 14 But now the LORD has spoken, saying, “In three years, like the years of a hired worker, the glory of Moab will be brought into contempt, in spite of all his great multitude, and those who remain will be very few and feeble.” An Oracle Concerning Damascus 17 An oracle concerning Damascus. Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins.2 The cities of Aroer are deserted; they will be for flocks, which will lie down, and none will make them afraid.3 The fortress will disappear from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus; and the remnant of Syria will be like the glory of the children of Israel, declares the LORD of hosts. 4 And in that day the glory of Jacob will be brought low, and the fat of his flesh will grow lean.5 And it shall be as when the reaper gathers standing grain and his arm harvests the ears, and as when one gleans the ears of grain in the Valley of Rephaim.6 Gleanings will be left in it, as when an olive tree is beaten— two or three berries in the top of the highest bough, four or five on the branches of a fruit tree, declares the LORD God of Israel. 7 In that day man will look to his Maker, and his eyes will look on the Holy One of Israel. 8 He will not look to the altars, the work of his hands, and he will not look on what his own fingers have made, either the Asherim or the altars of incense. 9 In that day their strong cities will be like the deserted places of the wooded heights and the hilltops, which they deserted because of the children of Israel, and there will be desolation. 10 For you have forgotten the God of your salvation and have not remembered the Rock of your refuge; therefore, though you plant pleasant plants and sow the vine-branch of a stranger,11 though you make them grow5 on the day that you plant them, and make them blossom in the morning that you sow, yet the harvest will flee away6 in a day of grief and incurable pain. 12 Ah, the thunder of many peoples; they thunder like the thundering of the sea! Ah, the roar of nations; they roar like the roaring of mighty waters!13 The nations roar like the roaring of many waters, but he will rebuke them, and they will flee far away, chased like chaff on the mountains before the wind and whirling dust before the storm.14 At evening time, behold, terror! Before morning, they are no more! This is the portion of those who loot us, and the lot of those who plunder us. An Oracle Concerning Cush 18 Ah, land of whirring wings that is beyond the rivers of Cush,72 which sends ambassadors by the sea, in vessels of papyrus on the waters! Go, you swift messengers, to a nation tall and smooth, to a people feared near and far, a nation mighty and conquering, whose land the rivers divide. 3 All you inhabitants of the world, you who dwell on the earth, when a signal is raised on the mountains, look! When a trumpet is blown, hear!4 For thus the LORD said to me: “I will quietly look from my dwelling like clear heat in sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”5 For before the harvest, when the blossom is over, and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he cuts off the shoots with pruning hooks, and the spreading branches he lops off and clears away.6 They shall all of them be left to the birds of prey of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth. And the birds of prey will summer on them, and all the beasts of the earth will winter on them. 7 At that time tribute will be brought to the LORD of hosts from a people tall and smooth, from a people feared near and far, a nation mighty and conquering, whose land the rivers divide, to Mount Zion, the place of the name of the LORD of hosts. An Oracle Concerning Egypt 19 An oracle concerning Egypt. Behold, the LORD is riding on a swift cloud and comes to Egypt; and the idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence, and the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them.2 And I will stir up Egyptians against Egyptians, and they will fight, each against another and each against his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom;3 and the spirit of the Egyptians within them will be emptied out, and I will confound8 their counsel; and they will inquire of the idols and the sorcerers, and the mediums and the necromancers;4 and I will give over the Egyptians into the hand of a hard master, and a fierce king will rule over them, declares the Lord GOD of hosts. 5 And the waters of the sea will be dried up, and the river will be dry and parched,6 and its canals will become foul, and the branches of Egypt's Nile will diminish and dry up, reeds and rushes will rot away.7 There will be bare places by the Nile, on the brink of the Nile, and all that is sown by the Nile will be parched, will be driven away, and will be no more.8 The fishermen will mourn and lament, all who cast a hook in the Nile; and they will languish who spread nets on the water.9 The workers in combed flax will be in despair, and the weavers of white cotton.10 Those who are the pillars of the land will be crushed, and all who work for pay will be grieved. 11 The princes of Zoan are utterly foolish; the wisest counselors of Pharaoh give stupid counsel. How can you say to Pharaoh, “I am a son of the wise, a son of ancient kings”?12 Where then are your wise men? Let them tell you that they might know what the LORD of hosts has purposed against Egypt.13 The princes of Zoan have become fools, and the princes of Memphis are deluded; those who are the cornerstones of her tribes have made Egypt stagger.14 The LORD has mingled within her a spirit of confusion, and they will make Egypt stagger in all its deeds, as a drunken man staggers in his vomit.15 And there will be nothing for Egypt that head or tail, palm branch or reed, may do. Egypt, Assyria, Israel Blessed 16 In that day the Egyptians will be like women, and tremble with fear before the hand that the LORD of hosts shakes over them. 17 And the land of Judah will become a terror to the Egyptians. Everyone to whom it is mentioned will fear because of the purpose that the LORD of hosts has purposed against them. 18 In that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the LORD of hosts. One of these will be called the City of Destruction.9 19 In that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the LORD at its border. 20 It will be a sign and a witness to the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt. When they cry to the LORD because of oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and deliver them. 21 And the LORD will make himself known to the Egyptians, and the Egyptians will know the LORD in that day and worship with sacrifice and offering, and they will make vows to the LORD and perform them. 22 And the LORD will strike Egypt, striking and healing, and they will return to the LORD, and he will listen to their pleas for mercy and heal them. 23 In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria will come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians. 24 In that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, 25 whom the LORD of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.” Footnotes [1] 15:2 Hebrew the house [2] 15:2 Or temple, even Dibon to the high places [3] 15:9 Dead Sea Scroll, Vulgate (compare Syriac); Masoretic Text Dimon; twice in this verse [4] 16:4 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac; Masoretic Text let my outcasts sojourn among you; as for Moab, be a shelter to them [5] 17:11 Or though you carefully fence them [6] 17:11 Or will be a heap [7] 18:1 Probably Nubia [8] 19:3 Or I will swallow up [9] 19:18 Dead Sea Scroll and some other manuscripts City of the Sun (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 87 Psalm 87 (Listen) Glorious Things of You Are Spoken A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. A Song. 87 On the holy mount stands the city he founded;2 the LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.3 Glorious things of you are spoken, O city of God. Selah 4 Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon; behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Cush1— “This one was born there,” they say.5 And of Zion it shall be said, “This one and that one were born in her”; for the Most High himself will establish her.
Morning: Isaiah 13–15 Isaiah 13–15 (Listen) The Judgment of Babylon 13 The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw. 2 On a bare hill raise a signal; cry aloud to them; wave the hand for them to enter the gates of the nobles.3 I myself have commanded my consecrated ones, and have summoned my mighty men to execute my anger, my proudly exulting ones.1 4 The sound of a tumult is on the mountains as of a great multitude! The sound of an uproar of kingdoms, of nations gathering together! The LORD of hosts is mustering a host for battle.5 They come from a distant land, from the end of the heavens, the LORD and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.2 6 Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; as destruction from the Almighty3 it will come!7 Therefore all hands will be feeble, and every human heart will melt.8 They will be dismayed: pangs and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame. 9 Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it.10 For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light.11 I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless.12 I will make people more rare than fine gold, and mankind than the gold of Ophir.13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the LORD of hosts in the day of his fierce anger.14 And like a hunted gazelle, or like sheep with none to gather them, each will turn to his own people, and each will flee to his own land.15 Whoever is found will be thrust through, and whoever is caught will fall by the sword.16 Their infants will be dashed in pieces before their eyes; their houses will be plundered and their wives ravished. 17 Behold, I am stirring up the Medes against them, who have no regard for silver and do not delight in gold.18 Their bows will slaughter4 the young men; they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb; their eyes will not pity children.19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them.20 It will never be inhabited or lived in for all generations; no Arab will pitch his tent there; no shepherds will make their flocks lie down there.21 But wild animals will lie down there, and their houses will be full of howling creatures; there ostriches5 will dwell, and there wild goats will dance.22 Hyenas6 will cry in its towers, and jackals in the pleasant palaces; its time is close at hand and its days will not be prolonged. The Restoration of Jacob 14 For the LORD will have compassion on Jacob and will again choose Israel, and will set them in their own land, and sojourners will join them and will attach themselves to the house of Jacob. 2 And the peoples will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them in the LORD's land as male and female slaves.7 They will take captive those who were their captors, and rule over those who oppressed them. Israel's Remnant Taunts Babylon 3 When the LORD has given you rest from your pain and turmoil and the hard service with which you were made to serve, 4 you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: “How the oppressor has ceased, the insolent fury8 ceased!5 The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of rulers,6 that struck the peoples in wrath with unceasing blows, that ruled the nations in anger with unrelenting persecution.7 The whole earth is at rest and quiet; they break forth into singing.8 The cypresses rejoice at you, the cedars of Lebanon, saying, ‘Since you were laid low, no woodcutter comes up against us.'9 Sheol beneath is stirred up to meet you when you come; it rouses the shades to greet you, all who were leaders of the earth; it raises from their thrones all who were kings of the nations.10 All of them will answer and say to you: ‘You too have become as weak as we! You have become like us!'11 Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, the sound of your harps; maggots are laid as a bed beneath you, and worms are your covers. 12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low!13 You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north;914 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.'15 But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.16 Those who see you will stare at you and ponder over you: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms,17 who made the world like a desert and overthrew its cities, who did not let his prisoners go home?'18 All the kings of the nations lie in glory, each in his own tomb;1019 but you are cast out, away from your grave, like a loathed branch, clothed with the slain, those pierced by the sword, who go down to the stones of the pit, like a dead body trampled underfoot.20 You will not be joined with them in burial, because you have destroyed your land, you have slain your people. “May the offspring of evildoers nevermore be named!21 Prepare slaughter for his sons because of the guilt of their fathers, lest they rise and possess the earth, and fill the face of the world with cities.” 22 “I will rise up against them,” declares the LORD of hosts, “and will cut off from Babylon name and remnant, descendants and posterity,” declares the LORD. 23 “And I will make it a possession of the hedgehog,11 and pools of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction,” declares the LORD of hosts. An Oracle Concerning Assyria 24 The LORD of hosts has sworn: “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand,25 that I will break the Assyrian in my land, and on my mountains trample him underfoot; and his yoke shall depart from them, and his burden from their shoulder.” 26 This is the purpose that is purposed concerning the whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations.27 For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back? An Oracle Concerning Philistia 28 In the year that King Ahaz died came this oracle: 29 Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of you, that the rod that struck you is broken, for from the serpent's root will come forth an adder, and its fruit will be a flying fiery serpent.30 And the firstborn of the poor will graze, and the needy lie down in safety; but I will kill your root with famine, and your remnant it will slay.31 Wail, O gate; cry out, O city; melt in fear, O Philistia, all of you! For smoke comes out of the north, and there is no straggler in his ranks. 32 What will one answer the messengers of the nation? “The LORD has founded Zion, and in her the afflicted of his people find refuge.” An Oracle Concerning Moab 15 An oracle concerning Moab. Because Ar of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone; because Kir of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone.2 He has gone up to the temple,12 and to Dibon, to the high places13 to weep; over Nebo and over Medeba Moab wails. On every head is baldness; every beard is shorn;3 in the streets they wear sackcloth; on the housetops and in the squares everyone wails and melts in tears.4 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out; their voice is heard as far as Jahaz; therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud; his soul trembles.5 My heart cries out for Moab; her fugitives flee to Zoar, to Eglath-shelishiyah. For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping; on the road to Horonaim they raise a cry of destruction;6 the waters of Nimrim are a desolation; the grass is withered, the vegetation fails, the greenery is no more.7 Therefore the abundance they have gained and what they have laid up they carry away over the Brook of the Willows.8 For a cry has gone around the land of Moab; her wailing reaches to Eglaim; her wailing reaches to Beer-elim.9 For the waters of Dibon14 are full of blood; for I will bring upon Dibon even more, a lion for those of Moab who escape, for the remnant of the land. Footnotes [1] 13:3 Or those who exult in my majesty [2] 13:5 Or earth; also verse 9 [3] 13:6 The Hebrew words for destruction and almighty sound alike [4] 13:18 Hebrew dash in pieces [5] 13:21 Or owls [6] 13:22 Or foxes [7] 14:2 Or servants [8] 14:4 Dead Sea Scroll (compare Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate); the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain [9] 14:13 Or in the remote parts of Zaphon [10] 14:18 Hebrew house [11] 14:23 Possibly porcupine, or owl [12] 15:2 Hebrew the house [13] 15:2 Or temple, even Dibon to the high places [14] 15:9 Dead Sea Scroll, Vulgate (compare Syriac); Masoretic Text Dimon; twice in this verse (ESV) Evening: Galatians 6 Galatians 6 (Listen) Bear One Another's Burdens 6 Brothers,1 if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. 5 For each will have to bear his own load. 6 Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. 7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. Final Warning and Benediction 11 See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand. 12 It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13 For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. 14 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which2 the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. 16 And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. 17 From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen. Footnotes
Jeremiah 46–48 Jeremiah 46–48 (Listen) Judgment on Egypt 46 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations. 2 About Egypt. Concerning the army of Pharaoh Neco, king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates at Carchemish and which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: 3 “Prepare buckler and shield, and advance for battle!4 Harness the horses; mount, O horsemen! Take your stations with your helmets, polish your spears, put on your armor!5 Why have I seen it? They are dismayed and have turned backward. Their warriors are beaten down and have fled in haste; they look not back— terror on every side! declares the LORD. 6 “The swift cannot flee away, nor the warrior escape; in the north by the river Euphrates they have stumbled and fallen. 7 “Who is this, rising like the Nile, like rivers whose waters surge?8 Egypt rises like the Nile, like rivers whose waters surge. He said, ‘I will rise, I will cover the earth, I will destroy cities and their inhabitants.'9 Advance, O horses, and rage, O chariots! Let the warriors go out: men of Cush and Put who handle the shield, men of Lud, skilled in handling the bow.10 That day is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, to avenge himself on his foes. The sword shall devour and be sated and drink its fill of their blood. For the Lord GOD of hosts holds a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates.11 Go up to Gilead, and take balm, O virgin daughter of Egypt! In vain you have used many medicines; there is no healing for you.12 The nations have heard of your shame, and the earth is full of your cry; for warrior has stumbled against warrior; they have both fallen together.” 13 The word that the LORD spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to strike the land of Egypt: 14 “Declare in Egypt, and proclaim in Migdol; proclaim in Memphis and Tahpanhes; say, ‘Stand ready and be prepared, for the sword shall devour around you.'15 Why are your mighty ones face down? They do not stand1 because the LORD thrust them down.16 He made many stumble, and they fell, and they said one to another, ‘Arise, and let us go back to our own people and to the land of our birth, because of the sword of the oppressor.'17 Call the name of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, ‘Noisy one who lets the hour go by.' 18 “As I live, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts, like Tabor among the mountains and like Carmel by the sea, shall one come.19 Prepare yourselves baggage for exile, O inhabitants of Egypt! For Memphis shall become a waste, a ruin, without inhabitant. 20 “A beautiful heifer is Egypt, but a biting fly from the north has come upon her.21 Even her hired soldiers in her midst are like fattened calves; yes, they have turned and fled together; they did not stand, for the day of their calamity has come upon them, the time of their punishment. 22 “She makes a sound like a serpent gliding away; for her enemies march in force and come against her with axes like those who fell trees.23 They shall cut down her forest, declares the LORD, though it is impenetrable, because they are more numerous than locusts; they are without number.24 The daughter of Egypt shall be put to shame; she shall be delivered into the hand of a people from the north.” 25 The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, said: “Behold, I am bringing punishment upon Amon of Thebes, and Pharaoh and Egypt and her gods and her kings, upon Pharaoh and those who trust in him. 26 I will deliver them into the hand of those who seek their life, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his officers. Afterward Egypt shall be inhabited as in the days of old, declares the LORD. 27 “But fear not, O Jacob my servant, nor be dismayed, O Israel, for behold, I will save you from far away, and your offspring from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease, and none shall make him afraid.28 Fear not, O Jacob my servant, declares the LORD, for I am with you. I will make a full end of all the nations to which I have driven you, but of you I will not make a full end. I will discipline you in just measure, and I will by no means leave you unpunished.” Judgment on the Philistines 47 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines, before Pharaoh struck down Gaza. 2 “Thus says the LORD: Behold, waters are rising out of the north, and shall become an overflowing torrent; they shall overflow the land and all that fills it, the city and those who dwell in it. Men shall cry out, and every inhabitant of the land shall wail.3 At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his stallions, at the rushing of his chariots, at the rumbling of their wheels, the fathers look not back to their children, so feeble are their hands,4 because of the day that is coming to destroy all the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Sidon every helper that remains. For the LORD is destroying the Philistines, the remnant of the coastland of Caphtor.5 Baldness has come upon Gaza; Ashkelon has perished. O remnant of their valley, how long will you gash yourselves?6 Ah, sword of the LORD! How long till you are quiet? Put yourself into your scabbard; rest and be still!7 How can it2 be quiet when the LORD has given it a charge? Against Ashkelon and against the seashore he has appointed it.” Judgment on Moab 48 Concerning Moab. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Woe to Nebo, for it is laid waste! Kiriathaim is put to shame, it is taken; the fortress is put to shame and broken down;2 the renown of Moab is no more. In Heshbon they planned disaster against her: ‘Come, let us cut her off from being a nation!' You also, O Madmen, shall be brought to silence; the sword shall pursue you. 3 “A voice! A cry from Horonaim, ‘Desolation and great destruction!'4 Moab is destroyed; her little ones have made a cry.5 For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping;3 for at the descent of Horonaim they have heard the distressed cry4 of destruction.6 Flee! Save yourselves! You will be like a juniper in the desert!7 For, because you trusted in your works and your treasures, you also shall be taken; and Chemosh shall go into exile with his priests and his officials.8 The destroyer shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape; the valley shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the LORD has spoken. 9 “Give wings to Moab, for she would fly away; her cities shall become a desolation, with no inhabitant in them. 10 “Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed. 11 “Moab has been at ease from his youth and has settled on his dregs; he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile; so his taste remains in him, and his scent is not changed. 12 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I shall send to him pourers who will pour him, and empty his vessels and break his5 jars in pieces. 13 Then Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence. 14 “How do you say, ‘We are heroes and mighty men of war'?15 The destroyer of Moab and his cities has come up, and the choicest of his young men have gone down to slaughter, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.16 The calamity of Moab is near at hand, and his affliction hastens swiftly.17 Grieve for him, all you who are around him, and all who know his name; say, ‘How the mighty scepter is broken, the glorious staff.' 18 “Come down from your glory, and sit on the parched ground, O inhabitant of Dibon! For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you; he has destroyed your strongholds.19 Stand by the way and watch, O inhabitant of Aroer! Ask him who flees and her who escapes; say, ‘What has happened?'20 Moab is put to shame, for it is broken; wail and cry! Tell it beside the Arnon, that Moab is laid waste. 21 “Judgment has come upon the tableland, upon Holon, and Jahzah, and Mephaath, 22 and Dibon, and Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim, 23 and Kiriathaim, and Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon, 24 and Kerioth, and Bozrah, and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near. 25 The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, declares the LORD. 26 “Make him drunk, because he magnified himself against the LORD, so that Moab shall wallow in his vomit, and he too shall be held in derision. 27 Was not Israel a derision to you? Was he found among thieves, that whenever you spoke of him you wagged your head? 28 “Leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, O inhabitants of Moab! Be like the dove that nests in the sides of the mouth of a gorge.29 We have heard of the pride of Moab— he is very proud— of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance, and the haughtiness of his heart.30 I know his insolence, declares the LORD; his boasts are false, his deeds are false.31 Therefore I wail for Moab; I cry out for all Moab; for the men of Kir-hareseth I mourn.32 More than for Jazer I weep for you, O vine of Sibmah! Your branches passed over the sea, reached to the Sea of Jazer; on your summer fruits and your grapes the destroyer has fallen.33 Gladness and joy have been taken away from the fruitful land of Moab; I have made the wine cease from the winepresses; no one treads them with shouts of joy; the shouting is not the shout of joy. 34 “From the outcry at Heshbon even to Elealeh, as far as Jahaz they utter their voice, from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. For the waters of Nimrim also have become desolate. 35 And I will bring to an end in Moab, declares the LORD, him who offers sacrifice in the high place and makes offerings to his god. 36 Therefore my heart moans for Moab like a flute, and my heart moans like a flute for the men of Kir-hareseth. Therefore the riches they gained have perished. 37 “For every head is shaved and every beard cut off. On all the hands are gashes, and around the waist is sackcloth. 38 On all the housetops of Moab and in the squares there is nothing but lamentation, for I have broken Moab like a vessel for which no one cares, declares the LORD. 39 How it is broken! How they wail! How Moab has turned his back in shame! So Moab has become a derision and a horror to all that are around him.” 40 For thus says the LORD: “Behold, one shall fly swiftly like an eagle and spread his wings against Moab;41 the cities shall be taken and the strongholds seized. The heart of the warriors of Moab shall be in that day like the heart of a woman in her birth pains;42 Moab shall be destroyed and be no longer a people, because he magnified himself against the LORD.43 Terror, pit, and snare are before you, O inhabitant of Moab! declares the LORD.44 He who flees from the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For I will bring these things upon Moab, the year of their punishment, declares the LORD. 45 “In the shadow of Heshbon fugitives stop without strength, for fire came out from Heshbon, flame from the house of Sihon; it has destroyed the forehead of Moab, the crown of the sons of tumult.46 Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh are undone, for your sons have been taken captive, and your daughters into captivity.47 Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days, declares the LORD.” Thus far is the judgment on Moab. Footnotes [1] 46:15 Hebrew He does not stand
With family: 1 Samuel 11; Romans 9 1 Samuel 11 (Listen) Saul Defeats the Ammonites 11 Then Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh-gilead, and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you.” 2 But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, “On this condition I will make a treaty with you, that I gouge out all your right eyes, and thus bring disgrace on all Israel.” 3 The elders of Jabesh said to him, “Give us seven days' respite that we may send messengers through all the territory of Israel. Then, if there is no one to save us, we will give ourselves up to you.” 4 When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul, they reported the matter in the ears of the people, and all the people wept aloud. 5 Now, behold, Saul was coming from the field behind the oxen. And Saul said, “What is wrong with the people, that they are weeping?” So they told him the news of the men of Jabesh. 6 And the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and his anger was greatly kindled. 7 He took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hand of the messengers, saying, “Whoever does not come out after Saul and Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen!” Then the dread of the LORD fell upon the people, and they came out as one man. 8 When he mustered them at Bezek, the people of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. 9 And they said to the messengers who had come, “Thus shall you say to the men of Jabesh-gilead: ‘Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you shall have salvation.'” When the messengers came and told the men of Jabesh, they were glad. 10 Therefore the men of Jabesh said, “Tomorrow we will give ourselves up to you, and you may do to us whatever seems good to you.” 11 And the next day Saul put the people in three companies. And they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch and struck down the Ammonites until the heat of the day. And those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together. The Kingdom Is Renewed 12 Then the people said to Samuel, “Who is it that said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?' Bring the men, that we may put them to death.” 13 But Saul said, “Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today the LORD has worked salvation in Israel.” 14 Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and there renew the kingdom.” 15 So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal. There they sacrificed peace offerings before the LORD, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly. (ESV) Romans 9 (Listen) God's Sovereign Choice 9 I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit—2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers,1 my kinsmen according to the flesh. 4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. 6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. 9 For this is what the promise said: “About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.” 10 And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls—12 she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” 13 As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” 14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion,2 but on God, who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. 19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” 20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? 25 As indeed he says in Hosea, “Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,' and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.'”26 “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,' there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.'” 27 And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel3 be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, 28 for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” 29 And as Isaiah predicted, “If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring, we would have been like Sodom and become like Gomorrah.” Israel's Unbelief 30 What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness4 did not succeed in reaching that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” Footnotes [1] 9:3 Or brothers and sisters [2] 9:16 Greek not of him who wills or runs [3] 9:27 Or children of Israel [4] 9:31 Greek a law of righteousness (ESV) In private: Psalm 25; Jeremiah 48 Psalm 25 (Listen) Teach Me Your Paths 1 Of David. 25 To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.2 O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me.3 Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. 4 Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.5 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. 6 Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.7 Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O LORD! 8 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.10 All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. 11 For your name's sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great.12 Who is the man who fears the LORD? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.13 His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land.14 The friendship2 of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.15 My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for he will pluck my feet out of the net. 16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses.18 Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins. 19 Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me.20 Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me! Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you. 22 Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles. Footnotes [1] 25:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet [2] 25:14 Or The secret counsel (ESV) Jeremiah 48 (Listen) Judgment on Moab 48 Concerning Moab. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Woe to Nebo, for it is laid waste! Kiriathaim is put to shame, it is taken; the fortress is put to shame and broken down;2 the renown of Moab is no more. In Heshbon they planned disaster against her: ‘Come, let us cut her off from being a nation!' You also, O Madmen, shall be brought to silence; the sword shall pursue you. 3 “A voice! A cry from Horonaim, ‘Desolation and great destruction!'4 Moab is destroyed; her little ones have made a cry.5 For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping;1 for at the descent of Horonaim they have heard the distressed cry2 of destruction.6 Flee! Save yourselves! You will be like a juniper in the desert!7 For, because you trusted in your works and your treasures, you also shall be taken; and Chemosh shall go into exile with his priests and his officials.8 The destroyer shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape; the valley shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the LORD has spoken. 9 “Give wings to Moab, for she would fly away; her cities shall become a desolation, with no inhabitant in them. 10 “Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed. 11 “Moab has been at ease from his youth and has settled on his dregs; he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile; so his taste remains in him, and his scent is not changed. 12 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I shall send to him pourers who will pour him, and empty his vessels and break his3 jars in pieces. 13 Then Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence. 14 “How do you say, ‘We are heroes and mighty men of war'?15 The destroyer of Moab and his cities has come up, and the choicest of his young men have gone down to slaughter, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.16 The calamity of Moab is near at hand, and his affliction hastens swiftly.17 Grieve for him, all you who are around him, and all who know his name; say, ‘How the mighty scepter is broken, the glorious staff.' 18 “Come down from your glory, and sit on the parched ground, O inhabitant of Dibon! For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you; he has destroyed your strongholds.19 Stand by the way and watch, O inhabitant of Aroer! Ask him who flees and her who escapes; say, ‘What has happened?'20 Moab is put to shame, for it is broken; wail and cry! Tell it beside the Arnon, that Moab is laid waste. 21 “Judgment has come upon the tableland, upon Holon, and Jahzah, and Mephaath, 22 and Dibon, and Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim, 23 and Kiriathaim, and Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon, 24 and Kerioth, and Bozrah, and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near. 25 The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, declares the LORD. 26 “Make him drunk, because he magnified himself against the LORD, so that Moab shall wallow in his vomit, and he too shall be held in derision. 27 Was not Israel a derision to you? Was he found among thieves, that whenever you spoke of him you wagged your head? 28 “Leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, O inhabitants of Moab! Be like the dove that nests in the sides of the mouth of a gorge.29 We have heard of the pride of Moab— he is very proud— of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance, and the haughtiness of his heart.30 I know his insolence, declares the LORD; his boasts are false, his deeds are false.31 Therefore I wail for Moab; I cry out for all Moab; for the men of Kir-hareseth I mourn.32 More than for Jazer I weep for you, O vine of Sibmah! Your branches passed over the sea, reached to the Sea of Jazer; on your summer fruits and your grapes the destroyer has fallen.33 Gladness and joy have been taken away from the fruitful land of Moab; I have made the wine cease from the winepresses; no one treads them with shouts of joy; the shouting is not the shout of joy. 34 “From the outcry at Heshbon even to Elealeh, as far as Jahaz they utter their voice, from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. For the waters of Nimrim also have become desolate. 35 And I will bring to an end in Moab, declares the LORD, him who offers sacrifice in the high place and makes offerings to his god. 36 Therefore my heart moans for Moab like a flute, and my heart moans like a flute for the men of Kir-hareseth. Therefore the riches they gained have perished. 37 “For every head is shaved and every beard cut off. On all the hands are gashes, and around the waist is sackcloth. 38 On all the housetops of Moab and in the squares there is nothing but lamentation, for I have broken Moab like a vessel for which no one cares, declares the LORD. 39 How it is broken! How they wail! How Moab has turned his back in shame! So Moab has become a derision and a horror to all that are around him.” 40 For thus says the LORD: “Behold, one shall fly swiftly like an eagle and spread his wings against Moab;41 the cities shall be taken and the strongholds seized. The heart of the warriors of Moab shall be in that day like the heart of a woman in her birth pains;42 Moab shall be destroyed and be no longer a people, because he magnified himself against the LORD.43 Terror, pit, and snare are before you, O inhabitant of Moab! declares the LORD.44 He who flees from the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For I will bring these things upon Moab, the year of their punishment, declares the LORD. 45 “In the shadow of Heshbon fugitives stop without strength, for fire came out from Heshbon, flame from the house of Sihon; it has destroyed the forehead of Moab, the crown of the sons of tumult.46 Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh are undone, for your sons have been taken captive, and your daughters into captivity.47
Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 16 Psalm 16 (Listen) You Will Not Abandon My Soul A Miktam1 of David. 16 Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.2 I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” 3 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.2 4 The sorrows of those who run after3 another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips. 5 The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. 7 I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.48 I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being5 rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.6 11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Footnotes [1] 16:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term [2] 16:3 Or To the saints in the land, the excellent in whom is all my delight, I say: [3] 16:4 Or who acquire [4] 16:7 Hebrew my kidneys instruct me [5] 16:9 Hebrew my glory [6] 16:10 Or see the pit (ESV) Pentateuch and History: 1 Samuel 3 1 Samuel 3 (Listen) The Lord Calls Samuel 3 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD in the presence of Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. 2 At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the LORD called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!” 5 and ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down. 6 And the LORD called again, “Samuel!” and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. 8 And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the LORD was calling the boy. 9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant hears.'” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 And the LORD came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” 11 Then the LORD said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. 12 On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God,1 and he did not restrain them. 14 Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.” 15 Samuel lay until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. 16 But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Here I am.” 17 And Eli said, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.” 18 So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the LORD. Let him do what seems good to him.” 19 And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the LORD. 21 And the LORD appeared again at Shiloh, for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the LORD. Footnotes [1] 3:13 Or blaspheming for themselves (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Jeremiah 48 Jeremiah 48 (Listen) Judgment on Moab 48 Concerning Moab. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Woe to Nebo, for it is laid waste! Kiriathaim is put to shame, it is taken; the fortress is put to shame and broken down;2 the renown of Moab is no more. In Heshbon they planned disaster against her: ‘Come, let us cut her off from being a nation!' You also, O Madmen, shall be brought to silence; the sword shall pursue you. 3 “A voice! A cry from Horonaim, ‘Desolation and great destruction!'4 Moab is destroyed; her little ones have made a cry.5 For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping;1 for at the descent of Horonaim they have heard the distressed cry2 of destruction.6 Flee! Save yourselves! You will be like a juniper in the desert!7 For, because you trusted in your works and your treasures, you also shall be taken; and Chemosh shall go into exile with his priests and his officials.8 The destroyer shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape; the valley shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the LORD has spoken. 9 “Give wings to Moab, for she would fly away; her cities shall become a desolation, with no inhabitant in them. 10 “Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed. 11 “Moab has been at ease from his youth and has settled on his dregs; he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile; so his taste remains in him, and his scent is not changed. 12 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I shall send to him pourers who will pour him, and empty his vessels and break his3 jars in pieces. 13 Then Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence. 14 “How do you say, ‘We are heroes and mighty men of war'?15 The destroyer of Moab and his cities has come up, and the choicest of his young men have gone down to slaughter, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.16 The calamity of Moab is near at hand, and his affliction hastens swiftly.17 Grieve for him, all you who are around him, and all who know his name; say, ‘How the mighty scepter is broken, the glorious staff.' 18 “Come down from your glory, and sit on the parched ground, O inhabitant of Dibon! For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you; he has destroyed your strongholds.19 Stand by the way and watch, O inhabitant of Aroer! Ask him who flees and her who escapes; say, ‘What has happened?'20 Moab is put to shame, for it is broken; wail and cry! Tell it beside the Arnon, that Moab is laid waste. 21 “Judgment has come upon the tableland, upon Holon, and Jahzah, and Mephaath, 22 and Dibon, and Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim, 23 and Kiriathaim, and Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon, 24 and Kerioth, and Bozrah, and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near. 25 The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, declares the LORD. 26 “Make him drunk, because he magnified himself against the LORD, so that Moab shall wallow in his vomit, and he too shall be held in derision. 27 Was not Israel a derision to you? Was he found among thieves, that whenever you spoke of him you wagged your head? 28 “Leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, O inhabitants of Moab! Be like the dove that nests in the sides of the mouth of a gorge.29 We have heard of the pride of Moab— he is very proud— of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance, and the haughtiness of his heart.30 I know his insolence, declares the LORD; his boasts are false, his deeds are false.31 Therefore I wail for Moab; I cry out for all Moab; for the men of Kir-hareseth I mourn.32 More than for Jazer I weep for you, O vine of Sibmah! Your branches passed over the sea, reached to the Sea of Jazer; on your summer fruits and your grapes the destroyer has fallen.33 Gladness and joy have been taken away from the fruitful land of Moab; I have made the wine cease from the winepresses; no one treads them with shouts of joy; the shouting is not the shout of joy. 34 “From the outcry at Heshbon even to Elealeh, as far as Jahaz they utter their voice, from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. For the waters of Nimrim also have become desolate. 35 And I will bring to an end in Moab, declares the LORD, him who offers sacrifice in the high place and makes offerings to his god. 36 Therefore my heart moans for Moab like a flute, and my heart moans like a flute for the men of Kir-hareseth. Therefore the riches they gained have perished. 37 “For every head is shaved and every beard cut off. On all the hands are gashes, and around the waist is sackcloth. 38 On all the housetops of Moab and in the squares there is nothing but lamentation, for I have broken Moab like a vessel for which no one cares, declares the LORD. 39 How it is broken! How they wail! How Moab has turned his back in shame! So Moab has become a derision and a horror to all that are around him.” 40 For thus says the LORD: “Behold, one shall fly swiftly like an eagle and spread his wings against Moab;41 the cities shall be taken and the strongholds seized. The heart of the warriors of Moab shall be in that day like the heart of a woman in her birth pains;42 Moab shall be destroyed and be no longer a people, because he magnified himself against the LORD.43 Terror, pit, and snare are before you, O inhabitant of Moab! declares the LORD.44 He who flees from the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For I will bring these things upon Moab, the year of their punishment, declares the LORD. 45 “In the shadow of Heshbon fugitives stop without strength, for fire came out from Heshbon, flame from the house of Sihon; it has destroyed the forehead of Moab, the crown of the sons of tumult.46 Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh are undone, for your sons have been taken captive, and your daughters into captivity.47 Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days, declares the LORD.” Thus far is the judgment on Moab. Footnotes [1] 48:5 Hebrew weeping goes up with weeping [2] 48:5 Septuagint (compare Isaiah 15:5) heard the cry [3] 48:12 Septuagint, Aquila; Hebrew their (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: Mark 15 Mark 15 (Listen) Jesus Delivered to Pilate 15 And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate. 2 And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” 3 And the chief priests accused him of many things. 4 And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” 5 But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed. Pilate Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified 6 Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. 7 And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. 8 And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them. 9 And he answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” 10 For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. 12 And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” 13 And they cried out again, “Crucify him.” 14 And Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.” 15 So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged1 Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. Jesus Is Mocked 16 And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor's headquarters),2 and they called together the whole battalion.3 17 And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. 18 And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him. The Crucifixion 21 And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. 22 And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). 23 And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. 25 And it was the third hour4 when they crucified him. 26 And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” 27 And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left.5 29 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him. The Death of Jesus 33 And when the sixth hour6 had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.7 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 35 And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” 36 And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” 37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he8 breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son9 of God!” 40
Isaiah 13–17 Isaiah 13–17 (Listen) The Judgment of Babylon 13 The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw. 2 On a bare hill raise a signal; cry aloud to them; wave the hand for them to enter the gates of the nobles.3 I myself have commanded my consecrated ones, and have summoned my mighty men to execute my anger, my proudly exulting ones.1 4 The sound of a tumult is on the mountains as of a great multitude! The sound of an uproar of kingdoms, of nations gathering together! The LORD of hosts is mustering a host for battle.5 They come from a distant land, from the end of the heavens, the LORD and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.2 6 Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; as destruction from the Almighty3 it will come!7 Therefore all hands will be feeble, and every human heart will melt.8 They will be dismayed: pangs and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame. 9 Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it.10 For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light.11 I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless.12 I will make people more rare than fine gold, and mankind than the gold of Ophir.13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the LORD of hosts in the day of his fierce anger.14 And like a hunted gazelle, or like sheep with none to gather them, each will turn to his own people, and each will flee to his own land.15 Whoever is found will be thrust through, and whoever is caught will fall by the sword.16 Their infants will be dashed in pieces before their eyes; their houses will be plundered and their wives ravished. 17 Behold, I am stirring up the Medes against them, who have no regard for silver and do not delight in gold.18 Their bows will slaughter4 the young men; they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb; their eyes will not pity children.19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them.20 It will never be inhabited or lived in for all generations; no Arab will pitch his tent there; no shepherds will make their flocks lie down there.21 But wild animals will lie down there, and their houses will be full of howling creatures; there ostriches5 will dwell, and there wild goats will dance.22 Hyenas6 will cry in its towers, and jackals in the pleasant palaces; its time is close at hand and its days will not be prolonged. The Restoration of Jacob 14 For the LORD will have compassion on Jacob and will again choose Israel, and will set them in their own land, and sojourners will join them and will attach themselves to the house of Jacob. 2 And the peoples will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them in the LORD's land as male and female slaves.7 They will take captive those who were their captors, and rule over those who oppressed them. Israel's Remnant Taunts Babylon 3 When the LORD has given you rest from your pain and turmoil and the hard service with which you were made to serve, 4 you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: “How the oppressor has ceased, the insolent fury8 ceased!5 The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of rulers,6 that struck the peoples in wrath with unceasing blows, that ruled the nations in anger with unrelenting persecution.7 The whole earth is at rest and quiet; they break forth into singing.8 The cypresses rejoice at you, the cedars of Lebanon, saying, ‘Since you were laid low, no woodcutter comes up against us.'9 Sheol beneath is stirred up to meet you when you come; it rouses the shades to greet you, all who were leaders of the earth; it raises from their thrones all who were kings of the nations.10 All of them will answer and say to you: ‘You too have become as weak as we! You have become like us!'11 Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, the sound of your harps; maggots are laid as a bed beneath you, and worms are your covers. 12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low!13 You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north;914 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.'15 But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.16 Those who see you will stare at you and ponder over you: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms,17 who made the world like a desert and overthrew its cities, who did not let his prisoners go home?'18 All the kings of the nations lie in glory, each in his own tomb;1019 but you are cast out, away from your grave, like a loathed branch, clothed with the slain, those pierced by the sword, who go down to the stones of the pit, like a dead body trampled underfoot.20 You will not be joined with them in burial, because you have destroyed your land, you have slain your people. “May the offspring of evildoers nevermore be named!21 Prepare slaughter for his sons because of the guilt of their fathers, lest they rise and possess the earth, and fill the face of the world with cities.” 22 “I will rise up against them,” declares the LORD of hosts, “and will cut off from Babylon name and remnant, descendants and posterity,” declares the LORD. 23 “And I will make it a possession of the hedgehog,11 and pools of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction,” declares the LORD of hosts. An Oracle Concerning Assyria 24 The LORD of hosts has sworn: “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand,25 that I will break the Assyrian in my land, and on my mountains trample him underfoot; and his yoke shall depart from them, and his burden from their shoulder.” 26 This is the purpose that is purposed concerning the whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations.27 For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back? An Oracle Concerning Philistia 28 In the year that King Ahaz died came this oracle: 29 Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of you, that the rod that struck you is broken, for from the serpent's root will come forth an adder, and its fruit will be a flying fiery serpent.30 And the firstborn of the poor will graze, and the needy lie down in safety; but I will kill your root with famine, and your remnant it will slay.31 Wail, O gate; cry out, O city; melt in fear, O Philistia, all of you! For smoke comes out of the north, and there is no straggler in his ranks. 32 What will one answer the messengers of the nation? “The LORD has founded Zion, and in her the afflicted of his people find refuge.” An Oracle Concerning Moab 15 An oracle concerning Moab. Because Ar of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone; because Kir of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone.2 He has gone up to the temple,12 and to Dibon, to the high places13 to weep; over Nebo and over Medeba Moab wails. On every head is baldness; every beard is shorn;3 in the streets they wear sackcloth; on the housetops and in the squares everyone wails and melts in tears.4 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out; their voice is heard as far as Jahaz; therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud; his soul trembles.5 My heart cries out for Moab; her fugitives flee to Zoar, to Eglath-shelishiyah. For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping; on the road to Horonaim they raise a cry of destruction;6 the waters of Nimrim are a desolation; the grass is withered, the vegetation fails, the greenery is no more.7 Therefore the abundance they have gained and what they have laid up they carry away over the Brook of the Willows.8 For a cry has gone around the land of Moab; her wailing reaches to Eglaim; her wailing reaches to Beer-elim.9 For the waters of Dibon14 are full of blood; for I will bring upon Dibon even more, a lion for those of Moab who escape, for the remnant of the land.16 Send the lamb to the ruler of the land, from Sela, by way of the desert, to the mount of the daughter of Zion.2 Like fleeing birds, like a scattered nest, so are the daughters of Moab at the fords of the Arnon. 3 “Give counsel; grant justice; make your shade like night at the height of noon; shelter the outcasts; do not reveal the fugitive;4 let the outcasts of Moab sojourn among you; be a shelter to them15 from the destroyer. When the oppressor is no more, and destruction has ceased, and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land,5 then a throne will be established in steadfast love, and on it will sit in faithfulness in the tent of David one who judges and seeks justice and is swift to do righteousness.” 6 We have heard of the pride of Moab— how proud he is!— of his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence; in his idle boasting he is not right.7 Therefore let Moab wail for Moab, let everyone wail. Mourn, utterly stricken, for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth. 8 For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah; the lords of the nations have struck down its branches, which reached to Jazer and strayed to the desert; its shoots spread abroad and passed over the sea.9 Therefore I weep with the weeping of Jazer for the vine of Sibmah; I drench you with my tears, O Heshbon and Elealeh;
Jeremiah 46–48 Jeremiah 46–48 (Listen) Judgment on Egypt 46 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations. 2 About Egypt. Concerning the army of Pharaoh Neco, king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates at Carchemish and which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: 3 “Prepare buckler and shield, and advance for battle!4 Harness the horses; mount, O horsemen! Take your stations with your helmets, polish your spears, put on your armor!5 Why have I seen it? They are dismayed and have turned backward. Their warriors are beaten down and have fled in haste; they look not back— terror on every side! declares the LORD. 6 “The swift cannot flee away, nor the warrior escape; in the north by the river Euphrates they have stumbled and fallen. 7 “Who is this, rising like the Nile, like rivers whose waters surge?8 Egypt rises like the Nile, like rivers whose waters surge. He said, ‘I will rise, I will cover the earth, I will destroy cities and their inhabitants.'9 Advance, O horses, and rage, O chariots! Let the warriors go out: men of Cush and Put who handle the shield, men of Lud, skilled in handling the bow.10 That day is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, to avenge himself on his foes. The sword shall devour and be sated and drink its fill of their blood. For the Lord GOD of hosts holds a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates.11 Go up to Gilead, and take balm, O virgin daughter of Egypt! In vain you have used many medicines; there is no healing for you.12 The nations have heard of your shame, and the earth is full of your cry; for warrior has stumbled against warrior; they have both fallen together.” 13 The word that the LORD spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to strike the land of Egypt: 14 “Declare in Egypt, and proclaim in Migdol; proclaim in Memphis and Tahpanhes; say, ‘Stand ready and be prepared, for the sword shall devour around you.'15 Why are your mighty ones face down? They do not stand1 because the LORD thrust them down.16 He made many stumble, and they fell, and they said one to another, ‘Arise, and let us go back to our own people and to the land of our birth, because of the sword of the oppressor.'17 Call the name of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, ‘Noisy one who lets the hour go by.' 18 “As I live, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts, like Tabor among the mountains and like Carmel by the sea, shall one come.19 Prepare yourselves baggage for exile, O inhabitants of Egypt! For Memphis shall become a waste, a ruin, without inhabitant. 20 “A beautiful heifer is Egypt, but a biting fly from the north has come upon her.21 Even her hired soldiers in her midst are like fattened calves; yes, they have turned and fled together; they did not stand, for the day of their calamity has come upon them, the time of their punishment. 22 “She makes a sound like a serpent gliding away; for her enemies march in force and come against her with axes like those who fell trees.23 They shall cut down her forest, declares the LORD, though it is impenetrable, because they are more numerous than locusts; they are without number.24 The daughter of Egypt shall be put to shame; she shall be delivered into the hand of a people from the north.” 25 The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, said: “Behold, I am bringing punishment upon Amon of Thebes, and Pharaoh and Egypt and her gods and her kings, upon Pharaoh and those who trust in him. 26 I will deliver them into the hand of those who seek their life, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his officers. Afterward Egypt shall be inhabited as in the days of old, declares the LORD. 27 “But fear not, O Jacob my servant, nor be dismayed, O Israel, for behold, I will save you from far away, and your offspring from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease, and none shall make him afraid.28 Fear not, O Jacob my servant, declares the LORD, for I am with you. I will make a full end of all the nations to which I have driven you, but of you I will not make a full end. I will discipline you in just measure, and I will by no means leave you unpunished.” Judgment on the Philistines 47 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines, before Pharaoh struck down Gaza. 2 “Thus says the LORD: Behold, waters are rising out of the north, and shall become an overflowing torrent; they shall overflow the land and all that fills it, the city and those who dwell in it. Men shall cry out, and every inhabitant of the land shall wail.3 At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his stallions, at the rushing of his chariots, at the rumbling of their wheels, the fathers look not back to their children, so feeble are their hands,4 because of the day that is coming to destroy all the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Sidon every helper that remains. For the LORD is destroying the Philistines, the remnant of the coastland of Caphtor.5 Baldness has come upon Gaza; Ashkelon has perished. O remnant of their valley, how long will you gash yourselves?6 Ah, sword of the LORD! How long till you are quiet? Put yourself into your scabbard; rest and be still!7 How can it2 be quiet when the LORD has given it a charge? Against Ashkelon and against the seashore he has appointed it.” Judgment on Moab 48 Concerning Moab. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Woe to Nebo, for it is laid waste! Kiriathaim is put to shame, it is taken; the fortress is put to shame and broken down;2 the renown of Moab is no more. In Heshbon they planned disaster against her: ‘Come, let us cut her off from being a nation!' You also, O Madmen, shall be brought to silence; the sword shall pursue you. 3 “A voice! A cry from Horonaim, ‘Desolation and great destruction!'4 Moab is destroyed; her little ones have made a cry.5 For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping;3 for at the descent of Horonaim they have heard the distressed cry4 of destruction.6 Flee! Save yourselves! You will be like a juniper in the desert!7 For, because you trusted in your works and your treasures, you also shall be taken; and Chemosh shall go into exile with his priests and his officials.8 The destroyer shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape; the valley shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the LORD has spoken. 9 “Give wings to Moab, for she would fly away; her cities shall become a desolation, with no inhabitant in them. 10 “Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed. 11 “Moab has been at ease from his youth and has settled on his dregs; he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile; so his taste remains in him, and his scent is not changed. 12 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I shall send to him pourers who will pour him, and empty his vessels and break his5 jars in pieces. 13 Then Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence. 14 “How do you say, ‘We are heroes and mighty men of war'?15 The destroyer of Moab and his cities has come up, and the choicest of his young men have gone down to slaughter, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.16 The calamity of Moab is near at hand, and his affliction hastens swiftly.17 Grieve for him, all you who are around him, and all who know his name; say, ‘How the mighty scepter is broken, the glorious staff.' 18 “Come down from your glory, and sit on the parched ground, O inhabitant of Dibon! For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you; he has destroyed your strongholds.19 Stand by the way and watch, O inhabitant of Aroer! Ask him who flees and her who escapes; say, ‘What has happened?'20 Moab is put to shame, for it is broken; wail and cry! Tell it beside the Arnon, that Moab is laid waste. 21 “Judgment has come upon the tableland, upon Holon, and Jahzah, and Mephaath, 22 and Dibon, and Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim, 23 and Kiriathaim, and Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon, 24 and Kerioth, and Bozrah, and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near. 25 The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, declares the LORD. 26 “Make him drunk, because he magnified himself against the LORD, so that Moab shall wallow in his vomit, and he too shall be held in derision. 27 Was not Israel a derision to you? Was he found among thieves, that whenever you spoke of him you wagged your head? 28 “Leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, O inhabitants of Moab! Be like the dove that nests in the sides of the mouth of a gorge.29 We have heard of the pride of Moab— he is very proud— of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance, and the haughtiness of his heart.30 I know his insolence, declares the LORD; his boasts are false, his deeds are false.31 Therefore I wail for Moab; I cry out for all Moab; for the men of Kir-hareseth I mourn.32 More than for Jazer I weep for you, O vine of Sibmah! Your branches passed over the sea, reached to the Sea of Jazer; on your summer fruits and your grapes the destroyer has fallen.33 Gladness and joy have been taken away from the fruitful land of Moab; I have made the wine cease from the winepresses; no one treads them with shouts of joy; the shouting is not the shout of joy. 34 “From the outcry at Heshbon even to Elealeh, as far as Jahaz they utter their voice, from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. For the waters of Nimrim also have become desolate. 35 And I will bring to an end in Moab, declares the LORD, him who offers sacrifice in the high place and makes offerings to his god. 36 Therefore my heart moans for Moab like a flute, and my heart moans like a flute for the men of Kir-hareseth. Therefore the riches they gained have perished. 37 “For every head is shaved and every beard cut off. On all the hands are gashes, and around the waist is sackcloth. 38 On all the housetops of Moab and in the squares there is nothing but lamentation, for I have broken Moab like a vessel for which no one cares, declares the LORD. 39 How it is broken! How they wail! How Moab has turned his back in shame! So Moab has become a derision and a horror to all that are around him.” 40 For thus says the LORD: “Behold, one shall fly swiftly like an eagle and spread his wings against Moab;41 the cities shall be taken and the strongholds seized. The heart of the warriors of Moab shall be in that day like the heart of a woman in her birth pains;42 Moab shall be destroyed and be no longer a people, because he magnified himself against the LORD.43 Terror, pit, and snare are before you, O inhabitant of Moab! declares the LORD.44 He who flees from the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For I will bring these things upon Moab, the year of their punishment, declares the LORD. 45 “In the shadow of Heshbon fugitives stop without strength, for fire came out from Heshbon, flame from the house of Sihon; it has destroyed the forehead of Moab, the crown of the sons of tumult.46 Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh are undone, for your sons have been taken captive, and your daughters into captivity.47 Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days, declares the LORD.” Thus far is the judgment on Moab. Footnotes [1] 46:15 Hebrew He does not stand
Isaiah 13–17 Isaiah 13–17 (Listen) The Judgment of Babylon 13 The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw. 2 On a bare hill raise a signal; cry aloud to them; wave the hand for them to enter the gates of the nobles.3 I myself have commanded my consecrated ones, and have summoned my mighty men to execute my anger, my proudly exulting ones.1 4 The sound of a tumult is on the mountains as of a great multitude! The sound of an uproar of kingdoms, of nations gathering together! The LORD of hosts is mustering a host for battle.5 They come from a distant land, from the end of the heavens, the LORD and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.2 6 Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; as destruction from the Almighty3 it will come!7 Therefore all hands will be feeble, and every human heart will melt.8 They will be dismayed: pangs and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame. 9 Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it.10 For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light.11 I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless.12 I will make people more rare than fine gold, and mankind than the gold of Ophir.13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the LORD of hosts in the day of his fierce anger.14 And like a hunted gazelle, or like sheep with none to gather them, each will turn to his own people, and each will flee to his own land.15 Whoever is found will be thrust through, and whoever is caught will fall by the sword.16 Their infants will be dashed in pieces before their eyes; their houses will be plundered and their wives ravished. 17 Behold, I am stirring up the Medes against them, who have no regard for silver and do not delight in gold.18 Their bows will slaughter4 the young men; they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb; their eyes will not pity children.19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them.20 It will never be inhabited or lived in for all generations; no Arab will pitch his tent there; no shepherds will make their flocks lie down there.21 But wild animals will lie down there, and their houses will be full of howling creatures; there ostriches5 will dwell, and there wild goats will dance.22 Hyenas6 will cry in its towers, and jackals in the pleasant palaces; its time is close at hand and its days will not be prolonged. The Restoration of Jacob 14 For the LORD will have compassion on Jacob and will again choose Israel, and will set them in their own land, and sojourners will join them and will attach themselves to the house of Jacob. 2 And the peoples will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them in the LORD's land as male and female slaves.7 They will take captive those who were their captors, and rule over those who oppressed them. Israel's Remnant Taunts Babylon 3 When the LORD has given you rest from your pain and turmoil and the hard service with which you were made to serve, 4 you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: “How the oppressor has ceased, the insolent fury8 ceased!5 The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of rulers,6 that struck the peoples in wrath with unceasing blows, that ruled the nations in anger with unrelenting persecution.7 The whole earth is at rest and quiet; they break forth into singing.8 The cypresses rejoice at you, the cedars of Lebanon, saying, ‘Since you were laid low, no woodcutter comes up against us.'9 Sheol beneath is stirred up to meet you when you come; it rouses the shades to greet you, all who were leaders of the earth; it raises from their thrones all who were kings of the nations.10 All of them will answer and say to you: ‘You too have become as weak as we! You have become like us!'11 Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, the sound of your harps; maggots are laid as a bed beneath you, and worms are your covers. 12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low!13 You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north;914 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.'15 But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.16 Those who see you will stare at you and ponder over you: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms,17 who made the world like a desert and overthrew its cities, who did not let his prisoners go home?'18 All the kings of the nations lie in glory, each in his own tomb;1019 but you are cast out, away from your grave, like a loathed branch, clothed with the slain, those pierced by the sword, who go down to the stones of the pit, like a dead body trampled underfoot.20 You will not be joined with them in burial, because you have destroyed your land, you have slain your people. “May the offspring of evildoers nevermore be named!21 Prepare slaughter for his sons because of the guilt of their fathers, lest they rise and possess the earth, and fill the face of the world with cities.” 22 “I will rise up against them,” declares the LORD of hosts, “and will cut off from Babylon name and remnant, descendants and posterity,” declares the LORD. 23 “And I will make it a possession of the hedgehog,11 and pools of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction,” declares the LORD of hosts. An Oracle Concerning Assyria 24 The LORD of hosts has sworn: “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand,25 that I will break the Assyrian in my land, and on my mountains trample him underfoot; and his yoke shall depart from them, and his burden from their shoulder.” 26 This is the purpose that is purposed concerning the whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations.27 For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back? An Oracle Concerning Philistia 28 In the year that King Ahaz died came this oracle: 29 Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of you, that the rod that struck you is broken, for from the serpent's root will come forth an adder, and its fruit will be a flying fiery serpent.30 And the firstborn of the poor will graze, and the needy lie down in safety; but I will kill your root with famine, and your remnant it will slay.31 Wail, O gate; cry out, O city; melt in fear, O Philistia, all of you! For smoke comes out of the north, and there is no straggler in his ranks. 32 What will one answer the messengers of the nation? “The LORD has founded Zion, and in her the afflicted of his people find refuge.” An Oracle Concerning Moab 15 An oracle concerning Moab. Because Ar of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone; because Kir of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone.2 He has gone up to the temple,12 and to Dibon, to the high places13 to weep; over Nebo and over Medeba Moab wails. On every head is baldness; every beard is shorn;3 in the streets they wear sackcloth; on the housetops and in the squares everyone wails and melts in tears.4 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out; their voice is heard as far as Jahaz; therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud; his soul trembles.5 My heart cries out for Moab; her fugitives flee to Zoar, to Eglath-shelishiyah. For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping; on the road to Horonaim they raise a cry of destruction;6 the waters of Nimrim are a desolation; the grass is withered, the vegetation fails, the greenery is no more.7 Therefore the abundance they have gained and what they have laid up they carry away over the Brook of the Willows.8 For a cry has gone around the land of Moab; her wailing reaches to Eglaim; her wailing reaches to Beer-elim.9 For the waters of Dibon14 are full of blood; for I will bring upon Dibon even more, a lion for those of Moab who escape, for the remnant of the land.16 Send the lamb to the ruler of the land, from Sela, by way of the desert, to the mount of the daughter of Zion.2 Like fleeing birds, like a scattered nest, so are the daughters of Moab at the fords of the Arnon. 3 “Give counsel; grant justice; make your shade like night at the height of noon; shelter the outcasts; do not reveal the fugitive;4 let the outcasts of Moab sojourn among you; be a shelter to them15 from the destroyer. When the oppressor is no more, and destruction has ceased, and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land,5 then a throne will be established in steadfast love, and on it will sit in faithfulness in the tent of David one who judges and seeks justice and is swift to do righteousness.” 6 We have heard of the pride of Moab— how proud he is!— of his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence; in his idle boasting he is not right.7 Therefore let Moab wail for Moab, let everyone wail. Mourn, utterly stricken, for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth. 8 For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah; the lords of the nations have struck down its branches, which reached to Jazer and strayed to the desert; its shoots spread abroad and passed over the sea.9 Therefore I weep with the weeping of Jazer for the vine of Sibmah; I drench you with my tears, O Heshbon and Elealeh;
With family: Numbers 25; Psalm 68 Numbers 25 (Listen) Baal Worship at Peor 25 While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. 2 These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. 4 And the LORD said to Moses, “Take all the chiefs of the people and hang1 them in the sun before the LORD, that the fierce anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel.” 5 And Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you kill those of his men who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor.” 6 And behold, one of the people of Israel came and brought a Midianite woman to his family, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the people of Israel, while they were weeping in the entrance of the tent of meeting. 7 When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose and left the congregation and took a spear in his hand 8 and went after the man of Israel into the chamber and pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the woman through her belly. Thus the plague on the people of Israel was stopped. 9 Nevertheless, those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand. The Zeal of Phinehas 10 And the LORD said to Moses, 11 “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy. 12 Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace, 13 and it shall be to him and to his descendants after him the covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the people of Israel.'” 14 The name of the slain man of Israel, who was killed with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, chief of a father's house belonging to the Simeonites. 15 And the name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi the daughter of Zur, who was the tribal head of a father's house in Midian. 16 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “Harass the Midianites and strike them down, 18 for they have harassed you with their wiles, with which they beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of the chief of Midian, their sister, who was killed on the day of the plague on account of Peor.” Footnotes [1] 25:4 Or impale (ESV) Psalm 68 (Listen) God Shall Scatter His Enemies To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A Song. 68 God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered; and those who hate him shall flee before him!2 As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away; as wax melts before fire, so the wicked shall perish before God!3 But the righteous shall be glad; they shall exult before God; they shall be jubilant with joy! 4 Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the LORD; exult before him!5 Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.6 God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land. 7 O God, when you went out before your people, when you marched through the wilderness, Selah8 the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain, before God, the One of Sinai, before God,1 the God of Israel.9 Rain in abundance, O God, you shed abroad; you restored your inheritance as it languished;10 your flock2 found a dwelling in it; in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy. 11 The Lord gives the word; the women who announce the news are a great host:12 “The kings of the armies—they flee, they flee!” The women at home divide the spoil—13 though you men lie among the sheepfolds— the wings of a dove covered with silver, its pinions with shimmering gold.14 When the Almighty scatters kings there, let snow fall on Zalmon. 15 O mountain of God, mountain of Bashan; O many-peaked3 mountain, mountain of Bashan!16 Why do you look with hatred, O many-peaked mountain, at the mount that God desired for his abode, yes, where the LORD will dwell forever?17 The chariots of God are twice ten thousand, thousands upon thousands; the Lord is among them; Sinai is now in the sanctuary.18 You ascended on high, leading a host of captives in your train and receiving gifts among men, even among the rebellious, that the LORD God may dwell there. 19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. Selah20 Our God is a God of salvation, and to GOD, the Lord, belong deliverances from death.21 But God will strike the heads of his enemies, the hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways.22 The Lord said, “I will bring them back from Bashan, I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,23 that you may strike your feet in their blood, that the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from the foe.” 24 Your procession is4 seen, O God, the procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary—25 the singers in front, the musicians last, between them virgins playing tambourines:26 “Bless God in the great congregation, the LORD, O you5 who are of Israel's fountain!”27 There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead, the princes of Judah in their throng, the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali. 28 Summon your power, O God,6 the power, O God, by which you have worked for us.29 Because of your temple at Jerusalem kings shall bear gifts to you.30 Rebuke the beasts that dwell among the reeds, the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples. Trample underfoot those who lust after tribute; scatter the peoples who delight in war.731 Nobles shall come from Egypt; Cush shall hasten to stretch out her hands to God. 32 O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God; sing praises to the Lord, Selah33 to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens; behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.34 Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel, and whose power is in the skies.35 Awesome is God from his8 sanctuary; the God of Israel—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people. Blessed be God! Footnotes [1] 68:8 Or before God, even Sinai before God [2] 68:10 Or your congregation [3] 68:15 Or hunch-backed; also verse 16 [4] 68:24 Or has been [5] 68:26 The Hebrew for you is plural here [6] 68:28 By revocalization (compare Septuagint); Hebrew Your God has summoned your power [7] 68:30 The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain [8] 68:35 Septuagint; Hebrew your (ESV) In private: Isaiah 15; 1 Peter 3 Isaiah 15 (Listen) An Oracle Concerning Moab 15 An oracle concerning Moab. Because Ar of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone; because Kir of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone.2 He has gone up to the temple,1 and to Dibon, to the high places2 to weep; over Nebo and over Medeba Moab wails. On every head is baldness; every beard is shorn;3 in the streets they wear sackcloth; on the housetops and in the squares everyone wails and melts in tears.4 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out; their voice is heard as far as Jahaz; therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud; his soul trembles.5 My heart cries out for Moab; her fugitives flee to Zoar, to Eglath-shelishiyah. For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping; on the road to Horonaim they raise a cry of destruction;6 the waters of Nimrim are a desolation; the grass is withered, the vegetation fails, the greenery is no more.7 Therefore the abundance they have gained and what they have laid up they carry away over the Brook of the Willows.8 For a cry has gone around the land of Moab; her wailing reaches to Eglaim; her wailing reaches to Beer-elim.9 For the waters of Dibon3 are full of blood; for I will bring upon Dibon even more, a lion for those of Moab who escape, for the remnant of the land. Footnotes [1] 15:2 Hebrew the house [2] 15:2 Or temple, even Dibon to the high places [3] 15:9 Dead Sea Scroll, Vulgate (compare Syriac); Masoretic Text Dimon; twice in this verse (ESV) 1 Peter 3 (Listen) Wives and Husbands 3 Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they see your respectful and pure conduct. 3 Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. 5 For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening. 7 Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you1 of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. Suffering for Righteousness' Sake 8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. 10 For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit;11 let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil. 18 For Christ also suffered2 once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which3 he went and proclaimed4 to the spirits in prison, 20 because5 they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him. Footnotes [1] 3:7 Some manuscripts since you are joint heirs [2] 3:18 Some manuscripts died [3] 3:19 Or the Spirit, in whom [4] 3:19 Or preached [5] 3:20 Or when (ESV)
Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 107 Psalm 107 (Listen) Book Five Let the Redeemed of the Lord Say So 107 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble13 and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. 4 Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in;5 hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.6 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.7 He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in.8 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!9 For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things. 10 Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons,11 for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High.12 So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor; they fell down, with none to help.13 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart.15 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!16 For he shatters the doors of bronze and cuts in two the bars of iron. 17 Some were fools through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;18 they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death.19 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.20 He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.21 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!22 And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy! 23 Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters;24 they saw the deeds of the LORD, his wondrous works in the deep.25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea.26 They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their evil plight;27 they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits' end.228 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.29 He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.30 Then they were glad that the waters3 were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.31 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders. 33 He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground,34 a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the evil of its inhabitants.35 He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water.36 And there he lets the hungry dwell, and they establish a city to live in;37 they sow fields and plant vineyards and get a fruitful yield.38 By his blessing they multiply greatly, and he does not let their livestock diminish. 39 When they are diminished and brought low through oppression, evil, and sorrow,40 he pours contempt on princes and makes them wander in trackless wastes;41 but he raises up the needy out of affliction and makes their families like flocks.42 The upright see it and are glad, and all wickedness shuts its mouth. 43 Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD. Footnotes [1] 107:2 Or from the hand of the foe [2] 107:27 Hebrew and all their wisdom was swallowed up [3] 107:30 Hebrew they (ESV) Pentateuch and History: Leviticus 14:1–32 Leviticus 14:1–32 (Listen) Laws for Cleansing Lepers 14 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “This shall be the law of the leprous person for the day of his cleansing. He shall be brought to the priest, 3 and the priest shall go out of the camp, and the priest shall look. Then, if the case of leprous disease is healed in the leprous person, 4 the priest shall command them to take for him who is to be cleansed two live1 clean birds and cedarwood and scarlet yarn and hyssop. 5 And the priest shall command them to kill one of the birds in an earthenware vessel over fresh2 water. 6 He shall take the live bird with the cedarwood and the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, and dip them and the live bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water. 7 And he shall sprinkle it seven times on him who is to be cleansed of the leprous disease. Then he shall pronounce him clean and shall let the living bird go into the open field. 8 And he who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes and shave off all his hair and bathe himself in water, and he shall be clean. And after that he may come into the camp, but live outside his tent seven days. 9 And on the seventh day he shall shave off all his hair from his head, his beard, and his eyebrows. He shall shave off all his hair, and then he shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and he shall be clean. 10 “And on the eighth day he shall take two male lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb a year old without blemish, and a grain offering of three tenths of an ephah3 of fine flour mixed with oil, and one log4 of oil. 11 And the priest who cleanses him shall set the man who is to be cleansed and these things before the LORD, at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 12 And the priest shall take one of the male lambs and offer it for a guilt offering, along with the log of oil, and wave them for a wave offering before the LORD. 13 And he shall kill the lamb in the place where they kill the sin offering and the burnt offering, in the place of the sanctuary. For the guilt offering, like the sin offering, belongs to the priest; it is most holy. 14 The priest shall take some of the blood of the guilt offering, and the priest shall put it on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. 15 Then the priest shall take some of the log of oil and pour it into the palm of his own left hand 16 and dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand and sprinkle some oil with his finger seven times before the LORD. 17 And some of the oil that remains in his hand the priest shall put on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering. 18 And the rest of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed. Then the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD. 19 The priest shall offer the sin offering, to make atonement for him who is to be cleansed from his uncleanness. And afterward he shall kill the burnt offering. 20 And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be clean. 21 “But if he is poor and cannot afford so much, then he shall take one male lamb for a guilt offering to be waved, to make atonement for him, and a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, and a log of oil; 22 also two turtledoves or two pigeons, whichever he can afford. The one shall be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering. 23 And on the eighth day he shall bring them for his cleansing to the priest, to the entrance of the tent of meeting, before the LORD. 24 And the priest shall take the lamb of the guilt offering and the log of oil, and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD. 25 And he shall kill the lamb of the guilt offering. And the priest shall take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. 26 And the priest shall pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left hand, 27 and shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before the LORD. 28 And the priest shall put some of the oil that is in his hand on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot, in the place where the blood of the guilt offering was put. 29 And the rest of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before the LORD. 30 And he shall offer, of the turtledoves or pigeons, whichever he can afford, 31 one5 for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, along with a grain offering. And the priest shall make atonement before the LORD for him who is being cleansed. 32 This is the law for him in whom is a case of leprous disease, who cannot afford the offerings for his cleansing.” Footnotes [1] 14:4 Or wild [2] 14:5 Or running; Hebrew living; also verses 6, 50, 51, 52 [3] 14:10 An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters [4] 14:10 A log was about 1/3 quart or 0.3 liter [5] 14:31 Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew afford, 31such as he can afford, one (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Isaiah 15–16 Isaiah 15–16 (Listen) An Oracle Concerning Moab 15 An oracle concerning Moab. Because Ar of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone; because Kir of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone.2 He has gone up to the temple,1 and to Dibon, to the high places2 to weep; over Nebo and over Medeba Moab wails. On every head is baldness; every beard is shorn;3 in the streets they wear sackcloth; on the housetops and in the squares everyone wails and melts in tears.4 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out; their voice is heard as far as Jahaz; therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud; his soul trembles.5 My heart cries out for Moab; her fugitives flee to Zoar, to Eglath-shelishiyah. For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping; on the road to Horonaim they raise a cry of destruction;6 the waters of Nimrim are a desolation; the grass is withered, the vegetation fails, the greenery is no more.7 Therefore the abundance they have gained and what they have laid up they carry away over the Brook of the Willows.8 For a cry has gone around the land of Moab; her wailing reaches to Eglaim; her wailing reaches to Beer-elim.9 For the waters of Dibon3 are full of blood; for I will bring upon Dibon even more, a lion for those of Moab who escape, for the remnant of the land.16 Send the lamb to the ruler of the land, from Sela, by way of the desert, to the mount of the daughter of Zion.2 Like fleeing birds, like a scattered nest, so are the daughters of Moab at the fords of the Arnon. 3 “Give counsel; grant justice; make your shade like night at the height of noon; shelter the outcasts; do not reveal the fugitive;4 let the outcasts of Moab sojourn among you; be a shelter to them4 from the destroyer. When the oppressor is no more, and destruction has ceased, and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land,5 then a throne will be established in steadfast love, and on it will sit in faithfulness in the tent of David one who judges and seeks justice and is swift to do righteousness.” 6 We have heard of the pride of Moab— how proud he is!— of his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence; in his idle boasting he is not right.7 Therefore let Moab wail for Moab, let everyone wail. Mourn, utterly stricken, for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth. 8 For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah; the lords of the nations have struck down its branches, which reached to Jazer and strayed to the desert; its shoots spread abroad and passed over the sea.9 Therefore I weep with the weeping of Jazer for the vine of Sibmah; I drench you with my tears, O Heshbon and Elealeh; for over your summer fruit and your harvest the shout has ceased.10 And joy and gladness are taken away from the fruitful field, and in the vineyards no songs are sung, no cheers are raised; no treader treads out wine in the presses; I have put an end to the shouting.11 Therefore my inner parts moan like a lyre for Moab, and my inmost self for Kir-hareseth. 12 And when Moab presents himself, when he wearies himself on the high place, when he comes to his sanctuary to pray, he will not prevail. 13 This is the word that the LORD spoke concerning Moab in the past. 14 But now the LORD has spoken, saying, “In three years, like the years of a hired worker, the glory of Moab will be brought into contempt, in spite of all his great multitude, and those who remain will be very few and feeble.” Footnotes [1] 15:2 Hebrew the house [2] 15:2 Or temple, even Dibon to the high places [3] 15:9 Dead Sea Scroll, Vulgate (compare Syriac); Masoretic Text Dimon; twice in this verse [4] 16:4 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac; Masoretic Text let my outcasts sojourn among you; as for Moab, be a shelter to them (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: 2 Corinthians 10:13–12:13 2 Corinthians 10:13–12:13 (Listen) 13 But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you. 14 For we are not overextending ourselves, as though we did not reach you. For we were the first to come all the way to you with the gospel of Christ. 15 We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others. But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged, 16 so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another's area of influence. 17 “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” 18 For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. Paul and the False Apostles 11 I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! 2 For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. 5 Indeed, I consider that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. 6 Even if I am uns
Preacher: Kathy Maskell Scripture: Isaiah 13-23 A Prophecy Against Babylon 13 A prophecy against Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz saw: 2 Raise a banner on a bare hilltop, shout to them; beckon to them to enter the gates of the nobles. 3 I have commanded those I prepared for battle; I have summoned my warriors to carry out my wrath— those who rejoice in my triumph. 4 Listen, a noise on the mountains, like that of a great multitude! Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms, like nations massing together! The Lord Almighty is mustering an army for war. 5 They come from faraway lands, from the ends of the heavens— the Lord and the weapons of his wrath— to destroy the whole country. 6 Wail, for the day of the Lord is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty.[a] 7 Because of this, all hands will go limp, every heart will melt with fear. 8 Terror will seize them, pain and anguish will grip them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at each other, their faces aflame. 9 See, the day of the Lord is coming —a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger— to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it. 10 The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. 11 I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless. 12 I will make people scarcer than pure gold, more rare than the gold of Ophir. 13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble; and the earth will shake from its place at the wrath of the Lord Almighty, in the day of his burning anger. 14 Like a hunted gazelle, like sheep without a shepherd, they will all return to their own people, they will flee to their native land. 15 Whoever is captured will be thrust through; all who are caught will fall by the sword. 16 Their infants will be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses will be looted and their wives violated. 17 See, I will stir up against them the Medes, who do not care for silver and have no delight in gold. 18 Their bows will strike down the young men; they will have no mercy on infants, nor will they look with compassion on children. 19 Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the pride and glory of the Babylonians,[b] will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah. 20 She will never be inhabited or lived in through all generations; there no nomads will pitch their tents, there no shepherds will rest their flocks. 21 But desert creatures will lie there, jackals will fill her houses; there the owls will dwell, and there the wild goats will leap about. 22 Hyenas will inhabit her strongholds, jackals her luxurious palaces. Her time is at hand, and her days will not be prolonged. 14 The Lord will have compassion on Jacob; once again he will choose Israel and will settle them in their own land. Foreigners will join them and unite with the descendants of Jacob. 2 Nations will take them and bring them to their own place. And Israel will take possession of the nations and make them male and female servants in the Lord's land. They will make captives of their captors and rule over their oppressors. 3 On the day the Lord gives you relief from your suffering and turmoil and from the harsh labor forced on you, 4 you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury[c] has ended! 5 The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers, 6 which in anger struck down peoples with unceasing blows, and in fury subdued nations with relentless aggression. 7 All the lands are at rest and at peace; they break into singing. 8 Even the junipers and the cedars of Lebanon gloat over you and say, “Now that you have been laid low, no one comes to cut us down.” 9 The realm of the dead below is all astir to meet you at your coming; it rouses the spirits of the departed to greet you— all those who were leaders in the world; it makes them rise from their thrones— all those who were kings over the nations. 10 They will all respond, they will say to you, “You also have become weak, as we are; you have become like us.” 11 All your pomp has been brought down to the grave, along with the noise of your harps; maggots are spread out beneath you and worms cover you. 12 How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! 13 You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.[d] 14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” 15 But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit. 16 Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate: “Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble, 17 the man who made the world a wilderness, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go home?” 18 All the kings of the nations lie in state, each in his own tomb. 19 But you are cast out of your tomb like a rejected branch; you are covered with the slain, with those pierced by the sword, those who descend to the stones of the pit. Like a corpse trampled underfoot, 20 you will not join them in burial, for you have destroyed your land and killed your people. Let the offspring of the wicked never be mentioned again. 21 Prepare a place to slaughter his children for the sins of their ancestors; they are not to rise to inherit the land and cover the earth with their cities. 22 “I will rise up against them,” declares the Lord Almighty. “I will wipe out Babylon's name and survivors, her offspring and descendants,” declares the Lord. 23 “I will turn her into a place for owls and into swampland; I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,” declares the Lord Almighty. 24 The Lord Almighty has sworn, “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen. 25 I will crush the Assyrian in my land; on my mountains I will trample him down. His yoke will be taken from my people, and his burden removed from their shoulders.” 26 This is the plan determined for the whole world; this is the hand stretched out over all nations. 27 For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back? A Prophecy Against the Philistines 28 This prophecy came in the year King Ahaz died: 29 Do not rejoice, all you Philistines, that the rod that struck you is broken; from the root of that snake will spring up a viper, its fruit will be a darting, venomous serpent. 30 The poorest of the poor will find pasture, and the needy will lie down in safety. But your root I will destroy by famine; it will slay your survivors. 31 Wail, you gate! Howl, you city! Melt away, all you Philistines! A cloud of smoke comes from the north, and there is not a straggler in its ranks. 32 What answer shall be given to the envoys of that nation? “The Lord has established Zion, and in her his afflicted people will find refuge.” A Prophecy Against Moab 15 A prophecy against Moab: Ar in Moab is ruined, destroyed in a night! Kir in Moab is ruined, destroyed in a night! 2 Dibon goes up to its temple, to its high places to weep; Moab wails over Nebo and Medeba. Every head is shaved and every beard cut off. 3 In the streets they wear sackcloth; on the roofs and in the public squares they all wail, prostrate with weeping. 4 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out, their voices are heard all the way to Jahaz. Therefore the armed men of Moab cry out, and their hearts are faint. 5 My heart cries out over Moab; her fugitives flee as far as Zoar, as far as Eglath Shelishiyah. They go up the hill to Luhith, weeping as they go; on the road to Horonaim they lament their destruction. 6 The waters of Nimrim are dried up and the grass is withered; the vegetation is gone and nothing green is left. 7 So the wealth they have acquired and stored up they carry away over the Ravine of the Poplars. 8 Their outcry echoes along the border of Moab; their wailing reaches as far as Eglaim, their lamentation as far as Beer Elim. 9 The waters of Dimon[e] are full of blood, but I will bring still more upon Dimon[f]— a lion upon the fugitives of Moab and upon those who remain in the land. 16 Send lambs as tribute to the ruler of the land, from Sela, across the desert, to the mount of Daughter Zion. 2 Like fluttering birds pushed from the nest, so are the women of Moab at the fords of the Arnon. 3 “Make up your mind,” Moab says. “Render a decision. Make your shadow like night— at high noon. Hide the fugitives, do not betray the refugees. 4 Let the Moabite fugitives stay with you; be their shelter from the destroyer.” The oppressor will come to an end, and destruction will cease; the aggressor will vanish from the land. 5 In love a throne will be established; in faithfulness a man will sit on it— one from the house[g] of David— one who in judging seeks justice and speeds the cause of righteousness. 6 We have heard of Moab's pride— how great is her arrogance!— of her conceit, her pride and her insolence; but her boasts are empty. 7 Therefore the Moabites wail, they wail together for Moab. Lament and grieve for the raisin cakes of Kir Hareseth. 8 The fields of Heshbon wither, the vines of Sibmah also. The rulers of the nations have trampled down the choicest vines, which once reached Jazer and spread toward the desert. Their shoots spread out and went as far as the sea.[h] 9 So I weep, as Jazer weeps, for the vines of Sibmah. Heshbon and Elealeh, I drench you with tears! The shouts of joy over your ripened fruit and over your harvests have been stilled. 10 Joy and gladness are taken away from the orchards; no one sings or shouts in the vineyards; no one treads out wine at the presses, for I have put an end to the shouting. 11 My heart laments for Moab like a harp, my inmost being for Kir Hareseth. 12 When Moab appears at her high place, she only wears herself out; when she goes to her shrine to pray, it is to no avail. 13 This is the word the Lord has already spoken concerning Moab. 14 But now the Lord says: “Within three years, as a servant bound by contract would count them, Moab's splendor and all her many people will be despised, and her survivors will be very few and feeble.” A Prophecy Against Damascus 17 A prophecy against Damascus: “See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins. 2 The cities of Aroer will be deserted and left to flocks, which will lie down, with no one to make them afraid. 3 The fortified city will disappear from Ephraim, and royal power from Damascus; the remnant of Aram will be like the glory of the Israelites,” declares the Lord Almighty. 4 “In that day the glory of Jacob will fade; the fat of his body will waste away. 5 It will be as when reapers harvest the standing grain, gathering the grain in their arms— as when someone gleans heads of grain in the Valley of Rephaim. 6 Yet some gleanings will remain, as when an olive tree is beaten, leaving two or three olives on the topmost branches, four or five on the fruitful boughs,” declares the Lord, the God of Israel. 7 In that day people will look to their Maker and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel. 8 They will not look to the altars, the work of their hands, and they will have no regard for the Asherah poles[i] and the incense altars their fingers have made. 9 In that day their strong cities, which they left because of the Israelites, will be like places abandoned to thickets and undergrowth. And all will be desolation. 10 You have forgotten God your Savior; you have not remembered the Rock, your fortress. Therefore, though you set out the finest plants and plant imported vines, 11 though on the day you set them out, you make them grow, and on the morning when you plant them, you bring them to bud, yet the harvest will be as nothing in the day of disease and incurable pain. 12 Woe to the many nations that rage— they rage like the raging sea! Woe to the peoples who roar— they roar like the roaring of great waters! 13 Although the peoples roar like the roar of surging waters, when he rebukes them they flee far away, driven before the wind like chaff on the hills, like tumbleweed before a gale. 14 In the evening, sudden terror! Before the morning, they are gone! This is the portion of those who loot us, the lot of those who plunder us. A Prophecy Against Cush 18 Woe to the land of whirring wings[j] along the rivers of Cush,[k] 2 which sends envoys by sea in papyrus boats over the water. Go, swift messengers, to a people tall and smooth-skinned, to a people feared far and wide, an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by rivers. 3 All you people of the world, you who live on the earth, when a banner is raised on the mountains, you will see it, and when a trumpet sounds, you will hear it. 4 This is what the Lord says to me: “I will remain quiet and will look on from my dwelling place, like shimmering heat in the sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.” 5 For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives, and cut down and take away the spreading branches. 6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey and to the wild animals; the birds will feed on them all summer, the wild animals all winter. 7 At that time gifts will be brought to the Lord Almighty from a people tall and smooth-skinned, from a people feared far and wide, an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by rivers— the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion, the place of the Name of the Lord Almighty. A Prophecy Against Egypt 19 A prophecy against Egypt: See, the Lord rides on a swift cloud and is coming to Egypt. The idols of Egypt tremble before him, and the hearts of the Egyptians melt with fear. 2 “I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian— brother will fight against brother, neighbor against neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom. 3 The Egyptians will lose heart, and I will bring their plans to nothing; they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead, the mediums and the spiritists. 4 I will hand the Egyptians over to the power of a cruel master, and a fierce king will rule over them,” declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty. 5 The waters of the river will dry up, and the riverbed will be parched and dry. 6 The canals will stink; the streams of Egypt will dwindle and dry up. The reeds and rushes will wither, 7 also the plants along the Nile, at the mouth of the river. Every sown field along the Nile will become parched, will blow away and be no more. 8 The fishermen will groan and lament, all who cast hooks into the Nile; those who throw nets on the water will pine away. 9 Those who work with combed flax will despair, the weavers of fine linen will lose hope. 10 The workers in cloth will be dejected, and all the wage earners will be sick at heart. 11 The officials of Zoan are nothing but fools; the wise counselors of Pharaoh give senseless advice. How can you say to Pharaoh, “I am one of the wise men, a disciple of the ancient kings”? 12 Where are your wise men now? Let them show you and make known what the Lord Almighty has planned against Egypt. 13 The officials of Zoan have become fools, the leaders of Memphis are deceived; the cornerstones of her peoples have led Egypt astray. 14 The Lord has poured into them a spirit of dizziness; they make Egypt stagger in all that she does, as a drunkard staggers around in his vomit. 15 There is nothing Egypt can do— head or tail, palm branch or reed. 16 In that day the Egyptians will become weaklings. They will shudder with fear at the uplifted hand that the LordAlmighty raises against them. 17 And the land of Judah will bring terror to the Egyptians; everyone to whom Judah is mentioned will be terrified, because of what the Lord Almighty is planning against them. 18 In that day five cities in Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord Almighty. One of them will be called the City of the Sun.[l] 19 In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the heart of Egypt, and a monument to the Lord at its border. 20 It will be a sign and witness to the Lord Almighty in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the Lord because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and he will rescue them. 21 So the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians, and in that day they will acknowledge the Lord. They will worship with sacrifices and grain offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and keep them. 22 The Lord will strike Egypt with a plague; he will strike them and heal them. They will turn to the Lord, and he will respond to their pleas and heal them. 23 In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. 24 In that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing[m] on the earth. 25 The Lord Almighty will bless them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance.” A Prophecy Against Egypt and Cush 20 In the year that the supreme commander, sent by Sargon king of Assyria, came to Ashdod and attacked and captured it— 2 at that time the Lord spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz. He said to him, “Take off the sackcloth from your body and the sandals from your feet.” And he did so, going around stripped and barefoot. 3 Then the Lord said, “Just as my servant Isaiah has gone stripped and barefoot for three years, as a sign and portentagainst Egypt and Cush,[n] 4 so the king of Assyria will lead away stripped and barefoot the Egyptian captives and Cushite exiles, young and old, with buttocks bared—to Egypt's shame. 5 Those who trusted in Cush and boasted in Egypt will be dismayed and put to shame. 6 In that day the people who live on this coast will say, ‘See what has happened to those we relied on, those we fled to for help and deliverance from the king of Assyria! How then can we escape?'” A Prophecy Against Babylon 21 A prophecy against the Desert by the Sea: Like whirlwinds sweeping through the southland, an invader comes from the desert, from a land of terror. 2 A dire vision has been shown to me: The traitor betrays, the looter takes loot. Elam, attack! Media, lay siege! I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused. 3 At this my body is racked with pain, pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor; I am staggered by what I hear, I am bewildered by what I see. 4 My heart falters, fear makes me tremble; the twilight I longed for has become a horror to me. 5 They set the tables, they spread the rugs, they eat, they drink! Get up, you officers, oil the shields! 6 This is what the Lord says to me: “Go, post a lookout and have him report what he sees. 7 When he sees chariots with teams of horses, riders on donkeys or riders on camels, let him be alert, fully alert.” 8 And the lookout[o] shouted, “Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower; every night I stay at my post. 9 Look, here comes a man in a chariot with a team of horses. And he gives back the answer: ‘Babylon has fallen, has fallen! All the images of its gods lie shattered on the ground!'” 10 My people who are crushed on the threshing floor, I tell you what I have heard from the Lord Almighty, from the God of Israel. A Prophecy Against Edom 11 A prophecy against Dumah[p]: Someone calls to me from Seir, “Watchman, what is left of the night? Watchman, what is left of the night?” 12 The watchman replies, “Morning is coming, but also the night. If you would ask, then ask; and come back yet again.” A Prophecy Against Arabia 13 A prophecy against Arabia: You caravans of Dedanites, who camp in the thickets of Arabia, 14 bring water for the thirsty; you who live in Tema, bring food for the fugitives. 15 They flee from the sword, from the drawn sword, from the bent bow and from the heat of battle. 16 This is what the Lord says to me: “Within one year, as a servant bound by contract would count it, all the splendor of Kedar will come to an end. 17 The survivors of the archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be few.” The Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken. A Prophecy About Jerusalem 22 A prophecy against the Valley of Vision: What troubles you now, that you have all gone up on the roofs, 2 you town so full of commotion, you city of tumult and revelry? Your slain were not killed by the sword, nor did they die in battle. 3 All your leaders have fled together; they have been captured without using the bow. All you who were caught were taken prisoner together, having fled while the enemy was still far away. 4 Therefore I said, “Turn away from me; let me weep bitterly. Do not try to console me over the destruction of my people.” 5 The Lord, the Lord Almighty, has a day of tumult and trampling and terror in the Valley of Vision, a day of battering down walls and of crying out to the mountains. 6 Elam takes up the quiver, with her charioteers and horses; Kir uncovers the shield. 7 Your choicest valleys are full of chariots, and horsemen are posted at the city gates. 8 The Lord stripped away the defenses of Judah, and you looked in that day to the weapons in the Palace of the Forest. 9 You saw that the walls of the City of David were broken through in many places; you stored up water in the Lower Pool. 10 You counted the buildings in Jerusalem and tore down houses to strengthen the wall. 11 You built a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the Old Pool, but you did not look to the One who made it, or have regard for the One who planned it long ago. 12 The Lord, the Lord Almighty, called you on that day to weep and to wail, to tear out your hair and put on sackcloth. 13 But see, there is joy and revelry, slaughtering of cattle and killing of sheep, eating of meat and drinking of wine! “Let us eat and drink,” you say, “for tomorrow we die!” 14 The Lord Almighty has revealed this in my hearing: “Till your dying day this sin will not be atoned for,” says the Lord, the Lord Almighty. 15 This is what the Lord, the Lord Almighty, says: “Go, say to this steward, to Shebna the palace administrator: 16 What are you doing here and who gave you permission to cut out a grave for yourself here, hewing your grave on the height and chiseling your resting place in the rock? 17 “Beware, the Lord is about to take firm hold of you and hurl you away, you mighty man. 18 He will roll you up tightly like a ball and throw you into a large country. There you will die and there the chariots you were so proud of will become a disgrace to your master's house. 19 I will depose you from your office, and you will be ousted from your position. 20 “In that day I will summon my servant, Eliakim son of Hilkiah. 21 I will clothe him with your robe and fasten your sasharound him and hand your authority over to him. He will be a father to those who live in Jerusalem and to the people of Judah. 22 I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 23 I will drive him like a peg into a firm place; he will become a seat[q] of honor for the house of his father. 24 All the glory of his family will hang on him: its offspring and offshoots—all its lesser vessels, from the bowls to all the jars. 25 “In that day,” declares the Lord Almighty, “the peg driven into the firm place will give way; it will be sheared off and will fall, and the load hanging on it will be cut down.” The Lord has spoken. A Prophecy Against Tyre 23 A prophecy against Tyre: Wail, you ships of Tarshish! For Tyre is destroyed and left without house or harbor. From the land of Cyprus word has come to them. 2 Be silent, you people of the island and you merchants of Sidon, whom the seafarers have enriched. 3 On the great waters came the grain of the Shihor; the harvest of the Nile[r] was the revenue of Tyre, and she became the marketplace of the nations. 4 Be ashamed, Sidon, and you fortress of the sea, for the sea has spoken: “I have neither been in labor nor given birth; I have neither reared sons nor brought up daughters.” 5 When word comes to Egypt, they will be in anguish at the report from Tyre. 6 Cross over to Tarshish; wail, you people of the island. 7 Is this your city of revelry, the old, old city, whose feet have taken her to settle in far-off lands? 8 Who planned this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, whose merchants are princes, whose traders are renowned in the earth? 9 The Lord Almighty planned it, to bring down her pride in all her splendor and to humble all who are renowned on the earth. 10 Till[s] your land as they do along the Nile, Daughter Tarshish, for you no longer have a harbor. 11 The Lord has stretched out his hand over the sea and made its kingdoms tremble. He has given an order concerning Phoenicia that her fortresses be destroyed. 12 He said, “No more of your reveling, Virgin Daughter Sidon, now crushed! “Up, cross over to Cyprus; even there you will find no rest.” 13 Look at the land of the Babylonians,[t] this people that is now of no account! The Assyrians have made it a place for desert creatures; they raised up their siege towers, they stripped its fortresses bare and turned it into a ruin. 14 Wail, you ships of Tarshish; your fortress is destroyed! 15 At that time Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, the span of a king's life. But at the end of these seventy years, it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the prostitute: 16 “Take up a harp, walk through the city, you forgotten prostitute; play the harp well, sing many a song, so that you will be remembered.” 17 At the end of seventy years, the Lord will deal with Tyre. She will return to her lucrative prostitution and will ply her trade with all the kingdoms on the face of the earth. 18 Yet her profit and her earnings will be set apart for the Lord;they will not be stored up or hoarded. Her profits will go to those who live before the Lord, for abundant food and fine clothes.
Jeremiah 47 NIVA Message About the Philistines1 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines before Pharaoh attacked Gaza:2 This is what the Lord says:“See how the waters are rising in the north; they will become an overflowing torrent.They will overflow the land and everything in it, the towns and those who live in them.The people will cry out; all who dwell in the land will wail3 at the sound of the hooves of galloping steeds, at the noise of enemy chariots and the rumble of their wheels.Parents will not turn to help their children; their hands will hang limp.4 For the day has come to destroy all the Philistinesand to remove all survivors who could help Tyre and Sidon.The Lord is about to destroy the Philistines, the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.[a]5 Gaza will shave her head in mourning; Ashkelon will be silenced.You remnant on the plain, how long will you cut yourselves?6 “‘Alas, sword of the Lord, how long till you rest?Return to your sheath; cease and be still.'7 But how can it rest when the Lord has commanded it,when he has ordered it to attack Ashkelon and the coast?”Footnotes[a] Jeremiah 47:4 That is, CreteJeremiah 48 NIVA Message About Moab1 Concerning Moab:This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:“Woe to Nebo, for it will be ruined. Kiriathaim will be disgraced and captured; the stronghold[a] will be disgraced and shattered.2 Moab will be praised no more; in Heshbon[b] people will plot her downfall: ‘Come, let us put an end to that nation.'You, the people of Madmen,[c] will also be silenced; the sword will pursue you.3 Cries of anguish arise from Horonaim, cries of great havoc and destruction.4 Moab will be broken; her little ones will cry out.[d]5 They go up the hill to Luhith, weeping bitterly as they go;on the road down to Horonaim anguished cries over the destruction are heard.6 Flee! Run for your lives; become like a bush[e] in the desert.7 Since you trust in your deeds and riches, you too will be taken captive,and Chemosh will go into exile, together with his priests and officials.8 The destroyer will come against every town, and not a town will escape.The valley will be ruined and the plateau destroyed, because the Lord has spoken.9 Put salt on Moab, for she will be laid waste[f];her towns will become desolate, with no one to live in them.10 “A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the Lord's work! A curse on anyone who keeps their sword from bloodshed!11 “Moab has been at rest from youth, like wine left on its dregs,not poured from one jar to another— she has not gone into exile.So she tastes as she did, and her aroma is unchanged.12 But days are coming,” declares the Lord,“when I will send men who pour from pitchers, and they will pour her out;they will empty her pitchers and smash her jars.13 Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh, as Israel was ashamed when they trusted in Bethel.14 “How can you say, ‘We are warriors, men valiant in battle'?15 Moab will be destroyed and her towns invaded; her finest young men will go down in the slaughter,” declares the King, whose name is the Lord Almighty.16 “The fall of Moab is at hand; her calamity will come quickly.17 Mourn for her, all who live around her, all who know her fame;say, ‘How broken is the mighty scepter, how broken the glorious staff!'18 “Come down from your glory and sit on the parched ground, you inhabitants of Daughter Dibon,for the one who destroys Moab will come up against you and ruin your fortified cities.19 Stand by the road and watch, you who live in Aroer.Ask the man fleeing and the woman escaping, ask them, ‘What has happened?'20 Moab is disgraced, for she is shattered. Wail and cry out!Announce by the Arnon that Moab is destroyed.21 Judgment has come to the plateau— to Holon, Jahzah and Mephaath,22 to Dibon, Nebo and Beth Diblathaim,23 to Kiriathaim, Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,24 to Kerioth and Bozrah— to all the towns of Moab, far and near.25 Moab's horn[g] is cut off; her arm is broken,”declares the Lord.26 “Make her drunk, for she has defied the Lord.Let Moab wallow in her vomit; let her be an object of ridicule.27 Was not Israel the object of your ridicule? Was she caught among thieves,that you shake your head in scorn whenever you speak of her?28 Abandon your towns and dwell among the rocks, you who live in Moab.Be like a dove that makes its nest at the mouth of a cave.29 “We have heard of Moab's pride— how great is her arrogance!—of her insolence, her pride, her conceit and the haughtiness of her heart.30 I know her insolence but it is futile,”declares the Lord, “and her boasts accomplish nothing.31 Therefore I wail over Moab, for all Moab I cry out, I moan for the people of Kir Hareseth.32 I weep for you, as Jazer weeps, you vines of Sibmah.Your branches spread as far as the sea[h]; they reached as far as[i] Jazer.The destroyer has fallen on your ripened fruit and grapes.33 Joy and gladness are gone from the orchards and fields of Moab.I have stopped the flow of wine from the presses; no one treads them with shouts of joy.Although there are shouts, they are not shouts of joy.34 “The sound of their cry rises from Heshbon to Elealeh and Jahaz,from Zoar as far as Horonaim and Eglath Shelishiyah, for even the waters of Nimrim are dried up.35 In Moab I will put an end to those who make offerings on the high places and burn incense to their gods,”declares the Lord.36 “So my heart laments for Moab like the music of a pipe; it laments like a pipe for the people of Kir Hareseth. The wealth they acquired is gone.37 Every head is shaved and every beard cut off;every hand is slashed and every waist is covered with sackcloth.38 On all the roofs in Moab and in the public squaresthere is nothing but mourning, for I have broken Moab like a jar that no one wants,”declares the Lord.39 “How shattered she is! How they wail! How Moab turns her back in shame!Moab has become an object of ridicule, an object of horror to all those around her.”40 This is what the Lord says:“Look! An eagle is swooping down, spreading its wings over Moab.41 Kerioth[j] will be captured and the strongholds taken.In that day the hearts of Moab's warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor.42 Moab will be destroyed as a nation because she defied the Lord.43 Terror and pit and snare await you, you people of Moab,”declares the Lord.44 “Whoever flees from the terror will fall into a pit,whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare;for I will bring on Moab the year of her punishment,”declares the Lord.45 “In the shadow of Heshbon the fugitives stand helpless,for a fire has gone out from Heshbon, a blaze from the midst of Sihon;it burns the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of the noisy boasters.46 Woe to you, Moab! The people of Chemosh are destroyed;your sons are taken into exile and your daughters into captivity.47 “Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in days to come,”declares the Lord.Here ends the judgment on Moab.Footnotes[a] Jeremiah 48:1 Or captured; / Misgab[b] Jeremiah 48:2 The Hebrew for Heshbon sounds like the Hebrew for plot.[c] Jeremiah 48:2 The name of the Moabite town Madmen sounds like the Hebrew for be silenced.[d] Jeremiah 48:4 Hebrew; Septuagint / proclaim it to Zoar[e] Jeremiah 48:6 Or like Aroer[f] Jeremiah 48:9 Or Give wings to Moab, / for she will fly away[g] Jeremiah 48:25 Horn here symbolizes strength.[h] Jeremiah 48:32 Probably the Dead Sea[i] Jeremiah 48:32 Two Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts as far as the Sea of[j] Jeremiah 48:41 Or The citiesJeremiah 49 NIVA Message About Ammon1 Concerning the Ammonites:This is what the Lord says:“Has Israel no sons? Has Israel no heir?Why then has Molek[a] taken possession of Gad? Why do his people live in its towns?2 But the days are coming,” declares the Lord,“when I will sound the battle cry against Rabbah of the Ammonites;it will become a mound of ruins, and its surrounding villages will be set on fire.Then Israel will drive out those who drove her out,”says the Lord.3 “Wail, Heshbon, for Ai is destroyed! Cry out, you inhabitants of Rabbah!Put on sackcloth and mourn; rush here and there inside the walls,for Molek will go into exile, together with his priests and officials.4 Why do you boast of your valleys, boast of your valleys so fruitful?Unfaithful Daughter Ammon, you trust in your riches and say, ‘Who will attack me?'5 I will bring terror on you from all those around you,”declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.“Every one of you will be driven away, and no one will gather the fugitives.6 “Yet afterward, I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites,”declares the Lord.A Message About Edom7 Concerning Edom:This is what the Lord Almighty says:“Is there no longer wisdom in Teman? Has counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom decayed?8 Turn and flee, hide in deep caves, you who live in Dedan,for I will bring disaster on Esau at the time when I punish him.9 If grape pickers came to you, would they not leave a few grapes?If thieves came during the night, would they not steal only as much as they wanted?10 But I will strip Esau bare; I will uncover his hiding places, so that he cannot conceal himself.His armed men are destroyed, also his allies and neighbors, so there is no one to say,11 ‘Leave your fatherless children; I will keep them alive. Your widows too can depend on me.'”12 This is what the Lord says: “If those who do not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, why should you go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, but must drink it. 13 I swear by myself,” declares the Lord, “that Bozrah will become a ruin and a curse,[b] an object of horror and reproach; and all its towns will be in ruins forever.”14 I have heard a message from the Lord; an envoy was sent to the nations to say,“Assemble yourselves to attack it! Rise up for battle!”15 “Now I will make you small among the nations, despised by mankind.16 The terror you inspire and the pride of your heart have deceived you,you who live in the clefts of the rocks, who occupy the heights of the hill.Though you build your nest as high as the eagle's, from there I will bring you down,”declares the Lord.17 “Edom will become an object of horror; all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff because of all its wounds.18 As Sodom and Gomorrah were overthrown, along with their neighboring towns,”says the Lord,“so no one will live there; no people will dwell in it.19 “Like a lion coming up from Jordan's thickets to a rich pastureland,I will chase Edom from its land in an instant. Who is the chosen one I will appoint for this?Who is like me and who can challenge me? And what shepherd can stand against me?”20 Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned against Edom, what he has purposed against those who live in Teman:The young of the flock will be dragged away; their pasture will be appalled at their fate.21 At the sound of their fall the earth will tremble; their cry will resound to the Red Sea.[c]22 Look! An eagle will soar and swoop down, spreading its wings over Bozrah.In that day the hearts of Edom's warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor.A Message About Damascus23 Concerning Damascus:“Hamath and Arpad are dismayed, for they have heard bad news.They are disheartened, troubled like[d] the restless sea.24 Damascus has become feeble, she has turned to flee and panic has gripped her;anguish and pain have seized her, pain like that of a woman in labor.25 Why has the city of renown not been abandoned, the town in which I delight?26 Surely, her young men will fall in the streets; all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,”declares the Lord Almighty.27 “I will set fire to the walls of Damascus; it will consume the fortresses of Ben-Hadad.”A Message About Kedar and Hazor28 Concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon attacked:This is what the Lord says:“Arise, and attack Kedar and destroy the people of the East.29 Their tents and their flocks will be taken; their shelters will be carried off with all their goods and camels.People will shout to them, ‘Terror on every side!'30 “Flee quickly away! Stay in deep caves, you who live in Hazor,”declares the Lord.“Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has plotted against you; he has devised a plan against you.31 “Arise and attack a nation at ease, which lives in confidence,”declares the Lord,“a nation that has neither gates nor bars; its people live far from danger.32 Their camels will become plunder, and their large herds will be spoils of war.I will scatter to the winds those who are in distant places[e] and will bring disaster on them from every side,”declares the Lord.33 “Hazor will become a haunt of jackals, a desolate place forever.No one will live there; no people will dwell in it.”A Message About Elam34 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam, early in the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah:35 This is what the Lord Almighty says:“See, I will break the bow of Elam, the mainstay of their might.36 I will bring against Elam the four winds from the four quarters of heaven;I will scatter them to the four winds, and there will not be a nation where Elam's exiles do not go.37 I will shatter Elam before their foes, before those who want to kill them;I will bring disaster on them, even my fierce anger,”declares the Lord.“I will pursue them with the sword until I have made an end of them.38 I will set my throne in Elam and destroy her king and officials,”declares the Lord.39 “Yet I will restore the fortunes of Elam in days to come,”declares the Lord.Footnotes[a] Jeremiah 49:1 Or their king; also in verse 3[b] Jeremiah 49:13 That is, its name will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that it is cursed.[c] Jeremiah 49:21 Or the Sea of Reeds[d] Jeremiah 49:23 Hebrew on or by[e] Jeremiah 49:32 Or who clip the hair by their foreheads
Jeremiah 47 NIVA Message About the Philistines1 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines before Pharaoh attacked Gaza:2 This is what the Lord says:“See how the waters are rising in the north; they will become an overflowing torrent.They will overflow the land and everything in it, the towns and those who live in them.The people will cry out; all who dwell in the land will wail3 at the sound of the hooves of galloping steeds, at the noise of enemy chariots and the rumble of their wheels.Parents will not turn to help their children; their hands will hang limp.4 For the day has come to destroy all the Philistinesand to remove all survivors who could help Tyre and Sidon.The Lord is about to destroy the Philistines, the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.[a]5 Gaza will shave her head in mourning; Ashkelon will be silenced.You remnant on the plain, how long will you cut yourselves?6 “‘Alas, sword of the Lord, how long till you rest?Return to your sheath; cease and be still.'7 But how can it rest when the Lord has commanded it,when he has ordered it to attack Ashkelon and the coast?”Footnotes[a] Jeremiah 47:4 That is, CreteJeremiah 48 NIVA Message About Moab1 Concerning Moab:This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:“Woe to Nebo, for it will be ruined. Kiriathaim will be disgraced and captured; the stronghold[a] will be disgraced and shattered.2 Moab will be praised no more; in Heshbon[b] people will plot her downfall: ‘Come, let us put an end to that nation.'You, the people of Madmen,[c] will also be silenced; the sword will pursue you.3 Cries of anguish arise from Horonaim, cries of great havoc and destruction.4 Moab will be broken; her little ones will cry out.[d]5 They go up the hill to Luhith, weeping bitterly as they go;on the road down to Horonaim anguished cries over the destruction are heard.6 Flee! Run for your lives; become like a bush[e] in the desert.7 Since you trust in your deeds and riches, you too will be taken captive,and Chemosh will go into exile, together with his priests and officials.8 The destroyer will come against every town, and not a town will escape.The valley will be ruined and the plateau destroyed, because the Lord has spoken.9 Put salt on Moab, for she will be laid waste[f];her towns will become desolate, with no one to live in them.10 “A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the Lord's work! A curse on anyone who keeps their sword from bloodshed!11 “Moab has been at rest from youth, like wine left on its dregs,not poured from one jar to another— she has not gone into exile.So she tastes as she did, and her aroma is unchanged.12 But days are coming,” declares the Lord,“when I will send men who pour from pitchers, and they will pour her out;they will empty her pitchers and smash her jars.13 Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh, as Israel was ashamed when they trusted in Bethel.14 “How can you say, ‘We are warriors, men valiant in battle'?15 Moab will be destroyed and her towns invaded; her finest young men will go down in the slaughter,” declares the King, whose name is the Lord Almighty.16 “The fall of Moab is at hand; her calamity will come quickly.17 Mourn for her, all who live around her, all who know her fame;say, ‘How broken is the mighty scepter, how broken the glorious staff!'18 “Come down from your glory and sit on the parched ground, you inhabitants of Daughter Dibon,for the one who destroys Moab will come up against you and ruin your fortified cities.19 Stand by the road and watch, you who live in Aroer.Ask the man fleeing and the woman escaping, ask them, ‘What has happened?'20 Moab is disgraced, for she is shattered. Wail and cry out!Announce by the Arnon that Moab is destroyed.21 Judgment has come to the plateau— to Holon, Jahzah and Mephaath,22 to Dibon, Nebo and Beth Diblathaim,23 to Kiriathaim, Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,24 to Kerioth and Bozrah— to all the towns of Moab, far and near.25 Moab's horn[g] is cut off; her arm is broken,”declares the Lord.26 “Make her drunk, for she has defied the Lord.Let Moab wallow in her vomit; let her be an object of ridicule.27 Was not Israel the object of your ridicule? Was she caught among thieves,that you shake your head in scorn whenever you speak of her?28 Abandon your towns and dwell among the rocks, you who live in Moab.Be like a dove that makes its nest at the mouth of a cave.29 “We have heard of Moab's pride— how great is her arrogance!—of her insolence, her pride, her conceit and the haughtiness of her heart.30 I know her insolence but it is futile,”declares the Lord, “and her boasts accomplish nothing.31 Therefore I wail over Moab, for all Moab I cry out, I moan for the people of Kir Hareseth.32 I weep for you, as Jazer weeps, you vines of Sibmah.Your branches spread as far as the sea[h]; they reached as far as[i] Jazer.The destroyer has fallen on your ripened fruit and grapes.33 Joy and gladness are gone from the orchards and fields of Moab.I have stopped the flow of wine from the presses; no one treads them with shouts of joy.Although there are shouts, they are not shouts of joy.34 “The sound of their cry rises from Heshbon to Elealeh and Jahaz,from Zoar as far as Horonaim and Eglath Shelishiyah, for even the waters of Nimrim are dried up.35 In Moab I will put an end to those who make offerings on the high places and burn incense to their gods,”declares the Lord.36 “So my heart laments for Moab like the music of a pipe; it laments like a pipe for the people of Kir Hareseth. The wealth they acquired is gone.37 Every head is shaved and every beard cut off;every hand is slashed and every waist is covered with sackcloth.38 On all the roofs in Moab and in the public squaresthere is nothing but mourning, for I have broken Moab like a jar that no one wants,”declares the Lord.39 “How shattered she is! How they wail! How Moab turns her back in shame!Moab has become an object of ridicule, an object of horror to all those around her.”40 This is what the Lord says:“Look! An eagle is swooping down, spreading its wings over Moab.41 Kerioth[j] will be captured and the strongholds taken.In that day the hearts of Moab's warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor.42 Moab will be destroyed as a nation because she defied the Lord.43 Terror and pit and snare await you, you people of Moab,”declares the Lord.44 “Whoever flees from the terror will fall into a pit,whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare;for I will bring on Moab the year of her punishment,”declares the Lord.45 “In the shadow of Heshbon the fugitives stand helpless,for a fire has gone out from Heshbon, a blaze from the midst of Sihon;it burns the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of the noisy boasters.46 Woe to you, Moab! The people of Chemosh are destroyed;your sons are taken into exile and your daughters into captivity.47 “Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in days to come,”declares the Lord.Here ends the judgment on Moab.Footnotes[a] Jeremiah 48:1 Or captured; / Misgab[b] Jeremiah 48:2 The Hebrew for Heshbon sounds like the Hebrew for plot.[c] Jeremiah 48:2 The name of the Moabite town Madmen sounds like the Hebrew for be silenced.[d] Jeremiah 48:4 Hebrew; Septuagint / proclaim it to Zoar[e] Jeremiah 48:6 Or like Aroer[f] Jeremiah 48:9 Or Give wings to Moab, / for she will fly away[g] Jeremiah 48:25 Horn here symbolizes strength.[h] Jeremiah 48:32 Probably the Dead Sea[i] Jeremiah 48:32 Two Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts as far as the Sea of[j] Jeremiah 48:41 Or The citiesJeremiah 49 NIVA Message About Ammon1 Concerning the Ammonites:This is what the Lord says:“Has Israel no sons? Has Israel no heir?Why then has Molek[a] taken possession of Gad? Why do his people live in its towns?2 But the days are coming,” declares the Lord,“when I will sound the battle cry against Rabbah of the Ammonites;it will become a mound of ruins, and its surrounding villages will be set on fire.Then Israel will drive out those who drove her out,”says the Lord.3 “Wail, Heshbon, for Ai is destroyed! Cry out, you inhabitants of Rabbah!Put on sackcloth and mourn; rush here and there inside the walls,for Molek will go into exile, together with his priests and officials.4 Why do you boast of your valleys, boast of your valleys so fruitful?Unfaithful Daughter Ammon, you trust in your riches and say, ‘Who will attack me?'5 I will bring terror on you from all those around you,”declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.“Every one of you will be driven away, and no one will gather the fugitives.6 “Yet afterward, I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites,”declares the Lord.A Message About Edom7 Concerning Edom:This is what the Lord Almighty says:“Is there no longer wisdom in Teman? Has counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom decayed?8 Turn and flee, hide in deep caves, you who live in Dedan,for I will bring disaster on Esau at the time when I punish him.9 If grape pickers came to you, would they not leave a few grapes?If thieves came during the night, would they not steal only as much as they wanted?10 But I will strip Esau bare; I will uncover his hiding places, so that he cannot conceal himself.His armed men are destroyed, also his allies and neighbors, so there is no one to say,11 ‘Leave your fatherless children; I will keep them alive. Your widows too can depend on me.'”12 This is what the Lord says: “If those who do not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, why should you go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, but must drink it. 13 I swear by myself,” declares the Lord, “that Bozrah will become a ruin and a curse,[b] an object of horror and reproach; and all its towns will be in ruins forever.”14 I have heard a message from the Lord; an envoy was sent to the nations to say,“Assemble yourselves to attack it! Rise up for battle!”15 “Now I will make you small among the nations, despised by mankind.16 The terror you inspire and the pride of your heart have deceived you,you who live in the clefts of the rocks, who occupy the heights of the hill.Though you build your nest as high as the eagle's, from there I will bring you down,”declares the Lord.17 “Edom will become an object of horror; all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff because of all its wounds.18 As Sodom and Gomorrah were overthrown, along with their neighboring towns,”says the Lord,“so no one will live there; no people will dwell in it.19 “Like a lion coming up from Jordan's thickets to a rich pastureland,I will chase Edom from its land in an instant. Who is the chosen one I will appoint for this?Who is like me and who can challenge me? And what shepherd can stand against me?”20 Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned against Edom, what he has purposed against those who live in Teman:The young of the flock will be dragged away; their pasture will be appalled at their fate.21 At the sound of their fall the earth will tremble; their cry will resound to the Red Sea.[c]22 Look! An eagle will soar and swoop down, spreading its wings over Bozrah.In that day the hearts of Edom's warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor.A Message About Damascus23 Concerning Damascus:“Hamath and Arpad are dismayed, for they have heard bad news.They are disheartened, troubled like[d] the restless sea.24 Damascus has become feeble, she has turned to flee and panic has gripped her;anguish and pain have seized her, pain like that of a woman in labor.25 Why has the city of renown not been abandoned, the town in which I delight?26 Surely, her young men will fall in the streets; all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,”declares the Lord Almighty.27 “I will set fire to the walls of Damascus; it will consume the fortresses of Ben-Hadad.”A Message About Kedar and Hazor28 Concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon attacked:This is what the Lord says:“Arise, and attack Kedar and destroy the people of the East.29 Their tents and their flocks will be taken; their shelters will be carried off with all their goods and camels.People will shout to them, ‘Terror on every side!'30 “Flee quickly away! Stay in deep caves, you who live in Hazor,”declares the Lord.“Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has plotted against you; he has devised a plan against you.31 “Arise and attack a nation at ease, which lives in confidence,”declares the Lord,“a nation that has neither gates nor bars; its people live far from danger.32 Their camels will become plunder, and their large herds will be spoils of war.I will scatter to the winds those who are in distant places[e] and will bring disaster on them from every side,”declares the Lord.33 “Hazor will become a haunt of jackals, a desolate place forever.No one will live there; no people will dwell in it.”A Message About Elam34 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam, early in the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah:35 This is what the Lord Almighty says:“See, I will break the bow of Elam, the mainstay of their might.36 I will bring against Elam the four winds from the four quarters of heaven;I will scatter them to the four winds, and there will not be a nation where Elam's exiles do not go.37 I will shatter Elam before their foes, before those who want to kill them;I will bring disaster on them, even my fierce anger,”declares the Lord.“I will pursue them with the sword until I have made an end of them.38 I will set my throne in Elam and destroy her king and officials,”declares the Lord.39 “Yet I will restore the fortunes of Elam in days to come,”declares the Lord.Footnotes[a] Jeremiah 49:1 Or their king; also in verse 3[b] Jeremiah 49:13 That is, its name will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that it is cursed.[c] Jeremiah 49:21 Or the Sea of Reeds[d] Jeremiah 49:23 Hebrew on or by[e] Jeremiah 49:32 Or who clip the hair by their foreheads
Jeremiah 47 NIVA Message About the Philistines1 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines before Pharaoh attacked Gaza:2 This is what the Lord says:“See how the waters are rising in the north; they will become an overflowing torrent.They will overflow the land and everything in it, the towns and those who live in them.The people will cry out; all who dwell in the land will wail3 at the sound of the hooves of galloping steeds, at the noise of enemy chariots and the rumble of their wheels.Parents will not turn to help their children; their hands will hang limp.4 For the day has come to destroy all the Philistinesand to remove all survivors who could help Tyre and Sidon.The Lord is about to destroy the Philistines, the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.[a]5 Gaza will shave her head in mourning; Ashkelon will be silenced.You remnant on the plain, how long will you cut yourselves?6 “‘Alas, sword of the Lord, how long till you rest?Return to your sheath; cease and be still.'7 But how can it rest when the Lord has commanded it,when he has ordered it to attack Ashkelon and the coast?”Footnotes[a] Jeremiah 47:4 That is, CreteJeremiah 48 NIVA Message About Moab1 Concerning Moab:This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:“Woe to Nebo, for it will be ruined. Kiriathaim will be disgraced and captured; the stronghold[a] will be disgraced and shattered.2 Moab will be praised no more; in Heshbon[b] people will plot her downfall: ‘Come, let us put an end to that nation.'You, the people of Madmen,[c] will also be silenced; the sword will pursue you.3 Cries of anguish arise from Horonaim, cries of great havoc and destruction.4 Moab will be broken; her little ones will cry out.[d]5 They go up the hill to Luhith, weeping bitterly as they go;on the road down to Horonaim anguished cries over the destruction are heard.6 Flee! Run for your lives; become like a bush[e] in the desert.7 Since you trust in your deeds and riches, you too will be taken captive,and Chemosh will go into exile, together with his priests and officials.8 The destroyer will come against every town, and not a town will escape.The valley will be ruined and the plateau destroyed, because the Lord has spoken.9 Put salt on Moab, for she will be laid waste[f];her towns will become desolate, with no one to live in them.10 “A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the Lord's work! A curse on anyone who keeps their sword from bloodshed!11 “Moab has been at rest from youth, like wine left on its dregs,not poured from one jar to another— she has not gone into exile.So she tastes as she did, and her aroma is unchanged.12 But days are coming,” declares the Lord,“when I will send men who pour from pitchers, and they will pour her out;they will empty her pitchers and smash her jars.13 Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh, as Israel was ashamed when they trusted in Bethel.14 “How can you say, ‘We are warriors, men valiant in battle'?15 Moab will be destroyed and her towns invaded; her finest young men will go down in the slaughter,” declares the King, whose name is the Lord Almighty.16 “The fall of Moab is at hand; her calamity will come quickly.17 Mourn for her, all who live around her, all who know her fame;say, ‘How broken is the mighty scepter, how broken the glorious staff!'18 “Come down from your glory and sit on the parched ground, you inhabitants of Daughter Dibon,for the one who destroys Moab will come up against you and ruin your fortified cities.19 Stand by the road and watch, you who live in Aroer.Ask the man fleeing and the woman escaping, ask them, ‘What has happened?'20 Moab is disgraced, for she is shattered. Wail and cry out!Announce by the Arnon that Moab is destroyed.21 Judgment has come to the plateau— to Holon, Jahzah and Mephaath,22 to Dibon, Nebo and Beth Diblathaim,23 to Kiriathaim, Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,24 to Kerioth and Bozrah— to all the towns of Moab, far and near.25 Moab's horn[g] is cut off; her arm is broken,”declares the Lord.26 “Make her drunk, for she has defied the Lord.Let Moab wallow in her vomit; let her be an object of ridicule.27 Was not Israel the object of your ridicule? Was she caught among thieves,that you shake your head in scorn whenever you speak of her?28 Abandon your towns and dwell among the rocks, you who live in Moab.Be like a dove that makes its nest at the mouth of a cave.29 “We have heard of Moab's pride— how great is her arrogance!—of her insolence, her pride, her conceit and the haughtiness of her heart.30 I know her insolence but it is futile,”declares the Lord, “and her boasts accomplish nothing.31 Therefore I wail over Moab, for all Moab I cry out, I moan for the people of Kir Hareseth.32 I weep for you, as Jazer weeps, you vines of Sibmah.Your branches spread as far as the sea[h]; they reached as far as[i] Jazer.The destroyer has fallen on your ripened fruit and grapes.33 Joy and gladness are gone from the orchards and fields of Moab.I have stopped the flow of wine from the presses; no one treads them with shouts of joy.Although there are shouts, they are not shouts of joy.34 “The sound of their cry rises from Heshbon to Elealeh and Jahaz,from Zoar as far as Horonaim and Eglath Shelishiyah, for even the waters of Nimrim are dried up.35 In Moab I will put an end to those who make offerings on the high places and burn incense to their gods,”declares the Lord.36 “So my heart laments for Moab like the music of a pipe; it laments like a pipe for the people of Kir Hareseth. The wealth they acquired is gone.37 Every head is shaved and every beard cut off;every hand is slashed and every waist is covered with sackcloth.38 On all the roofs in Moab and in the public squaresthere is nothing but mourning, for I have broken Moab like a jar that no one wants,”declares the Lord.39 “How shattered she is! How they wail! How Moab turns her back in shame!Moab has become an object of ridicule, an object of horror to all those around her.”40 This is what the Lord says:“Look! An eagle is swooping down, spreading its wings over Moab.41 Kerioth[j] will be captured and the strongholds taken.In that day the hearts of Moab's warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor.42 Moab will be destroyed as a nation because she defied the Lord.43 Terror and pit and snare await you, you people of Moab,”declares the Lord.44 “Whoever flees from the terror will fall into a pit,whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare;for I will bring on Moab the year of her punishment,”declares the Lord.45 “In the shadow of Heshbon the fugitives stand helpless,for a fire has gone out from Heshbon, a blaze from the midst of Sihon;it burns the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of the noisy boasters.46 Woe to you, Moab! The people of Chemosh are destroyed;your sons are taken into exile and your daughters into captivity.47 “Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in days to come,”declares the Lord.Here ends the judgment on Moab.Footnotes[a] Jeremiah 48:1 Or captured; / Misgab[b] Jeremiah 48:2 The Hebrew for Heshbon sounds like the Hebrew for plot.[c] Jeremiah 48:2 The name of the Moabite town Madmen sounds like the Hebrew for be silenced.[d] Jeremiah 48:4 Hebrew; Septuagint / proclaim it to Zoar[e] Jeremiah 48:6 Or like Aroer[f] Jeremiah 48:9 Or Give wings to Moab, / for she will fly away[g] Jeremiah 48:25 Horn here symbolizes strength.[h] Jeremiah 48:32 Probably the Dead Sea[i] Jeremiah 48:32 Two Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts as far as the Sea of[j] Jeremiah 48:41 Or The citiesJeremiah 49 NIVA Message About Ammon1 Concerning the Ammonites:This is what the Lord says:“Has Israel no sons? Has Israel no heir?Why then has Molek[a] taken possession of Gad? Why do his people live in its towns?2 But the days are coming,” declares the Lord,“when I will sound the battle cry against Rabbah of the Ammonites;it will become a mound of ruins, and its surrounding villages will be set on fire.Then Israel will drive out those who drove her out,”says the Lord.3 “Wail, Heshbon, for Ai is destroyed! Cry out, you inhabitants of Rabbah!Put on sackcloth and mourn; rush here and there inside the walls,for Molek will go into exile, together with his priests and officials.4 Why do you boast of your valleys, boast of your valleys so fruitful?Unfaithful Daughter Ammon, you trust in your riches and say, ‘Who will attack me?'5 I will bring terror on you from all those around you,”declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.“Every one of you will be driven away, and no one will gather the fugitives.6 “Yet afterward, I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites,”declares the Lord.A Message About Edom7 Concerning Edom:This is what the Lord Almighty says:“Is there no longer wisdom in Teman? Has counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom decayed?8 Turn and flee, hide in deep caves, you who live in Dedan,for I will bring disaster on Esau at the time when I punish him.9 If grape pickers came to you, would they not leave a few grapes?If thieves came during the night, would they not steal only as much as they wanted?10 But I will strip Esau bare; I will uncover his hiding places, so that he cannot conceal himself.His armed men are destroyed, also his allies and neighbors, so there is no one to say,11 ‘Leave your fatherless children; I will keep them alive. Your widows too can depend on me.'”12 This is what the Lord says: “If those who do not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, why should you go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, but must drink it. 13 I swear by myself,” declares the Lord, “that Bozrah will become a ruin and a curse,[b] an object of horror and reproach; and all its towns will be in ruins forever.”14 I have heard a message from the Lord; an envoy was sent to the nations to say,“Assemble yourselves to attack it! Rise up for battle!”15 “Now I will make you small among the nations, despised by mankind.16 The terror you inspire and the pride of your heart have deceived you,you who live in the clefts of the rocks, who occupy the heights of the hill.Though you build your nest as high as the eagle's, from there I will bring you down,”declares the Lord.17 “Edom will become an object of horror; all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff because of all its wounds.18 As Sodom and Gomorrah were overthrown, along with their neighboring towns,”says the Lord,“so no one will live there; no people will dwell in it.19 “Like a lion coming up from Jordan's thickets to a rich pastureland,I will chase Edom from its land in an instant. Who is the chosen one I will appoint for this?Who is like me and who can challenge me? And what shepherd can stand against me?”20 Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned against Edom, what he has purposed against those who live in Teman:The young of the flock will be dragged away; their pasture will be appalled at their fate.21 At the sound of their fall the earth will tremble; their cry will resound to the Red Sea.[c]22 Look! An eagle will soar and swoop down, spreading its wings over Bozrah.In that day the hearts of Edom's warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor.A Message About Damascus23 Concerning Damascus:“Hamath and Arpad are dismayed, for they have heard bad news.They are disheartened, troubled like[d] the restless sea.24 Damascus has become feeble, she has turned to flee and panic has gripped her;anguish and pain have seized her, pain like that of a woman in labor.25 Why has the city of renown not been abandoned, the town in which I delight?26 Surely, her young men will fall in the streets; all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,”declares the Lord Almighty.27 “I will set fire to the walls of Damascus; it will consume the fortresses of Ben-Hadad.”A Message About Kedar and Hazor28 Concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon attacked:This is what the Lord says:“Arise, and attack Kedar and destroy the people of the East.29 Their tents and their flocks will be taken; their shelters will be carried off with all their goods and camels.People will shout to them, ‘Terror on every side!'30 “Flee quickly away! Stay in deep caves, you who live in Hazor,”declares the Lord.“Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has plotted against you; he has devised a plan against you.31 “Arise and attack a nation at ease, which lives in confidence,”declares the Lord,“a nation that has neither gates nor bars; its people live far from danger.32 Their camels will become plunder, and their large herds will be spoils of war.I will scatter to the winds those who are in distant places[e] and will bring disaster on them from every side,”declares the Lord.33 “Hazor will become a haunt of jackals, a desolate place forever.No one will live there; no people will dwell in it.”A Message About Elam34 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam, early in the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah:35 This is what the Lord Almighty says:“See, I will break the bow of Elam, the mainstay of their might.36 I will bring against Elam the four winds from the four quarters of heaven;I will scatter them to the four winds, and there will not be a nation where Elam's exiles do not go.37 I will shatter Elam before their foes, before those who want to kill them;I will bring disaster on them, even my fierce anger,”declares the Lord.“I will pursue them with the sword until I have made an end of them.38 I will set my throne in Elam and destroy her king and officials,”declares the Lord.39 “Yet I will restore the fortunes of Elam in days to come,”declares the Lord.Footnotes[a] Jeremiah 49:1 Or their king; also in verse 3[b] Jeremiah 49:13 That is, its name will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that it is cursed.[c] Jeremiah 49:21 Or the Sea of Reeds[d] Jeremiah 49:23 Hebrew on or by[e] Jeremiah 49:32 Or who clip the hair by their foreheads
Jeremiah 47 NIVA Message About the Philistines1 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines before Pharaoh attacked Gaza:2 This is what the Lord says:“See how the waters are rising in the north; they will become an overflowing torrent.They will overflow the land and everything in it, the towns and those who live in them.The people will cry out; all who dwell in the land will wail3 at the sound of the hooves of galloping steeds, at the noise of enemy chariots and the rumble of their wheels.Parents will not turn to help their children; their hands will hang limp.4 For the day has come to destroy all the Philistinesand to remove all survivors who could help Tyre and Sidon.The Lord is about to destroy the Philistines, the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.[a]5 Gaza will shave her head in mourning; Ashkelon will be silenced.You remnant on the plain, how long will you cut yourselves?6 “‘Alas, sword of the Lord, how long till you rest?Return to your sheath; cease and be still.'7 But how can it rest when the Lord has commanded it,when he has ordered it to attack Ashkelon and the coast?”Footnotes[a] Jeremiah 47:4 That is, CreteJeremiah 48 NIVA Message About Moab1 Concerning Moab:This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:“Woe to Nebo, for it will be ruined. Kiriathaim will be disgraced and captured; the stronghold[a] will be disgraced and shattered.2 Moab will be praised no more; in Heshbon[b] people will plot her downfall: ‘Come, let us put an end to that nation.'You, the people of Madmen,[c] will also be silenced; the sword will pursue you.3 Cries of anguish arise from Horonaim, cries of great havoc and destruction.4 Moab will be broken; her little ones will cry out.[d]5 They go up the hill to Luhith, weeping bitterly as they go;on the road down to Horonaim anguished cries over the destruction are heard.6 Flee! Run for your lives; become like a bush[e] in the desert.7 Since you trust in your deeds and riches, you too will be taken captive,and Chemosh will go into exile, together with his priests and officials.8 The destroyer will come against every town, and not a town will escape.The valley will be ruined and the plateau destroyed, because the Lord has spoken.9 Put salt on Moab, for she will be laid waste[f];her towns will become desolate, with no one to live in them.10 “A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the Lord's work! A curse on anyone who keeps their sword from bloodshed!11 “Moab has been at rest from youth, like wine left on its dregs,not poured from one jar to another— she has not gone into exile.So she tastes as she did, and her aroma is unchanged.12 But days are coming,” declares the Lord,“when I will send men who pour from pitchers, and they will pour her out;they will empty her pitchers and smash her jars.13 Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh, as Israel was ashamed when they trusted in Bethel.14 “How can you say, ‘We are warriors, men valiant in battle'?15 Moab will be destroyed and her towns invaded; her finest young men will go down in the slaughter,” declares the King, whose name is the Lord Almighty.16 “The fall of Moab is at hand; her calamity will come quickly.17 Mourn for her, all who live around her, all who know her fame;say, ‘How broken is the mighty scepter, how broken the glorious staff!'18 “Come down from your glory and sit on the parched ground, you inhabitants of Daughter Dibon,for the one who destroys Moab will come up against you and ruin your fortified cities.19 Stand by the road and watch, you who live in Aroer.Ask the man fleeing and the woman escaping, ask them, ‘What has happened?'20 Moab is disgraced, for she is shattered. Wail and cry out!Announce by the Arnon that Moab is destroyed.21 Judgment has come to the plateau— to Holon, Jahzah and Mephaath,22 to Dibon, Nebo and Beth Diblathaim,23 to Kiriathaim, Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,24 to Kerioth and Bozrah— to all the towns of Moab, far and near.25 Moab's horn[g] is cut off; her arm is broken,”declares the Lord.26 “Make her drunk, for she has defied the Lord.Let Moab wallow in her vomit; let her be an object of ridicule.27 Was not Israel the object of your ridicule? Was she caught among thieves,that you shake your head in scorn whenever you speak of her?28 Abandon your towns and dwell among the rocks, you who live in Moab.Be like a dove that makes its nest at the mouth of a cave.29 “We have heard of Moab's pride— how great is her arrogance!—of her insolence, her pride, her conceit and the haughtiness of her heart.30 I know her insolence but it is futile,”declares the Lord, “and her boasts accomplish nothing.31 Therefore I wail over Moab, for all Moab I cry out, I moan for the people of Kir Hareseth.32 I weep for you, as Jazer weeps, you vines of Sibmah.Your branches spread as far as the sea[h]; they reached as far as[i] Jazer.The destroyer has fallen on your ripened fruit and grapes.33 Joy and gladness are gone from the orchards and fields of Moab.I have stopped the flow of wine from the presses; no one treads them with shouts of joy.Although there are shouts, they are not shouts of joy.34 “The sound of their cry rises from Heshbon to Elealeh and Jahaz,from Zoar as far as Horonaim and Eglath Shelishiyah, for even the waters of Nimrim are dried up.35 In Moab I will put an end to those who make offerings on the high places and burn incense to their gods,”declares the Lord.36 “So my heart laments for Moab like the music of a pipe; it laments like a pipe for the people of Kir Hareseth. The wealth they acquired is gone.37 Every head is shaved and every beard cut off;every hand is slashed and every waist is covered with sackcloth.38 On all the roofs in Moab and in the public squaresthere is nothing but mourning, for I have broken Moab like a jar that no one wants,”declares the Lord.39 “How shattered she is! How they wail! How Moab turns her back in shame!Moab has become an object of ridicule, an object of horror to all those around her.”40 This is what the Lord says:“Look! An eagle is swooping down, spreading its wings over Moab.41 Kerioth[j] will be captured and the strongholds taken.In that day the hearts of Moab's warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor.42 Moab will be destroyed as a nation because she defied the Lord.43 Terror and pit and snare await you, you people of Moab,”declares the Lord.44 “Whoever flees from the terror will fall into a pit,whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare;for I will bring on Moab the year of her punishment,”declares the Lord.45 “In the shadow of Heshbon the fugitives stand helpless,for a fire has gone out from Heshbon, a blaze from the midst of Sihon;it burns the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of the noisy boasters.46 Woe to you, Moab! The people of Chemosh are destroyed;your sons are taken into exile and your daughters into captivity.47 “Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in days to come,”declares the Lord.Here ends the judgment on Moab.Footnotes[a] Jeremiah 48:1 Or captured; / Misgab[b] Jeremiah 48:2 The Hebrew for Heshbon sounds like the Hebrew for plot.[c] Jeremiah 48:2 The name of the Moabite town Madmen sounds like the Hebrew for be silenced.[d] Jeremiah 48:4 Hebrew; Septuagint / proclaim it to Zoar[e] Jeremiah 48:6 Or like Aroer[f] Jeremiah 48:9 Or Give wings to Moab, / for she will fly away[g] Jeremiah 48:25 Horn here symbolizes strength.[h] Jeremiah 48:32 Probably the Dead Sea[i] Jeremiah 48:32 Two Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts as far as the Sea of[j] Jeremiah 48:41 Or The citiesJeremiah 49 NIVA Message About Ammon1 Concerning the Ammonites:This is what the Lord says:“Has Israel no sons? Has Israel no heir?Why then has Molek[a] taken possession of Gad? Why do his people live in its towns?2 But the days are coming,” declares the Lord,“when I will sound the battle cry against Rabbah of the Ammonites;it will become a mound of ruins, and its surrounding villages will be set on fire.Then Israel will drive out those who drove her out,”says the Lord.3 “Wail, Heshbon, for Ai is destroyed! Cry out, you inhabitants of Rabbah!Put on sackcloth and mourn; rush here and there inside the walls,for Molek will go into exile, together with his priests and officials.4 Why do you boast of your valleys, boast of your valleys so fruitful?Unfaithful Daughter Ammon, you trust in your riches and say, ‘Who will attack me?'5 I will bring terror on you from all those around you,”declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.“Every one of you will be driven away, and no one will gather the fugitives.6 “Yet afterward, I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites,”declares the Lord.A Message About Edom7 Concerning Edom:This is what the Lord Almighty says:“Is there no longer wisdom in Teman? Has counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom decayed?8 Turn and flee, hide in deep caves, you who live in Dedan,for I will bring disaster on Esau at the time when I punish him.9 If grape pickers came to you, would they not leave a few grapes?If thieves came during the night, would they not steal only as much as they wanted?10 But I will strip Esau bare; I will uncover his hiding places, so that he cannot conceal himself.His armed men are destroyed, also his allies and neighbors, so there is no one to say,11 ‘Leave your fatherless children; I will keep them alive. Your widows too can depend on me.'”12 This is what the Lord says: “If those who do not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, why should you go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, but must drink it. 13 I swear by myself,” declares the Lord, “that Bozrah will become a ruin and a curse,[b] an object of horror and reproach; and all its towns will be in ruins forever.”14 I have heard a message from the Lord; an envoy was sent to the nations to say,“Assemble yourselves to attack it! Rise up for battle!”15 “Now I will make you small among the nations, despised by mankind.16 The terror you inspire and the pride of your heart have deceived you,you who live in the clefts of the rocks, who occupy the heights of the hill.Though you build your nest as high as the eagle's, from there I will bring you down,”declares the Lord.17 “Edom will become an object of horror; all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff because of all its wounds.18 As Sodom and Gomorrah were overthrown, along with their neighboring towns,”says the Lord,“so no one will live there; no people will dwell in it.19 “Like a lion coming up from Jordan's thickets to a rich pastureland,I will chase Edom from its land in an instant. Who is the chosen one I will appoint for this?Who is like me and who can challenge me? And what shepherd can stand against me?”20 Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned against Edom, what he has purposed against those who live in Teman:The young of the flock will be dragged away; their pasture will be appalled at their fate.21 At the sound of their fall the earth will tremble; their cry will resound to the Red Sea.[c]22 Look! An eagle will soar and swoop down, spreading its wings over Bozrah.In that day the hearts of Edom's warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor.A Message About Damascus23 Concerning Damascus:“Hamath and Arpad are dismayed, for they have heard bad news.They are disheartened, troubled like[d] the restless sea.24 Damascus has become feeble, she has turned to flee and panic has gripped her;anguish and pain have seized her, pain like that of a woman in labor.25 Why has the city of renown not been abandoned, the town in which I delight?26 Surely, her young men will fall in the streets; all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,”declares the Lord Almighty.27 “I will set fire to the walls of Damascus; it will consume the fortresses of Ben-Hadad.”A Message About Kedar and Hazor28 Concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon attacked:This is what the Lord says:“Arise, and attack Kedar and destroy the people of the East.29 Their tents and their flocks will be taken; their shelters will be carried off with all their goods and camels.People will shout to them, ‘Terror on every side!'30 “Flee quickly away! Stay in deep caves, you who live in Hazor,”declares the Lord.“Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has plotted against you; he has devised a plan against you.31 “Arise and attack a nation at ease, which lives in confidence,”declares the Lord,“a nation that has neither gates nor bars; its people live far from danger.32 Their camels will become plunder, and their large herds will be spoils of war.I will scatter to the winds those who are in distant places[e] and will bring disaster on them from every side,”declares the Lord.33 “Hazor will become a haunt of jackals, a desolate place forever.No one will live there; no people will dwell in it.”A Message About Elam34 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam, early in the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah:35 This is what the Lord Almighty says:“See, I will break the bow of Elam, the mainstay of their might.36 I will bring against Elam the four winds from the four quarters of heaven;I will scatter them to the four winds, and there will not be a nation where Elam's exiles do not go.37 I will shatter Elam before their foes, before those who want to kill them;I will bring disaster on them, even my fierce anger,”declares the Lord.“I will pursue them with the sword until I have made an end of them.38 I will set my throne in Elam and destroy her king and officials,”declares the Lord.39 “Yet I will restore the fortunes of Elam in days to come,”declares the Lord.Footnotes[a] Jeremiah 49:1 Or their king; also in verse 3[b] Jeremiah 49:13 That is, its name will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that it is cursed.[c] Jeremiah 49:21 Or the Sea of Reeds[d] Jeremiah 49:23 Hebrew on or by[e] Jeremiah 49:32 Or who clip the hair by their foreheads
Jeremiah 46 NIVA Message About Egypt1 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations:2 Concerning Egypt:This is the message against the army of Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt, which was defeated at Carchemish on the Euphrates River by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:3 “Prepare your shields, both large and small, and march out for battle!4 Harness the horses, mount the steeds!Take your positions with helmets on!Polish your spears, put on your armor!5 What do I see? They are terrified,they are retreating, their warriors are defeated.They flee in haste without looking back, and there is terror on every side,”declares the Lord.6 “The swift cannot flee nor the strong escape.In the north by the River Euphrates they stumble and fall.7 “Who is this that rises like the Nile, like rivers of surging waters?8 Egypt rises like the Nile, like rivers of surging waters.She says, ‘I will rise and cover the earth; I will destroy cities and their people.'9 Charge, you horses! Drive furiously, you charioteers!March on, you warriors—men of Cush[a] and Put who carry shields, men of Lydia who draw the bow.10 But that day belongs to the Lord, the Lord Almighty— a day of vengeance, for vengeance on his foes.The sword will devour till it is satisfied, till it has quenched its thirst with blood.For the Lord, the Lord Almighty, will offer sacrifice in the land of the north by the River Euphrates.11 “Go up to Gilead and get balm, Virgin Daughter Egypt.But you try many medicines in vain; there is no healing for you.12 The nations will hear of your shame; your cries will fill the earth.One warrior will stumble over another; both will fall down together.”13 This is the message the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to attack Egypt:14 “Announce this in Egypt, and proclaim it in Migdol; proclaim it also in Memphis and Tahpanhes:‘Take your positions and get ready, for the sword devours those around you.'15 Why will your warriors be laid low? They cannot stand, for the Lord will push them down.16 They will stumble repeatedly; they will fall over each other.They will say, ‘Get up, let us go back to our own people and our native lands, away from the sword of the oppressor.'17 There they will exclaim, ‘Pharaoh king of Egypt is only a loud noise; he has missed his opportunity.'18 “As surely as I live,” declares the King, whose name is the Lord Almighty,“one will come who is like Tabor among the mountains, like Carmel by the sea.19 Pack your belongings for exile, you who live in Egypt,for Memphis will be laid waste and lie in ruins without inhabitant.20 “Egypt is a beautiful heifer, but a gadfly is coming against her from the north.21 The mercenaries in her ranks are like fattened calves.They too will turn and flee together, they will not stand their ground,for the day of disaster is coming upon them, the time for them to be punished.22 Egypt will hiss like a fleeing serpent as the enemy advances in force;they will come against her with axes, like men who cut down trees.23 They will chop down her forest,”declares the Lord, “dense though it be.They are more numerous than locusts, they cannot be counted.24 Daughter Egypt will be put to shame, given into the hands of the people of the north.”25 The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “I am about to bring punishment on Amon god of Thebes, on Pharaoh, on Egypt and her gods and her kings, and on those who rely on Pharaoh. 26 I will give them into the hands of those who want to kill them—Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his officers. Later, however, Egypt will be inhabited as in times past,” declares the Lord.27 “Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant; do not be dismayed, Israel.I will surely save you out of a distant place, your descendants from the land of their exile.Jacob will again have peace and security, and no one will make him afraid.28 Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant, for I am with you,” declares the Lord.“Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you.I will discipline you but only in due measure; I will not let you go entirely unpunished.”Footnotes[a] Jeremiah 46:9 That is, the upper Nile regionJeremiah 47 NIVA Message About the Philistines1 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines before Pharaoh attacked Gaza:2 This is what the Lord says:“See how the waters are rising in the north; they will become an overflowing torrent.They will overflow the land and everything in it, the towns and those who live in them.The people will cry out; all who dwell in the land will wail3 at the sound of the hooves of galloping steeds, at the noise of enemy chariots and the rumble of their wheels.Parents will not turn to help their children; their hands will hang limp.4 For the day has come to destroy all the Philistinesand to remove all survivors who could help Tyre and Sidon.The Lord is about to destroy the Philistines, the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.[a]5 Gaza will shave her head in mourning; Ashkelon will be silenced.You remnant on the plain, how long will you cut yourselves?6 “‘Alas, sword of the Lord, how long till you rest?Return to your sheath; cease and be still.'7 But how can it rest when the Lord has commanded it,when he has ordered it to attack Ashkelon and the coast?”Footnotes[a] Jeremiah 47:4 That is, CreteJeremiah 48 NIVA Message About Moab1 Concerning Moab:This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:“Woe to Nebo, for it will be ruined. Kiriathaim will be disgraced and captured; the stronghold[a] will be disgraced and shattered.2 Moab will be praised no more; in Heshbon[b] people will plot her downfall: ‘Come, let us put an end to that nation.'You, the people of Madmen,[c] will also be silenced; the sword will pursue you.3 Cries of anguish arise from Horonaim, cries of great havoc and destruction.4 Moab will be broken; her little ones will cry out.[d]5 They go up the hill to Luhith, weeping bitterly as they go;on the road down to Horonaim anguished cries over the destruction are heard.6 Flee! Run for your lives; become like a bush[e] in the desert.7 Since you trust in your deeds and riches, you too will be taken captive,and Chemosh will go into exile, together with his priests and officials.8 The destroyer will come against every town, and not a town will escape.The valley will be ruined and the plateau destroyed, because the Lord has spoken.9 Put salt on Moab, for she will be laid waste[f];her towns will become desolate, with no one to live in them.10 “A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the Lord's work! A curse on anyone who keeps their sword from bloodshed!11 “Moab has been at rest from youth, like wine left on its dregs,not poured from one jar to another— she has not gone into exile.So she tastes as she did, and her aroma is unchanged.12 But days are coming,” declares the Lord,“when I will send men who pour from pitchers, and they will pour her out;they will empty her pitchers and smash her jars.13 Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh, as Israel was ashamed when they trusted in Bethel.14 “How can you say, ‘We are warriors, men valiant in battle'?15 Moab will be destroyed and her towns invaded; her finest young men will go down in the slaughter,” declares the King, whose name is the Lord Almighty.16 “The fall of Moab is at hand; her calamity will come quickly.17 Mourn for her, all who live around her, all who know her fame;say, ‘How broken is the mighty scepter, how broken the glorious staff!'18 “Come down from your glory and sit on the parched ground, you inhabitants of Daughter Dibon,for the one who destroys Moab will come up against you and ruin your fortified cities.19 Stand by the road and watch, you who live in Aroer.Ask the man fleeing and the woman escaping, ask them, ‘What has happened?'20 Moab is disgraced, for she is shattered. Wail and cry out!Announce by the Arnon that Moab is destroyed.21 Judgment has come to the plateau— to Holon, Jahzah and Mephaath,22 to Dibon, Nebo and Beth Diblathaim,23 to Kiriathaim, Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,24 to Kerioth and Bozrah— to all the towns of Moab, far and near.25 Moab's horn[g] is cut off; her arm is broken,”declares the Lord.26 “Make her drunk, for she has defied the Lord.Let Moab wallow in her vomit; let her be an object of ridicule.27 Was not Israel the object of your ridicule? Was she caught among thieves,that you shake your head in scorn whenever you speak of her?28 Abandon your towns and dwell among the rocks, you who live in Moab.Be like a dove that makes its nest at the mouth of a cave.29 “We have heard of Moab's pride— how great is her arrogance!—of her insolence, her pride, her conceit and the haughtiness of her heart.30 I know her insolence but it is futile,”declares the Lord, “and her boasts accomplish nothing.31 Therefore I wail over Moab, for all Moab I cry out, I moan for the people of Kir Hareseth.32 I weep for you, as Jazer weeps, you vines of Sibmah.Your branches spread as far as the sea[h]; they reached as far as[i] Jazer.The destroyer has fallen on your ripened fruit and grapes.33 Joy and gladness are gone from the orchards and fields of Moab.I have stopped the flow of wine from the presses; no one treads them with shouts of joy.Although there are shouts, they are not shouts of joy.34 “The sound of their cry rises from Heshbon to Elealeh and Jahaz,from Zoar as far as Horonaim and Eglath Shelishiyah, for even the waters of Nimrim are dried up.35 In Moab I will put an end to those who make offerings on the high places and burn incense to their gods,”declares the Lord.36 “So my heart laments for Moab like the music of a pipe; it laments like a pipe for the people of Kir Hareseth. The wealth they acquired is gone.37 Every head is shaved and every beard cut off;every hand is slashed and every waist is covered with sackcloth.38 On all the roofs in Moab and in the public squaresthere is nothing but mourning, for I have broken Moab like a jar that no one wants,”declares the Lord.39 “How shattered she is! How they wail! How Moab turns her back in shame!Moab has become an object of ridicule, an object of horror to all those around her.”40 This is what the Lord says:“Look! An eagle is swooping down, spreading its wings over Moab.41 Kerioth[j] will be captured and the strongholds taken.In that day the hearts of Moab's warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor.42 Moab will be destroyed as a nation because she defied the Lord.43 Terror and pit and snare await you, you people of Moab,”declares the Lord.44 “Whoever flees from the terror will fall into a pit,whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare;for I will bring on Moab the year of her punishment,”declares the Lord.45 “In the shadow of Heshbon the fugitives stand helpless,for a fire has gone out from Heshbon, a blaze from the midst of Sihon;it burns the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of the noisy boasters.46 Woe to you, Moab! The people of Chemosh are destroyed;your sons are taken into exile and your daughters into captivity.47 “Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in days to come,”declares the Lord.Here ends the judgment on Moab.Footnotes[a] Jeremiah 48:1 Or captured; / Misgab[b] Jeremiah 48:2 The Hebrew for Heshbon sounds like the Hebrew for plot.[c] Jeremiah 48:2 The name of the Moabite town Madmen sounds like the Hebrew for be silenced.[d] Jeremiah 48:4 Hebrew; Septuagint / proclaim it to Zoar[e] Jeremiah 48:6 Or like Aroer[f] Jeremiah 48:9 Or Give wings to Moab, / for she will fly away[g] Jeremiah 48:25 Horn here symbolizes strength.[h] Jeremiah 48:32 Probably the Dead Sea[i] Jeremiah 48:32 Two Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts as far as the Sea of[j] Jeremiah 48:41 Or The cities
Jeremiah 46 NIVA Message About Egypt1 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations:2 Concerning Egypt:This is the message against the army of Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt, which was defeated at Carchemish on the Euphrates River by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:3 “Prepare your shields, both large and small, and march out for battle!4 Harness the horses, mount the steeds!Take your positions with helmets on!Polish your spears, put on your armor!5 What do I see? They are terrified,they are retreating, their warriors are defeated.They flee in haste without looking back, and there is terror on every side,”declares the Lord.6 “The swift cannot flee nor the strong escape.In the north by the River Euphrates they stumble and fall.7 “Who is this that rises like the Nile, like rivers of surging waters?8 Egypt rises like the Nile, like rivers of surging waters.She says, ‘I will rise and cover the earth; I will destroy cities and their people.'9 Charge, you horses! Drive furiously, you charioteers!March on, you warriors—men of Cush[a] and Put who carry shields, men of Lydia who draw the bow.10 But that day belongs to the Lord, the Lord Almighty— a day of vengeance, for vengeance on his foes.The sword will devour till it is satisfied, till it has quenched its thirst with blood.For the Lord, the Lord Almighty, will offer sacrifice in the land of the north by the River Euphrates.11 “Go up to Gilead and get balm, Virgin Daughter Egypt.But you try many medicines in vain; there is no healing for you.12 The nations will hear of your shame; your cries will fill the earth.One warrior will stumble over another; both will fall down together.”13 This is the message the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to attack Egypt:14 “Announce this in Egypt, and proclaim it in Migdol; proclaim it also in Memphis and Tahpanhes:‘Take your positions and get ready, for the sword devours those around you.'15 Why will your warriors be laid low? They cannot stand, for the Lord will push them down.16 They will stumble repeatedly; they will fall over each other.They will say, ‘Get up, let us go back to our own people and our native lands, away from the sword of the oppressor.'17 There they will exclaim, ‘Pharaoh king of Egypt is only a loud noise; he has missed his opportunity.'18 “As surely as I live,” declares the King, whose name is the Lord Almighty,“one will come who is like Tabor among the mountains, like Carmel by the sea.19 Pack your belongings for exile, you who live in Egypt,for Memphis will be laid waste and lie in ruins without inhabitant.20 “Egypt is a beautiful heifer, but a gadfly is coming against her from the north.21 The mercenaries in her ranks are like fattened calves.They too will turn and flee together, they will not stand their ground,for the day of disaster is coming upon them, the time for them to be punished.22 Egypt will hiss like a fleeing serpent as the enemy advances in force;they will come against her with axes, like men who cut down trees.23 They will chop down her forest,”declares the Lord, “dense though it be.They are more numerous than locusts, they cannot be counted.24 Daughter Egypt will be put to shame, given into the hands of the people of the north.”25 The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “I am about to bring punishment on Amon god of Thebes, on Pharaoh, on Egypt and her gods and her kings, and on those who rely on Pharaoh. 26 I will give them into the hands of those who want to kill them—Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his officers. Later, however, Egypt will be inhabited as in times past,” declares the Lord.27 “Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant; do not be dismayed, Israel.I will surely save you out of a distant place, your descendants from the land of their exile.Jacob will again have peace and security, and no one will make him afraid.28 Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant, for I am with you,” declares the Lord.“Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you.I will discipline you but only in due measure; I will not let you go entirely unpunished.”Footnotes[a] Jeremiah 46:9 That is, the upper Nile regionJeremiah 47 NIVA Message About the Philistines1 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines before Pharaoh attacked Gaza:2 This is what the Lord says:“See how the waters are rising in the north; they will become an overflowing torrent.They will overflow the land and everything in it, the towns and those who live in them.The people will cry out; all who dwell in the land will wail3 at the sound of the hooves of galloping steeds, at the noise of enemy chariots and the rumble of their wheels.Parents will not turn to help their children; their hands will hang limp.4 For the day has come to destroy all the Philistinesand to remove all survivors who could help Tyre and Sidon.The Lord is about to destroy the Philistines, the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.[a]5 Gaza will shave her head in mourning; Ashkelon will be silenced.You remnant on the plain, how long will you cut yourselves?6 “‘Alas, sword of the Lord, how long till you rest?Return to your sheath; cease and be still.'7 But how can it rest when the Lord has commanded it,when he has ordered it to attack Ashkelon and the coast?”Footnotes[a] Jeremiah 47:4 That is, CreteJeremiah 48 NIVA Message About Moab1 Concerning Moab:This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:“Woe to Nebo, for it will be ruined. Kiriathaim will be disgraced and captured; the stronghold[a] will be disgraced and shattered.2 Moab will be praised no more; in Heshbon[b] people will plot her downfall: ‘Come, let us put an end to that nation.'You, the people of Madmen,[c] will also be silenced; the sword will pursue you.3 Cries of anguish arise from Horonaim, cries of great havoc and destruction.4 Moab will be broken; her little ones will cry out.[d]5 They go up the hill to Luhith, weeping bitterly as they go;on the road down to Horonaim anguished cries over the destruction are heard.6 Flee! Run for your lives; become like a bush[e] in the desert.7 Since you trust in your deeds and riches, you too will be taken captive,and Chemosh will go into exile, together with his priests and officials.8 The destroyer will come against every town, and not a town will escape.The valley will be ruined and the plateau destroyed, because the Lord has spoken.9 Put salt on Moab, for she will be laid waste[f];her towns will become desolate, with no one to live in them.10 “A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the Lord's work! A curse on anyone who keeps their sword from bloodshed!11 “Moab has been at rest from youth, like wine left on its dregs,not poured from one jar to another— she has not gone into exile.So she tastes as she did, and her aroma is unchanged.12 But days are coming,” declares the Lord,“when I will send men who pour from pitchers, and they will pour her out;they will empty her pitchers and smash her jars.13 Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh, as Israel was ashamed when they trusted in Bethel.14 “How can you say, ‘We are warriors, men valiant in battle'?15 Moab will be destroyed and her towns invaded; her finest young men will go down in the slaughter,” declares the King, whose name is the Lord Almighty.16 “The fall of Moab is at hand; her calamity will come quickly.17 Mourn for her, all who live around her, all who know her fame;say, ‘How broken is the mighty scepter, how broken the glorious staff!'18 “Come down from your glory and sit on the parched ground, you inhabitants of Daughter Dibon,for the one who destroys Moab will come up against you and ruin your fortified cities.19 Stand by the road and watch, you who live in Aroer.Ask the man fleeing and the woman escaping, ask them, ‘What has happened?'20 Moab is disgraced, for she is shattered. Wail and cry out!Announce by the Arnon that Moab is destroyed.21 Judgment has come to the plateau— to Holon, Jahzah and Mephaath,22 to Dibon, Nebo and Beth Diblathaim,23 to Kiriathaim, Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,24 to Kerioth and Bozrah— to all the towns of Moab, far and near.25 Moab's horn[g] is cut off; her arm is broken,”declares the Lord.26 “Make her drunk, for she has defied the Lord.Let Moab wallow in her vomit; let her be an object of ridicule.27 Was not Israel the object of your ridicule? Was she caught among thieves,that you shake your head in scorn whenever you speak of her?28 Abandon your towns and dwell among the rocks, you who live in Moab.Be like a dove that makes its nest at the mouth of a cave.29 “We have heard of Moab's pride— how great is her arrogance!—of her insolence, her pride, her conceit and the haughtiness of her heart.30 I know her insolence but it is futile,”declares the Lord, “and her boasts accomplish nothing.31 Therefore I wail over Moab, for all Moab I cry out, I moan for the people of Kir Hareseth.32 I weep for you, as Jazer weeps, you vines of Sibmah.Your branches spread as far as the sea[h]; they reached as far as[i] Jazer.The destroyer has fallen on your ripened fruit and grapes.33 Joy and gladness are gone from the orchards and fields of Moab.I have stopped the flow of wine from the presses; no one treads them with shouts of joy.Although there are shouts, they are not shouts of joy.34 “The sound of their cry rises from Heshbon to Elealeh and Jahaz,from Zoar as far as Horonaim and Eglath Shelishiyah, for even the waters of Nimrim are dried up.35 In Moab I will put an end to those who make offerings on the high places and burn incense to their gods,”declares the Lord.36 “So my heart laments for Moab like the music of a pipe; it laments like a pipe for the people of Kir Hareseth. The wealth they acquired is gone.37 Every head is shaved and every beard cut off;every hand is slashed and every waist is covered with sackcloth.38 On all the roofs in Moab and in the public squaresthere is nothing but mourning, for I have broken Moab like a jar that no one wants,”declares the Lord.39 “How shattered she is! How they wail! How Moab turns her back in shame!Moab has become an object of ridicule, an object of horror to all those around her.”40 This is what the Lord says:“Look! An eagle is swooping down, spreading its wings over Moab.41 Kerioth[j] will be captured and the strongholds taken.In that day the hearts of Moab's warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor.42 Moab will be destroyed as a nation because she defied the Lord.43 Terror and pit and snare await you, you people of Moab,”declares the Lord.44 “Whoever flees from the terror will fall into a pit,whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare;for I will bring on Moab the year of her punishment,”declares the Lord.45 “In the shadow of Heshbon the fugitives stand helpless,for a fire has gone out from Heshbon, a blaze from the midst of Sihon;it burns the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of the noisy boasters.46 Woe to you, Moab! The people of Chemosh are destroyed;your sons are taken into exile and your daughters into captivity.47 “Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in days to come,”declares the Lord.Here ends the judgment on Moab.Footnotes[a] Jeremiah 48:1 Or captured; / Misgab[b] Jeremiah 48:2 The Hebrew for Heshbon sounds like the Hebrew for plot.[c] Jeremiah 48:2 The name of the Moabite town Madmen sounds like the Hebrew for be silenced.[d] Jeremiah 48:4 Hebrew; Septuagint / proclaim it to Zoar[e] Jeremiah 48:6 Or like Aroer[f] Jeremiah 48:9 Or Give wings to Moab, / for she will fly away[g] Jeremiah 48:25 Horn here symbolizes strength.[h] Jeremiah 48:32 Probably the Dead Sea[i] Jeremiah 48:32 Two Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts as far as the Sea of[j] Jeremiah 48:41 Or The cities
Jeremiah 46 NIVA Message About Egypt1 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations:2 Concerning Egypt:This is the message against the army of Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt, which was defeated at Carchemish on the Euphrates River by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:3 “Prepare your shields, both large and small, and march out for battle!4 Harness the horses, mount the steeds!Take your positions with helmets on!Polish your spears, put on your armor!5 What do I see? They are terrified,they are retreating, their warriors are defeated.They flee in haste without looking back, and there is terror on every side,”declares the Lord.6 “The swift cannot flee nor the strong escape.In the north by the River Euphrates they stumble and fall.7 “Who is this that rises like the Nile, like rivers of surging waters?8 Egypt rises like the Nile, like rivers of surging waters.She says, ‘I will rise and cover the earth; I will destroy cities and their people.'9 Charge, you horses! Drive furiously, you charioteers!March on, you warriors—men of Cush[a] and Put who carry shields, men of Lydia who draw the bow.10 But that day belongs to the Lord, the Lord Almighty— a day of vengeance, for vengeance on his foes.The sword will devour till it is satisfied, till it has quenched its thirst with blood.For the Lord, the Lord Almighty, will offer sacrifice in the land of the north by the River Euphrates.11 “Go up to Gilead and get balm, Virgin Daughter Egypt.But you try many medicines in vain; there is no healing for you.12 The nations will hear of your shame; your cries will fill the earth.One warrior will stumble over another; both will fall down together.”13 This is the message the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to attack Egypt:14 “Announce this in Egypt, and proclaim it in Migdol; proclaim it also in Memphis and Tahpanhes:‘Take your positions and get ready, for the sword devours those around you.'15 Why will your warriors be laid low? They cannot stand, for the Lord will push them down.16 They will stumble repeatedly; they will fall over each other.They will say, ‘Get up, let us go back to our own people and our native lands, away from the sword of the oppressor.'17 There they will exclaim, ‘Pharaoh king of Egypt is only a loud noise; he has missed his opportunity.'18 “As surely as I live,” declares the King, whose name is the Lord Almighty,“one will come who is like Tabor among the mountains, like Carmel by the sea.19 Pack your belongings for exile, you who live in Egypt,for Memphis will be laid waste and lie in ruins without inhabitant.20 “Egypt is a beautiful heifer, but a gadfly is coming against her from the north.21 The mercenaries in her ranks are like fattened calves.They too will turn and flee together, they will not stand their ground,for the day of disaster is coming upon them, the time for them to be punished.22 Egypt will hiss like a fleeing serpent as the enemy advances in force;they will come against her with axes, like men who cut down trees.23 They will chop down her forest,”declares the Lord, “dense though it be.They are more numerous than locusts, they cannot be counted.24 Daughter Egypt will be put to shame, given into the hands of the people of the north.”25 The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “I am about to bring punishment on Amon god of Thebes, on Pharaoh, on Egypt and her gods and her kings, and on those who rely on Pharaoh. 26 I will give them into the hands of those who want to kill them—Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his officers. Later, however, Egypt will be inhabited as in times past,” declares the Lord.27 “Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant; do not be dismayed, Israel.I will surely save you out of a distant place, your descendants from the land of their exile.Jacob will again have peace and security, and no one will make him afraid.28 Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant, for I am with you,” declares the Lord.“Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you.I will discipline you but only in due measure; I will not let you go entirely unpunished.”Footnotes[a] Jeremiah 46:9 That is, the upper Nile regionJeremiah 47 NIVA Message About the Philistines1 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines before Pharaoh attacked Gaza:2 This is what the Lord says:“See how the waters are rising in the north; they will become an overflowing torrent.They will overflow the land and everything in it, the towns and those who live in them.The people will cry out; all who dwell in the land will wail3 at the sound of the hooves of galloping steeds, at the noise of enemy chariots and the rumble of their wheels.Parents will not turn to help their children; their hands will hang limp.4 For the day has come to destroy all the Philistinesand to remove all survivors who could help Tyre and Sidon.The Lord is about to destroy the Philistines, the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.[a]5 Gaza will shave her head in mourning; Ashkelon will be silenced.You remnant on the plain, how long will you cut yourselves?6 “‘Alas, sword of the Lord, how long till you rest?Return to your sheath; cease and be still.'7 But how can it rest when the Lord has commanded it,when he has ordered it to attack Ashkelon and the coast?”Footnotes[a] Jeremiah 47:4 That is, CreteJeremiah 48 NIVA Message About Moab1 Concerning Moab:This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:“Woe to Nebo, for it will be ruined. Kiriathaim will be disgraced and captured; the stronghold[a] will be disgraced and shattered.2 Moab will be praised no more; in Heshbon[b] people will plot her downfall: ‘Come, let us put an end to that nation.'You, the people of Madmen,[c] will also be silenced; the sword will pursue you.3 Cries of anguish arise from Horonaim, cries of great havoc and destruction.4 Moab will be broken; her little ones will cry out.[d]5 They go up the hill to Luhith, weeping bitterly as they go;on the road down to Horonaim anguished cries over the destruction are heard.6 Flee! Run for your lives; become like a bush[e] in the desert.7 Since you trust in your deeds and riches, you too will be taken captive,and Chemosh will go into exile, together with his priests and officials.8 The destroyer will come against every town, and not a town will escape.The valley will be ruined and the plateau destroyed, because the Lord has spoken.9 Put salt on Moab, for she will be laid waste[f];her towns will become desolate, with no one to live in them.10 “A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the Lord's work! A curse on anyone who keeps their sword from bloodshed!11 “Moab has been at rest from youth, like wine left on its dregs,not poured from one jar to another— she has not gone into exile.So she tastes as she did, and her aroma is unchanged.12 But days are coming,” declares the Lord,“when I will send men who pour from pitchers, and they will pour her out;they will empty her pitchers and smash her jars.13 Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh, as Israel was ashamed when they trusted in Bethel.14 “How can you say, ‘We are warriors, men valiant in battle'?15 Moab will be destroyed and her towns invaded; her finest young men will go down in the slaughter,” declares the King, whose name is the Lord Almighty.16 “The fall of Moab is at hand; her calamity will come quickly.17 Mourn for her, all who live around her, all who know her fame;say, ‘How broken is the mighty scepter, how broken the glorious staff!'18 “Come down from your glory and sit on the parched ground, you inhabitants of Daughter Dibon,for the one who destroys Moab will come up against you and ruin your fortified cities.19 Stand by the road and watch, you who live in Aroer.Ask the man fleeing and the woman escaping, ask them, ‘What has happened?'20 Moab is disgraced, for she is shattered. Wail and cry out!Announce by the Arnon that Moab is destroyed.21 Judgment has come to the plateau— to Holon, Jahzah and Mephaath,22 to Dibon, Nebo and Beth Diblathaim,23 to Kiriathaim, Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,24 to Kerioth and Bozrah— to all the towns of Moab, far and near.25 Moab's horn[g] is cut off; her arm is broken,”declares the Lord.26 “Make her drunk, for she has defied the Lord.Let Moab wallow in her vomit; let her be an object of ridicule.27 Was not Israel the object of your ridicule? Was she caught among thieves,that you shake your head in scorn whenever you speak of her?28 Abandon your towns and dwell among the rocks, you who live in Moab.Be like a dove that makes its nest at the mouth of a cave.29 “We have heard of Moab's pride— how great is her arrogance!—of her insolence, her pride, her conceit and the haughtiness of her heart.30 I know her insolence but it is futile,”declares the Lord, “and her boasts accomplish nothing.31 Therefore I wail over Moab, for all Moab I cry out, I moan for the people of Kir Hareseth.32 I weep for you, as Jazer weeps, you vines of Sibmah.Your branches spread as far as the sea[h]; they reached as far as[i] Jazer.The destroyer has fallen on your ripened fruit and grapes.33 Joy and gladness are gone from the orchards and fields of Moab.I have stopped the flow of wine from the presses; no one treads them with shouts of joy.Although there are shouts, they are not shouts of joy.34 “The sound of their cry rises from Heshbon to Elealeh and Jahaz,from Zoar as far as Horonaim and Eglath Shelishiyah, for even the waters of Nimrim are dried up.35 In Moab I will put an end to those who make offerings on the high places and burn incense to their gods,”declares the Lord.36 “So my heart laments for Moab like the music of a pipe; it laments like a pipe for the people of Kir Hareseth. The wealth they acquired is gone.37 Every head is shaved and every beard cut off;every hand is slashed and every waist is covered with sackcloth.38 On all the roofs in Moab and in the public squaresthere is nothing but mourning, for I have broken Moab like a jar that no one wants,”declares the Lord.39 “How shattered she is! How they wail! How Moab turns her back in shame!Moab has become an object of ridicule, an object of horror to all those around her.”40 This is what the Lord says:“Look! An eagle is swooping down, spreading its wings over Moab.41 Kerioth[j] will be captured and the strongholds taken.In that day the hearts of Moab's warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor.42 Moab will be destroyed as a nation because she defied the Lord.43 Terror and pit and snare await you, you people of Moab,”declares the Lord.44 “Whoever flees from the terror will fall into a pit,whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare;for I will bring on Moab the year of her punishment,”declares the Lord.45 “In the shadow of Heshbon the fugitives stand helpless,for a fire has gone out from Heshbon, a blaze from the midst of Sihon;it burns the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of the noisy boasters.46 Woe to you, Moab! The people of Chemosh are destroyed;your sons are taken into exile and your daughters into captivity.47 “Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in days to come,”declares the Lord.Here ends the judgment on Moab.Footnotes[a] Jeremiah 48:1 Or captured; / Misgab[b] Jeremiah 48:2 The Hebrew for Heshbon sounds like the Hebrew for plot.[c] Jeremiah 48:2 The name of the Moabite town Madmen sounds like the Hebrew for be silenced.[d] Jeremiah 48:4 Hebrew; Septuagint / proclaim it to Zoar[e] Jeremiah 48:6 Or like Aroer[f] Jeremiah 48:9 Or Give wings to Moab, / for she will fly away[g] Jeremiah 48:25 Horn here symbolizes strength.[h] Jeremiah 48:32 Probably the Dead Sea[i] Jeremiah 48:32 Two Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts as far as the Sea of[j] Jeremiah 48:41 Or The cities
Jeremiah 46 NIVA Message About Egypt1 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations:2 Concerning Egypt:This is the message against the army of Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt, which was defeated at Carchemish on the Euphrates River by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:3 “Prepare your shields, both large and small, and march out for battle!4 Harness the horses, mount the steeds!Take your positions with helmets on!Polish your spears, put on your armor!5 What do I see? They are terrified,they are retreating, their warriors are defeated.They flee in haste without looking back, and there is terror on every side,”declares the Lord.6 “The swift cannot flee nor the strong escape.In the north by the River Euphrates they stumble and fall.7 “Who is this that rises like the Nile, like rivers of surging waters?8 Egypt rises like the Nile, like rivers of surging waters.She says, ‘I will rise and cover the earth; I will destroy cities and their people.'9 Charge, you horses! Drive furiously, you charioteers!March on, you warriors—men of Cush[a] and Put who carry shields, men of Lydia who draw the bow.10 But that day belongs to the Lord, the Lord Almighty— a day of vengeance, for vengeance on his foes.The sword will devour till it is satisfied, till it has quenched its thirst with blood.For the Lord, the Lord Almighty, will offer sacrifice in the land of the north by the River Euphrates.11 “Go up to Gilead and get balm, Virgin Daughter Egypt.But you try many medicines in vain; there is no healing for you.12 The nations will hear of your shame; your cries will fill the earth.One warrior will stumble over another; both will fall down together.”13 This is the message the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to attack Egypt:14 “Announce this in Egypt, and proclaim it in Migdol; proclaim it also in Memphis and Tahpanhes:‘Take your positions and get ready, for the sword devours those around you.'15 Why will your warriors be laid low? They cannot stand, for the Lord will push them down.16 They will stumble repeatedly; they will fall over each other.They will say, ‘Get up, let us go back to our own people and our native lands, away from the sword of the oppressor.'17 There they will exclaim, ‘Pharaoh king of Egypt is only a loud noise; he has missed his opportunity.'18 “As surely as I live,” declares the King, whose name is the Lord Almighty,“one will come who is like Tabor among the mountains, like Carmel by the sea.19 Pack your belongings for exile, you who live in Egypt,for Memphis will be laid waste and lie in ruins without inhabitant.20 “Egypt is a beautiful heifer, but a gadfly is coming against her from the north.21 The mercenaries in her ranks are like fattened calves.They too will turn and flee together, they will not stand their ground,for the day of disaster is coming upon them, the time for them to be punished.22 Egypt will hiss like a fleeing serpent as the enemy advances in force;they will come against her with axes, like men who cut down trees.23 They will chop down her forest,”declares the Lord, “dense though it be.They are more numerous than locusts, they cannot be counted.24 Daughter Egypt will be put to shame, given into the hands of the people of the north.”25 The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “I am about to bring punishment on Amon god of Thebes, on Pharaoh, on Egypt and her gods and her kings, and on those who rely on Pharaoh. 26 I will give them into the hands of those who want to kill them—Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his officers. Later, however, Egypt will be inhabited as in times past,” declares the Lord.27 “Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant; do not be dismayed, Israel.I will surely save you out of a distant place, your descendants from the land of their exile.Jacob will again have peace and security, and no one will make him afraid.28 Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant, for I am with you,” declares the Lord.“Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you.I will discipline you but only in due measure; I will not let you go entirely unpunished.”Footnotes[a] Jeremiah 46:9 That is, the upper Nile regionJeremiah 47 NIVA Message About the Philistines1 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines before Pharaoh attacked Gaza:2 This is what the Lord says:“See how the waters are rising in the north; they will become an overflowing torrent.They will overflow the land and everything in it, the towns and those who live in them.The people will cry out; all who dwell in the land will wail3 at the sound of the hooves of galloping steeds, at the noise of enemy chariots and the rumble of their wheels.Parents will not turn to help their children; their hands will hang limp.4 For the day has come to destroy all the Philistinesand to remove all survivors who could help Tyre and Sidon.The Lord is about to destroy the Philistines, the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.[a]5 Gaza will shave her head in mourning; Ashkelon will be silenced.You remnant on the plain, how long will you cut yourselves?6 “‘Alas, sword of the Lord, how long till you rest?Return to your sheath; cease and be still.'7 But how can it rest when the Lord has commanded it,when he has ordered it to attack Ashkelon and the coast?”Footnotes[a] Jeremiah 47:4 That is, CreteJeremiah 48 NIVA Message About Moab1 Concerning Moab:This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:“Woe to Nebo, for it will be ruined. Kiriathaim will be disgraced and captured; the stronghold[a] will be disgraced and shattered.2 Moab will be praised no more; in Heshbon[b] people will plot her downfall: ‘Come, let us put an end to that nation.'You, the people of Madmen,[c] will also be silenced; the sword will pursue you.3 Cries of anguish arise from Horonaim, cries of great havoc and destruction.4 Moab will be broken; her little ones will cry out.[d]5 They go up the hill to Luhith, weeping bitterly as they go;on the road down to Horonaim anguished cries over the destruction are heard.6 Flee! Run for your lives; become like a bush[e] in the desert.7 Since you trust in your deeds and riches, you too will be taken captive,and Chemosh will go into exile, together with his priests and officials.8 The destroyer will come against every town, and not a town will escape.The valley will be ruined and the plateau destroyed, because the Lord has spoken.9 Put salt on Moab, for she will be laid waste[f];her towns will become desolate, with no one to live in them.10 “A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the Lord's work! A curse on anyone who keeps their sword from bloodshed!11 “Moab has been at rest from youth, like wine left on its dregs,not poured from one jar to another— she has not gone into exile.So she tastes as she did, and her aroma is unchanged.12 But days are coming,” declares the Lord,“when I will send men who pour from pitchers, and they will pour her out;they will empty her pitchers and smash her jars.13 Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh, as Israel was ashamed when they trusted in Bethel.14 “How can you say, ‘We are warriors, men valiant in battle'?15 Moab will be destroyed and her towns invaded; her finest young men will go down in the slaughter,” declares the King, whose name is the Lord Almighty.16 “The fall of Moab is at hand; her calamity will come quickly.17 Mourn for her, all who live around her, all who know her fame;say, ‘How broken is the mighty scepter, how broken the glorious staff!'18 “Come down from your glory and sit on the parched ground, you inhabitants of Daughter Dibon,for the one who destroys Moab will come up against you and ruin your fortified cities.19 Stand by the road and watch, you who live in Aroer.Ask the man fleeing and the woman escaping, ask them, ‘What has happened?'20 Moab is disgraced, for she is shattered. Wail and cry out!Announce by the Arnon that Moab is destroyed.21 Judgment has come to the plateau— to Holon, Jahzah and Mephaath,22 to Dibon, Nebo and Beth Diblathaim,23 to Kiriathaim, Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,24 to Kerioth and Bozrah— to all the towns of Moab, far and near.25 Moab's horn[g] is cut off; her arm is broken,”declares the Lord.26 “Make her drunk, for she has defied the Lord.Let Moab wallow in her vomit; let her be an object of ridicule.27 Was not Israel the object of your ridicule? Was she caught among thieves,that you shake your head in scorn whenever you speak of her?28 Abandon your towns and dwell among the rocks, you who live in Moab.Be like a dove that makes its nest at the mouth of a cave.29 “We have heard of Moab's pride— how great is her arrogance!—of her insolence, her pride, her conceit and the haughtiness of her heart.30 I know her insolence but it is futile,”declares the Lord, “and her boasts accomplish nothing.31 Therefore I wail over Moab, for all Moab I cry out, I moan for the people of Kir Hareseth.32 I weep for you, as Jazer weeps, you vines of Sibmah.Your branches spread as far as the sea[h]; they reached as far as[i] Jazer.The destroyer has fallen on your ripened fruit and grapes.33 Joy and gladness are gone from the orchards and fields of Moab.I have stopped the flow of wine from the presses; no one treads them with shouts of joy.Although there are shouts, they are not shouts of joy.34 “The sound of their cry rises from Heshbon to Elealeh and Jahaz,from Zoar as far as Horonaim and Eglath Shelishiyah, for even the waters of Nimrim are dried up.35 In Moab I will put an end to those who make offerings on the high places and burn incense to their gods,”declares the Lord.36 “So my heart laments for Moab like the music of a pipe; it laments like a pipe for the people of Kir Hareseth. The wealth they acquired is gone.37 Every head is shaved and every beard cut off;every hand is slashed and every waist is covered with sackcloth.38 On all the roofs in Moab and in the public squaresthere is nothing but mourning, for I have broken Moab like a jar that no one wants,”declares the Lord.39 “How shattered she is! How they wail! How Moab turns her back in shame!Moab has become an object of ridicule, an object of horror to all those around her.”40 This is what the Lord says:“Look! An eagle is swooping down, spreading its wings over Moab.41 Kerioth[j] will be captured and the strongholds taken.In that day the hearts of Moab's warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor.42 Moab will be destroyed as a nation because she defied the Lord.43 Terror and pit and snare await you, you people of Moab,”declares the Lord.44 “Whoever flees from the terror will fall into a pit,whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare;for I will bring on Moab the year of her punishment,”declares the Lord.45 “In the shadow of Heshbon the fugitives stand helpless,for a fire has gone out from Heshbon, a blaze from the midst of Sihon;it burns the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of the noisy boasters.46 Woe to you, Moab! The people of Chemosh are destroyed;your sons are taken into exile and your daughters into captivity.47 “Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in days to come,”declares the Lord.Here ends the judgment on Moab.Footnotes[a] Jeremiah 48:1 Or captured; / Misgab[b] Jeremiah 48:2 The Hebrew for Heshbon sounds like the Hebrew for plot.[c] Jeremiah 48:2 The name of the Moabite town Madmen sounds like the Hebrew for be silenced.[d] Jeremiah 48:4 Hebrew; Septuagint / proclaim it to Zoar[e] Jeremiah 48:6 Or like Aroer[f] Jeremiah 48:9 Or Give wings to Moab, / for she will fly away[g] Jeremiah 48:25 Horn here symbolizes strength.[h] Jeremiah 48:32 Probably the Dead Sea[i] Jeremiah 48:32 Two Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts as far as the Sea of[j] Jeremiah 48:41 Or The cities
Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 115 Psalm 115 (Listen) To Your Name Give Glory 115 Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! 2 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”3 Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. 4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.5 They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see.6 They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell.7 They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat.8 Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them. 9 O Israel,1 trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield.10 O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield.11 You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield. 12 The LORD has remembered us; he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron;13 he will bless those who fear the LORD, both the small and the great. 14 May the LORD give you increase, you and your children!15 May you be blessed by the LORD, who made heaven and earth! 16 The heavens are the LORD's heavens, but the earth he has given to the children of man.17 The dead do not praise the LORD, nor do any who go down into silence.18 But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and forevermore. Praise the LORD! Footnotes [1] 115:9 Masoretic Text; many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac O house of Israel (ESV) Pentateuch and History: 2 Kings 23:1–30 2 Kings 23:1–30 (Listen) Josiah's Reforms 23 Then the king sent, and all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem were gathered to him. 2 And the king went up to the house of the LORD, and with him all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priests and the prophets, all the people, both small and great. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the LORD. 3 And the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people joined in the covenant. 4 And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the priests of the second order and the keepers of the threshold to bring out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron and carried their ashes to Bethel. 5 And he deposed the priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to make offerings in the high places at the cities of Judah and around Jerusalem; those also who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and the moon and the constellations and all the host of the heavens. 6 And he brought out the Asherah from the house of the LORD, outside Jerusalem, to the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron and beat it to dust and cast the dust of it upon the graves of the common people. 7 And he broke down the houses of the male cult prostitutes who were in the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the Asherah. 8 And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had made offerings, from Geba to Beersheba. And he broke down the high places of the gates that were at the entrance of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on one's left at the gate of the city. 9 However, the priests of the high places did not come up to the altar of the LORD in Jerusalem, but they ate unleavened bread among their brothers. 10 And he defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, that no one might burn his son or his daughter as an offering to Molech.1 11 And he removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun, at the entrance to the house of the LORD, by the chamber of Nathan-melech the chamberlain, which was in the precincts.2 And he burned the chariots of the sun with fire. 12 And the altars on the roof of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars that Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the LORD, he pulled down and broke in pieces3 and cast the dust of them into the brook Kidron. 13 And the king defiled the high places that were east of Jerusalem, to the south of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 14 And he broke in pieces the pillars and cut down the Asherim and filled their places with the bones of men. 15 Moreover, the altar at Bethel, the high place erected by Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, that altar with the high place he pulled down and burned,4 reducing it to dust. He also burned the Asherah. 16 And as Josiah turned, he saw the tombs there on the mount. And he sent and took the bones out of the tombs and burned them on the altar and defiled it, according to the word of the LORD that the man of God proclaimed, who had predicted these things. 17 Then he said, “What is that monument that I see?” And the men of the city told him, “It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and predicted5 these things that you have done against the altar at Bethel.” 18 And he said, “Let him be; let no man move his bones.” So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet who came out of Samaria. 19 And Josiah removed all the shrines also of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which kings of Israel had made, provoking the LORD to anger. He did to them according to all that he had done at Bethel. 20 And he sacrificed all the priests of the high places who were there, on the altars, and burned human bones on them. Then he returned to Jerusalem. Josiah Restores the Passover 21 And the king commanded all the people, “Keep the Passover to the LORD your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.” 22 For no such Passover had been kept since the days of the judges who judged Israel, or during all the days of the kings of Israel or of the kings of Judah. 23 But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this Passover was kept to the LORD in Jerusalem. 24 Moreover, Josiah put away the mediums and the necromancers and the household gods and the idols and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might establish the words of the law that were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the LORD. 25 Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him. 26 Still the LORD did not turn from the burning of his great wrath, by which his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked him. 27 And the LORD said, “I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and I will cast off this city that I have chosen, Jerusalem, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.” Josiah's Death in Battle 28 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 29 In his days Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt went up to the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates. King Josiah went to meet him, and Pharaoh Neco killed him at Megiddo, as soon as he saw him. 30 And his servants carried him dead in a chariot from Megiddo and brought him to Jerusalem and buried him in his own tomb. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king in his father's place. Footnotes [1] 23:10 Hebrew might cause his son or daughter to pass through the fire for Molech [2] 23:11 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain [3] 23:12 Hebrew pieces from there [4] 23:15 Septuagint broke in pieces its stones [5] 23:17 Hebrew called (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Isaiah 15–16 Isaiah 15–16 (Listen) An Oracle Concerning Moab 15 An oracle concerning Moab. Because Ar of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone; because Kir of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone.2 He has gone up to the temple,1 and to Dibon, to the high places2 to weep; over Nebo and over Medeba Moab wails. On every head is baldness; every beard is shorn;3 in the streets they wear sackcloth; on the housetops and in the squares everyone wails and melts in tears.4 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out; their voice is heard as far as Jahaz; therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud; his soul trembles.5 My heart cries out for Moab; her fugitives flee to Zoar, to Eglath-shelishiyah. For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping; on the road to Horonaim they raise a cry of destruction;6 the waters of Nimrim are a desolation; the grass is withered, the vegetation fails, the greenery is no more.7 Therefore the abundance they have gained and what they have laid up they carry away over the Brook of the Willows.8 For a cry has gone around the land of Moab; her wailing reaches to Eglaim; her wailing reaches to Beer-elim.9 For the waters of Dibon3 are full of blood; for I will bring upon Dibon even more, a lion for those of Moab who escape, for the remnant of the land.16 Send the lamb to the ruler of the land, from Sela, by way of the desert, to the mount of the daughter of Zion.2 Like fleeing birds, like a scattered nest, so are the daughters of Moab at the fords of the Arnon. 3 “Give counsel; grant justice; make your shade like night at the height of noon; shelter the outcasts; do not reveal the fugitive;4 let the outcasts of Moab sojourn among you; be a shelter to them4 from the destroyer. When the oppressor is no more, and destruction has ceased, and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land,5 then a throne will be established in steadfast love, and on it will sit in faithfulness in the tent of David one who judges and seeks justice and is swift to do righteousness.” 6 We have heard of the pride of Moab— how proud he is!— of his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence; in his idle boasting he is not right.7 Therefore let Moab wail for Moab, let everyone wail. Mourn, utterly stricken, for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth. 8 For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah; the lords of the nations have struck down its branches, which reached to Jazer and strayed to the desert; its shoots spread abroad and passed over the sea.9 Therefore I weep with the weeping of Jazer for the vine of Sibmah; I drench you with my tears, O Heshbon and Elealeh; for over your summer fruit and your harvest the shout has ceased.10 And joy and gladness are taken away from the fruitful field, and in the vineyards no songs are sung, no cheers are raised; no treader treads out wine in the presses; I have put an end to the shouting.11 Therefore my inner parts moan like a lyre for Moab, and my inmost self for Kir-hareseth. 12 And when Moab presents himself, when he wearies himself on the high place, when he comes to his sanctuary to pray, he will not prevail. 13 This is the word that the LORD spoke concerning Moab in the past. 14 But now the LORD has spoken, saying, “In three years, like the years of a hired worker, the glory of Moab will be brought into contempt, in spite of all his great multitude, and those who remain will be very few and feeble.” Footnotes [1] 15:2 Hebrew the house [2] 15:2 Or temple, even Dibon to the high places [3] 15:9 Dead Sea Scroll, Vulgate (compare Syriac); Masoretic Text Dimon; twice in this verse [4] 16:4 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac; Masoretic Text let my outcasts sojourn among you; as for Moab, be a shelter to them (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: John 15:18–16:15 John 15:18–16:15 (Listen) The Hatred of the World 18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin,1 but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.' 26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning. 16 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. 3 And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. 4 But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. The Work of the Holy Spirit “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?' 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. Footnotes [1] 15:22 Greek they would not have sin; also verse 24 (ESV)
Old Testament: Jeremiah 48 Jeremiah 48 (Listen) Judgment on Moab 48 Concerning Moab. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Woe to Nebo, for it is laid waste! Kiriathaim is put to shame, it is taken; the fortress is put to shame and broken down;2 the renown of Moab is no more. In Heshbon they planned disaster against her: ‘Come, let us cut her off from being a nation!' You also, O Madmen, shall be brought to silence; the sword shall pursue you. 3 “A voice! A cry from Horonaim, ‘Desolation and great destruction!'4 Moab is destroyed; her little ones have made a cry.5 For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping;1 for at the descent of Horonaim they have heard the distressed cry2 of destruction.6 Flee! Save yourselves! You will be like a juniper in the desert!7 For, because you trusted in your works and your treasures, you also shall be taken; and Chemosh shall go into exile with his priests and his officials.8 The destroyer shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape; the valley shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the LORD has spoken. 9 “Give wings to Moab, for she would fly away; her cities shall become a desolation, with no inhabitant in them. 10 “Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed. 11 “Moab has been at ease from his youth and has settled on his dregs; he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile; so his taste remains in him, and his scent is not changed. 12 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I shall send to him pourers who will pour him, and empty his vessels and break his3 jars in pieces. 13 Then Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence. 14 “How do you say, ‘We are heroes and mighty men of war'?15 The destroyer of Moab and his cities has come up, and the choicest of his young men have gone down to slaughter, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.16 The calamity of Moab is near at hand, and his affliction hastens swiftly.17 Grieve for him, all you who are around him, and all who know his name; say, ‘How the mighty scepter is broken, the glorious staff.' 18 “Come down from your glory, and sit on the parched ground, O inhabitant of Dibon! For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you; he has destroyed your strongholds.19 Stand by the way and watch, O inhabitant of Aroer! Ask him who flees and her who escapes; say, ‘What has happened?'20 Moab is put to shame, for it is broken; wail and cry! Tell it beside the Arnon, that Moab is laid waste. 21 “Judgment has come upon the tableland, upon Holon, and Jahzah, and Mephaath, 22 and Dibon, and Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim, 23 and Kiriathaim, and Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon, 24 and Kerioth, and Bozrah, and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near. 25 The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, declares the LORD. 26 “Make him drunk, because he magnified himself against the LORD, so that Moab shall wallow in his vomit, and he too shall be held in derision. 27 Was not Israel a derision to you? Was he found among thieves, that whenever you spoke of him you wagged your head? 28 “Leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, O inhabitants of Moab! Be like the dove that nests in the sides of the mouth of a gorge.29 We have heard of the pride of Moab— he is very proud— of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance, and the haughtiness of his heart.30 I know his insolence, declares the LORD; his boasts are false, his deeds are false.31 Therefore I wail for Moab; I cry out for all Moab; for the men of Kir-hareseth I mourn.32 More than for Jazer I weep for you, O vine of Sibmah! Your branches passed over the sea, reached to the Sea of Jazer; on your summer fruits and your grapes the destroyer has fallen.33 Gladness and joy have been taken away from the fruitful land of Moab; I have made the wine cease from the winepresses; no one treads them with shouts of joy; the shouting is not the shout of joy. 34 “From the outcry at Heshbon even to Elealeh, as far as Jahaz they utter their voice, from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. For the waters of Nimrim also have become desolate. 35 And I will bring to an end in Moab, declares the LORD, him who offers sacrifice in the high place and makes offerings to his god. 36 Therefore my heart moans for Moab like a flute, and my heart moans like a flute for the men of Kir-hareseth. Therefore the riches they gained have perished. 37 “For every head is shaved and every beard cut off. On all the hands are gashes, and around the waist is sackcloth. 38 On all the housetops of Moab and in the squares there is nothing but lamentation, for I have broken Moab like a vessel for which no one cares, declares the LORD. 39 How it is broken! How they wail! How Moab has turned his back in shame! So Moab has become a derision and a horror to all that are around him.” 40 For thus says the LORD: “Behold, one shall fly swiftly like an eagle and spread his wings against Moab;41 the cities shall be taken and the strongholds seized. The heart of the warriors of Moab shall be in that day like the heart of a woman in her birth pains;42 Moab shall be destroyed and be no longer a people, because he magnified himself against the LORD.43 Terror, pit, and snare are before you, O inhabitant of Moab! declares the LORD.44 He who flees from the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For I will bring these things upon Moab, the year of their punishment, declares the LORD. 45 “In the shadow of Heshbon fugitives stop without strength, for fire came out from Heshbon, flame from the house of Sihon; it has destroyed the forehead of Moab, the crown of the sons of tumult.46 Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh are undone, for your sons have been taken captive, and your daughters into captivity.47 Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days, declares the LORD.” Thus far is the judgment on Moab. Footnotes [1] 48:5 Hebrew weeping goes up with weeping [2] 48:5 Septuagint (compare Isaiah 15:5) heard the cry [3] 48:12 Septuagint, Aquila; Hebrew their (ESV) New Testament: Revelation 3:1–13 Revelation 3:1–13 (Listen) To the Church in Sardis 3 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. 4 Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.' To the Church in Philadelphia 7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens. 8 “‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. 11 I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. 12 The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. 13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.' (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 119:17–24 Psalm 119:17–24 (Listen) Gimel 17 Deal bountifully with your servant, that I may live and keep your word.18 Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.19 I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not your commandments from me!20 My soul is consumed with longing for your rules1 at all times.21 You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones, who wander from your commandments.22 Take away from me scorn and contempt, for I have kept your testimonies.23 Even though princes sit plotting against me, your servant will meditate on your statutes.24 Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors. Footnotes [1] 119:20 Or your just decrees; also verses 30, 39, 43, 52, 75, 102, 108, 137, 156, 175 (ESV) Proverb: Proverbs 27:14 Proverbs 27:14 (Listen) 14 Whoever blesses his neighbor with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, will be counted as cursing. (ESV)
Old Testament: Jeremiah 48 Jeremiah 48 (Listen) Judgment on Moab 48 Concerning Moab. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Woe to Nebo, for it is laid waste! Kiriathaim is put to shame, it is taken; the fortress is put to shame and broken down;2 the renown of Moab is no more. In Heshbon they planned disaster against her: ‘Come, let us cut her off from being a nation!' You also, O Madmen, shall be brought to silence; the sword shall pursue you. 3 “A voice! A cry from Horonaim, ‘Desolation and great destruction!'4 Moab is destroyed; her little ones have made a cry.5 For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping;1 for at the descent of Horonaim they have heard the distressed cry2 of destruction.6 Flee! Save yourselves! You will be like a juniper in the desert!7 For, because you trusted in your works and your treasures, you also shall be taken; and Chemosh shall go into exile with his priests and his officials.8 The destroyer shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape; the valley shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the LORD has spoken. 9 “Give wings to Moab, for she would fly away; her cities shall become a desolation, with no inhabitant in them. 10 “Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed. 11 “Moab has been at ease from his youth and has settled on his dregs; he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile; so his taste remains in him, and his scent is not changed. 12 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I shall send to him pourers who will pour him, and empty his vessels and break his3 jars in pieces. 13 Then Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence. 14 “How do you say, ‘We are heroes and mighty men of war'?15 The destroyer of Moab and his cities has come up, and the choicest of his young men have gone down to slaughter, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.16 The calamity of Moab is near at hand, and his affliction hastens swiftly.17 Grieve for him, all you who are around him, and all who know his name; say, ‘How the mighty scepter is broken, the glorious staff.' 18 “Come down from your glory, and sit on the parched ground, O inhabitant of Dibon! For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you; he has destroyed your strongholds.19 Stand by the way and watch, O inhabitant of Aroer! Ask him who flees and her who escapes; say, ‘What has happened?'20 Moab is put to shame, for it is broken; wail and cry! Tell it beside the Arnon, that Moab is laid waste. 21 “Judgment has come upon the tableland, upon Holon, and Jahzah, and Mephaath, 22 and Dibon, and Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim, 23 and Kiriathaim, and Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon, 24 and Kerioth, and Bozrah, and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near. 25 The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, declares the LORD. 26 “Make him drunk, because he magnified himself against the LORD, so that Moab shall wallow in his vomit, and he too shall be held in derision. 27 Was not Israel a derision to you? Was he found among thieves, that whenever you spoke of him you wagged your head? 28 “Leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, O inhabitants of Moab! Be like the dove that nests in the sides of the mouth of a gorge.29 We have heard of the pride of Moab— he is very proud— of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance, and the haughtiness of his heart.30 I know his insolence, declares the LORD; his boasts are false, his deeds are false.31 Therefore I wail for Moab; I cry out for all Moab; for the men of Kir-hareseth I mourn.32 More than for Jazer I weep for you, O vine of Sibmah! Your branches passed over the sea, reached to the Sea of Jazer; on your summer fruits and your grapes the destroyer has fallen.33 Gladness and joy have been taken away from the fruitful land of Moab; I have made the wine cease from the winepresses; no one treads them with shouts of joy; the shouting is not the shout of joy. 34 “From the outcry at Heshbon even to Elealeh, as far as Jahaz they utter their voice, from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. For the waters of Nimrim also have become desolate. 35 And I will bring to an end in Moab, declares the LORD, him who offers sacrifice in the high place and makes offerings to his god. 36 Therefore my heart moans for Moab like a flute, and my heart moans like a flute for the men of Kir-hareseth. Therefore the riches they gained have perished. 37 “For every head is shaved and every beard cut off. On all the hands are gashes, and around the waist is sackcloth. 38 On all the housetops of Moab and in the squares there is nothing but lamentation, for I have broken Moab like a vessel for which no one cares, declares the LORD. 39 How it is broken! How they wail! How Moab has turned his back in shame! So Moab has become a derision and a horror to all that are around him.” 40 For thus says the LORD: “Behold, one shall fly swiftly like an eagle and spread his wings against Moab;41 the cities shall be taken and the strongholds seized. The heart of the warriors of Moab shall be in that day like the heart of a woman in her birth pains;42 Moab shall be destroyed and be no longer a people, because he magnified himself against the LORD.43 Terror, pit, and snare are before you, O inhabitant of Moab! declares the LORD.44 He who flees from the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For I will bring these things upon Moab, the year of their punishment, declares the LORD. 45 “In the shadow of Heshbon fugitives stop without strength, for fire came out from Heshbon, flame from the house of Sihon; it has destroyed the forehead of Moab, the crown of the sons of tumult.46 Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh are undone, for your sons have been taken captive, and your daughters into captivity.47 Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days, declares the LORD.” Thus far is the judgment on Moab. Footnotes [1] 48:5 Hebrew weeping goes up with weeping [2] 48:5 Septuagint (compare Isaiah 15:5) heard the cry [3] 48:12 Septuagint, Aquila; Hebrew their (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 119:17–24 Psalm 119:17–24 (Listen) Gimel 17 Deal bountifully with your servant, that I may live and keep your word.18 Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.19 I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not your commandments from me!20 My soul is consumed with longing for your rules1 at all times.21 You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones, who wander from your commandments.22 Take away from me scorn and contempt, for I have kept your testimonies.23 Even though princes sit plotting against me, your servant will meditate on your statutes.24 Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors. Footnotes [1] 119:20 Or your just decrees; also verses 30, 39, 43, 52, 75, 102, 108, 137, 156, 175 (ESV) New Testament: 2 Corinthians 1–2 2 Corinthians 1–2 (Listen) Greeting 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. God of All Comfort 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.1 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. 8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers,2 of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. 11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many. Paul's Change of Plans 12 For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity3 and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you. 13 For we are not writing to you anything other than what you read and understand and I hope you will fully understand—14 just as you did partially understand us—that on the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you. 15 Because I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a second experience of grace. 16 I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and to come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on my way to Judea. 17 Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans according to the flesh, ready to say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time? 18 As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No. 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. 20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. 21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.4 23 But I call God to witness against me—it was to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth. 24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith. 2 For I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you. 2 For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? 3 And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all. 4 For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you. Forgive the Sinner 5 Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. 6 For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, 7 so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. 9 For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. 10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, 11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs. Triumph in Christ 12 When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, 13 my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia. 14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ. Footnotes [1] 1:5 Or For as the sufferings of Christ abound for us, so also our comfort abounds through Christ [2] 1:8 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 [3] 1:12 Some manuscripts holiness [4] 1:22 Or down payment (ESV)
Morning: Jeremiah 46–48 Jeremiah 46–48 (Listen) Judgment on Egypt 46 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations. 2 About Egypt. Concerning the army of Pharaoh Neco, king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates at Carchemish and which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: 3 “Prepare buckler and shield, and advance for battle!4 Harness the horses; mount, O horsemen! Take your stations with your helmets, polish your spears, put on your armor!5 Why have I seen it? They are dismayed and have turned backward. Their warriors are beaten down and have fled in haste; they look not back— terror on every side! declares the LORD. 6 “The swift cannot flee away, nor the warrior escape; in the north by the river Euphrates they have stumbled and fallen. 7 “Who is this, rising like the Nile, like rivers whose waters surge?8 Egypt rises like the Nile, like rivers whose waters surge. He said, ‘I will rise, I will cover the earth, I will destroy cities and their inhabitants.'9 Advance, O horses, and rage, O chariots! Let the warriors go out: men of Cush and Put who handle the shield, men of Lud, skilled in handling the bow.10 That day is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, to avenge himself on his foes. The sword shall devour and be sated and drink its fill of their blood. For the Lord GOD of hosts holds a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates.11 Go up to Gilead, and take balm, O virgin daughter of Egypt! In vain you have used many medicines; there is no healing for you.12 The nations have heard of your shame, and the earth is full of your cry; for warrior has stumbled against warrior; they have both fallen together.” 13 The word that the LORD spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to strike the land of Egypt: 14 “Declare in Egypt, and proclaim in Migdol; proclaim in Memphis and Tahpanhes; say, ‘Stand ready and be prepared, for the sword shall devour around you.'15 Why are your mighty ones face down? They do not stand1 because the LORD thrust them down.16 He made many stumble, and they fell, and they said one to another, ‘Arise, and let us go back to our own people and to the land of our birth, because of the sword of the oppressor.'17 Call the name of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, ‘Noisy one who lets the hour go by.' 18 “As I live, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts, like Tabor among the mountains and like Carmel by the sea, shall one come.19 Prepare yourselves baggage for exile, O inhabitants of Egypt! For Memphis shall become a waste, a ruin, without inhabitant. 20 “A beautiful heifer is Egypt, but a biting fly from the north has come upon her.21 Even her hired soldiers in her midst are like fattened calves; yes, they have turned and fled together; they did not stand, for the day of their calamity has come upon them, the time of their punishment. 22 “She makes a sound like a serpent gliding away; for her enemies march in force and come against her with axes like those who fell trees.23 They shall cut down her forest, declares the LORD, though it is impenetrable, because they are more numerous than locusts; they are without number.24 The daughter of Egypt shall be put to shame; she shall be delivered into the hand of a people from the north.” 25 The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, said: “Behold, I am bringing punishment upon Amon of Thebes, and Pharaoh and Egypt and her gods and her kings, upon Pharaoh and those who trust in him. 26 I will deliver them into the hand of those who seek their life, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his officers. Afterward Egypt shall be inhabited as in the days of old, declares the LORD. 27 “But fear not, O Jacob my servant, nor be dismayed, O Israel, for behold, I will save you from far away, and your offspring from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease, and none shall make him afraid.28 Fear not, O Jacob my servant, declares the LORD, for I am with you. I will make a full end of all the nations to which I have driven you, but of you I will not make a full end. I will discipline you in just measure, and I will by no means leave you unpunished.” Judgment on the Philistines 47 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines, before Pharaoh struck down Gaza. 2 “Thus says the LORD: Behold, waters are rising out of the north, and shall become an overflowing torrent; they shall overflow the land and all that fills it, the city and those who dwell in it. Men shall cry out, and every inhabitant of the land shall wail.3 At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his stallions, at the rushing of his chariots, at the rumbling of their wheels, the fathers look not back to their children, so feeble are their hands,4 because of the day that is coming to destroy all the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Sidon every helper that remains. For the LORD is destroying the Philistines, the remnant of the coastland of Caphtor.5 Baldness has come upon Gaza; Ashkelon has perished. O remnant of their valley, how long will you gash yourselves?6 Ah, sword of the LORD! How long till you are quiet? Put yourself into your scabbard; rest and be still!7 How can it2 be quiet when the LORD has given it a charge? Against Ashkelon and against the seashore he has appointed it.” Judgment on Moab 48 Concerning Moab. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Woe to Nebo, for it is laid waste! Kiriathaim is put to shame, it is taken; the fortress is put to shame and broken down;2 the renown of Moab is no more. In Heshbon they planned disaster against her: ‘Come, let us cut her off from being a nation!' You also, O Madmen, shall be brought to silence; the sword shall pursue you. 3 “A voice! A cry from Horonaim, ‘Desolation and great destruction!'4 Moab is destroyed; her little ones have made a cry.5 For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping;3 for at the descent of Horonaim they have heard the distressed cry4 of destruction.6 Flee! Save yourselves! You will be like a juniper in the desert!7 For, because you trusted in your works and your treasures, you also shall be taken; and Chemosh shall go into exile with his priests and his officials.8 The destroyer shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape; the valley shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the LORD has spoken. 9 “Give wings to Moab, for she would fly away; her cities shall become a desolation, with no inhabitant in them. 10 “Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed. 11 “Moab has been at ease from his youth and has settled on his dregs; he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile; so his taste remains in him, and his scent is not changed. 12 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I shall send to him pourers who will pour him, and empty his vessels and break his5 jars in pieces. 13 Then Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence. 14 “How do you say, ‘We are heroes and mighty men of war'?15 The destroyer of Moab and his cities has come up, and the choicest of his young men have gone down to slaughter, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.16 The calamity of Moab is near at hand, and his affliction hastens swiftly.17 Grieve for him, all you who are around him, and all who know his name; say, ‘How the mighty scepter is broken, the glorious staff.' 18 “Come down from your glory, and sit on the parched ground, O inhabitant of Dibon! For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you; he has destroyed your strongholds.19 Stand by the way and watch, O inhabitant of Aroer! Ask him who flees and her who escapes; say, ‘What has happened?'20 Moab is put to shame, for it is broken; wail and cry! Tell it beside the Arnon, that Moab is laid waste. 21 “Judgment has come upon the tableland, upon Holon, and Jahzah, and Mephaath, 22 and Dibon, and Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim, 23 and Kiriathaim, and Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon, 24 and Kerioth, and Bozrah, and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near. 25 The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, declares the LORD. 26 “Make him drunk, because he magnified himself against the LORD, so that Moab shall wallow in his vomit, and he too shall be held in derision. 27 Was not Israel a derision to you? Was he found among thieves, that whenever you spoke of him you wagged your head? 28 “Leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, O inhabitants of Moab! Be like the dove that nests in the sides of the mouth of a gorge.29 We have heard of the pride of Moab— he is very proud— of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance, and the haughtiness of his heart.30 I know his insolence, declares the LORD; his boasts are false, his deeds are false.31 Therefore I wail for Moab; I cry out for all Moab; for the men of Kir-hareseth I mourn.32 More than for Jazer I weep for you, O vine of Sibmah! Your branches passed over the sea, reached to the Sea of Jazer; on your summer fruits and your grapes the destroyer has fallen.33 Gladness and joy have been taken away from the fruitful land of Moab; I have made the wine cease from the winepresses; no one treads them with shouts of joy; the shouting is not the shout of joy. 34 “From the outcry at Heshbon even to Elealeh, as far as Jahaz they utter their voice, from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. For the waters of Nimrim also have become desolate. 35 And I will bring to an end in Moab, declares the LORD, him who offers sacrifice in the high place and makes offerings to his god. 36 Therefore my heart moans for Moab like a flute, and my heart moans like a flute for the men of Kir-hareseth. Therefore the riches they gained have perished. 37 “For every head is shaved and every beard cut off. On all the hands are gashes, and around the waist is sackcloth. 38 On all the housetops of Moab and in the squares there is nothing but lamentation, for I have broken Moab like a vessel for which no one cares, declares the LORD. 39 How it is broken! How they wail! How Moab has turned his back in shame! So Moab has become a derision and a horror to all that are around him.” 40 For thus says the LORD: “Behold, one shall fly swiftly like an eagle and spread his wings against Moab;41 the cities shall be taken and the strongholds seized. The heart of the warriors of Moab shall be in that day like the heart of a woman in her birth pains;42 Moab shall be destroyed and be no longer a people, because he magnified himself against the LORD.43 Terror, pit, and snare are before you, O inhabitant of Moab! declares the LORD.44 He who flees from the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For I will bring these things upon Moab, the year of their punishment, declares the LORD. 45 “In the shadow of Heshbon fugitives stop without strength, for fire came out from Heshbon, flame from the house of Sihon; it has destroyed the forehead of Moab, the crown of the sons of tumult.46 Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh are undone, for your sons have been taken captive, and your daughters into captivity.47 Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days, declares the LORD.” Thus far is the judgment on Moab. Footnotes [1] 46:15 Hebrew He does not stand
Old Testament: Isaiah 15–19 Isaiah 15–19 (Listen) An Oracle Concerning Moab 15 An oracle concerning Moab. Because Ar of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone; because Kir of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone.2 He has gone up to the temple,1 and to Dibon, to the high places2 to weep; over Nebo and over Medeba Moab wails. On every head is baldness; every beard is shorn;3 in the streets they wear sackcloth; on the housetops and in the squares everyone wails and melts in tears.4 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out; their voice is heard as far as Jahaz; therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud; his soul trembles.5 My heart cries out for Moab; her fugitives flee to Zoar, to Eglath-shelishiyah. For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping; on the road to Horonaim they raise a cry of destruction;6 the waters of Nimrim are a desolation; the grass is withered, the vegetation fails, the greenery is no more.7 Therefore the abundance they have gained and what they have laid up they carry away over the Brook of the Willows.8 For a cry has gone around the land of Moab; her wailing reaches to Eglaim; her wailing reaches to Beer-elim.9 For the waters of Dibon3 are full of blood; for I will bring upon Dibon even more, a lion for those of Moab who escape, for the remnant of the land.16 Send the lamb to the ruler of the land, from Sela, by way of the desert, to the mount of the daughter of Zion.2 Like fleeing birds, like a scattered nest, so are the daughters of Moab at the fords of the Arnon. 3 “Give counsel; grant justice; make your shade like night at the height of noon; shelter the outcasts; do not reveal the fugitive;4 let the outcasts of Moab sojourn among you; be a shelter to them4 from the destroyer. When the oppressor is no more, and destruction has ceased, and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land,5 then a throne will be established in steadfast love, and on it will sit in faithfulness in the tent of David one who judges and seeks justice and is swift to do righteousness.” 6 We have heard of the pride of Moab— how proud he is!— of his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence; in his idle boasting he is not right.7 Therefore let Moab wail for Moab, let everyone wail. Mourn, utterly stricken, for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth. 8 For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah; the lords of the nations have struck down its branches, which reached to Jazer and strayed to the desert; its shoots spread abroad and passed over the sea.9 Therefore I weep with the weeping of Jazer for the vine of Sibmah; I drench you with my tears, O Heshbon and Elealeh; for over your summer fruit and your harvest the shout has ceased.10 And joy and gladness are taken away from the fruitful field, and in the vineyards no songs are sung, no cheers are raised; no treader treads out wine in the presses; I have put an end to the shouting.11 Therefore my inner parts moan like a lyre for Moab, and my inmost self for Kir-hareseth. 12 And when Moab presents himself, when he wearies himself on the high place, when he comes to his sanctuary to pray, he will not prevail. 13 This is the word that the LORD spoke concerning Moab in the past. 14 But now the LORD has spoken, saying, “In three years, like the years of a hired worker, the glory of Moab will be brought into contempt, in spite of all his great multitude, and those who remain will be very few and feeble.” An Oracle Concerning Damascus 17 An oracle concerning Damascus. Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins.2 The cities of Aroer are deserted; they will be for flocks, which will lie down, and none will make them afraid.3 The fortress will disappear from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus; and the remnant of Syria will be like the glory of the children of Israel, declares the LORD of hosts. 4 And in that day the glory of Jacob will be brought low, and the fat of his flesh will grow lean.5 And it shall be as when the reaper gathers standing grain and his arm harvests the ears, and as when one gleans the ears of grain in the Valley of Rephaim.6 Gleanings will be left in it, as when an olive tree is beaten— two or three berries in the top of the highest bough, four or five on the branches of a fruit tree, declares the LORD God of Israel. 7 In that day man will look to his Maker, and his eyes will look on the Holy One of Israel. 8 He will not look to the altars, the work of his hands, and he will not look on what his own fingers have made, either the Asherim or the altars of incense. 9 In that day their strong cities will be like the deserted places of the wooded heights and the hilltops, which they deserted because of the children of Israel, and there will be desolation. 10 For you have forgotten the God of your salvation and have not remembered the Rock of your refuge; therefore, though you plant pleasant plants and sow the vine-branch of a stranger,11 though you make them grow5 on the day that you plant them, and make them blossom in the morning that you sow, yet the harvest will flee away6 in a day of grief and incurable pain. 12 Ah, the thunder of many peoples; they thunder like the thundering of the sea! Ah, the roar of nations; they roar like the roaring of mighty waters!13 The nations roar like the roaring of many waters, but he will rebuke them, and they will flee far away, chased like chaff on the mountains before the wind and whirling dust before the storm.14 At evening time, behold, terror! Before morning, they are no more! This is the portion of those who loot us, and the lot of those who plunder us. An Oracle Concerning Cush 18 Ah, land of whirring wings that is beyond the rivers of Cush,72 which sends ambassadors by the sea, in vessels of papyrus on the waters! Go, you swift messengers, to a nation tall and smooth, to a people feared near and far, a nation mighty and conquering, whose land the rivers divide. 3 All you inhabitants of the world, you who dwell on the earth, when a signal is raised on the mountains, look! When a trumpet is blown, hear!4 For thus the LORD said to me: “I will quietly look from my dwelling like clear heat in sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”5 For before the harvest, when the blossom is over, and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he cuts off the shoots with pruning hooks, and the spreading branches he lops off and clears away.6 They shall all of them be left to the birds of prey of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth. And the birds of prey will summer on them, and all the beasts of the earth will winter on them. 7 At that time tribute will be brought to the LORD of hosts from a people tall and smooth, from a people feared near and far, a nation mighty and conquering, whose land the rivers divide, to Mount Zion, the place of the name of the LORD of hosts. An Oracle Concerning Egypt 19 An oracle concerning Egypt. Behold, the LORD is riding on a swift cloud and comes to Egypt; and the idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence, and the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them.2 And I will stir up Egyptians against Egyptians, and they will fight, each against another and each against his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom;3 and the spirit of the Egyptians within them will be emptied out, and I will confound8 their counsel; and they will inquire of the idols and the sorcerers, and the mediums and the necromancers;4 and I will give over the Egyptians into the hand of a hard master, and a fierce king will rule over them, declares the Lord GOD of hosts. 5 And the waters of the sea will be dried up, and the river will be dry and parched,6 and its canals will become foul, and the branches of Egypt's Nile will diminish and dry up, reeds and rushes will rot away.7 There will be bare places by the Nile, on the brink of the Nile, and all that is sown by the Nile will be parched, will be driven away, and will be no more.8 The fishermen will mourn and lament, all who cast a hook in the Nile; and they will languish who spread nets on the water.9 The workers in combed flax will be in despair, and the weavers of white cotton.10 Those who are the pillars of the land will be crushed, and all who work for pay will be grieved. 11 The princes of Zoan are utterly foolish; the wisest counselors of Pharaoh give stupid counsel. How can you say to Pharaoh, “I am a son of the wise, a son of ancient kings”?12 Where then are your wise men? Let them tell you that they might know what the LORD of hosts has purposed against Egypt.13 The princes of Zoan have become fools, and the princes of Memphis are deluded; those who are the cornerstones of her tribes have made Egypt stagger.14 The LORD has mingled within her a spirit of confusion, and they will make Egypt stagger in all its deeds, as a drunken man staggers in his vomit.15 And there will be nothing for Egypt that head or tail, palm branch or reed, may do. Egypt, Assyria, Israel Blessed 16 In that day the Egyptians will be like women, and tremble with fear before the hand that the LORD of hosts shakes over them. 17 And the land of Judah will become a terror to the Egyptians. Everyone to whom it is mentioned will fear because of the purpose that the LORD of hosts has purposed against them. 18 In that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the LORD of hosts. One of these will be called the City of Destruction.9 19 In that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the LORD at its border. 20 It will be a sign and a witness to the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt. When they cry to the LORD because of oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and deliver them. 21 And the LORD will make himself known to the Egyptians, and the Egyptians will know the LORD in that day and worship with sacrifice and offering, and they will make vows to the LORD and perform them. 22 And the LORD will strike Egypt, striking and healing, and they will return to the LORD, and he will listen to their pleas for mercy and heal them. 23 In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria will come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians. 24 In that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, 25 whom the LORD of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.” Footnotes [1] 15:2 Hebrew the house [2] 15:2 Or temple, even Dibon to the high places [3] 15:9 Dead Sea Scroll, Vulgate (compare Syriac); Masoretic Text Dimon; twice in this verse [4] 16:4 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac; Masoretic Text let my outcasts sojourn among you; as for Moab, be a shelter to them [5] 17:11 Or though you carefully fence them [6] 17:11 Or will be a heap [7] 18:1 Probably Nubia [8] 19:3 Or I will swallow up [9] 19:18 Dead Sea Scroll and some other manuscripts City of the Sun (ESV) New Testament: Hebrews 9:11–10:18 Hebrews 9:11–10:18 (Listen) Redemption Through the Blood of Christ 11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come,1 then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify2 for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our3 conscience from dead works to serve the living God. 15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.4 16 For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. &
Old Testament: Isaiah 15–19 Isaiah 15–19 (Listen) An Oracle Concerning Moab 15 An oracle concerning Moab. Because Ar of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone; because Kir of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone.2 He has gone up to the temple,1 and to Dibon, to the high places2 to weep; over Nebo and over Medeba Moab wails. On every head is baldness; every beard is shorn;3 in the streets they wear sackcloth; on the housetops and in the squares everyone wails and melts in tears.4 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out; their voice is heard as far as Jahaz; therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud; his soul trembles.5 My heart cries out for Moab; her fugitives flee to Zoar, to Eglath-shelishiyah. For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping; on the road to Horonaim they raise a cry of destruction;6 the waters of Nimrim are a desolation; the grass is withered, the vegetation fails, the greenery is no more.7 Therefore the abundance they have gained and what they have laid up they carry away over the Brook of the Willows.8 For a cry has gone around the land of Moab; her wailing reaches to Eglaim; her wailing reaches to Beer-elim.9 For the waters of Dibon3 are full of blood; for I will bring upon Dibon even more, a lion for those of Moab who escape, for the remnant of the land.16 Send the lamb to the ruler of the land, from Sela, by way of the desert, to the mount of the daughter of Zion.2 Like fleeing birds, like a scattered nest, so are the daughters of Moab at the fords of the Arnon. 3 “Give counsel; grant justice; make your shade like night at the height of noon; shelter the outcasts; do not reveal the fugitive;4 let the outcasts of Moab sojourn among you; be a shelter to them4 from the destroyer. When the oppressor is no more, and destruction has ceased, and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land,5 then a throne will be established in steadfast love, and on it will sit in faithfulness in the tent of David one who judges and seeks justice and is swift to do righteousness.” 6 We have heard of the pride of Moab— how proud he is!— of his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence; in his idle boasting he is not right.7 Therefore let Moab wail for Moab, let everyone wail. Mourn, utterly stricken, for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth. 8 For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah; the lords of the nations have struck down its branches, which reached to Jazer and strayed to the desert; its shoots spread abroad and passed over the sea.9 Therefore I weep with the weeping of Jazer for the vine of Sibmah; I drench you with my tears, O Heshbon and Elealeh; for over your summer fruit and your harvest the shout has ceased.10 And joy and gladness are taken away from the fruitful field, and in the vineyards no songs are sung, no cheers are raised; no treader treads out wine in the presses; I have put an end to the shouting.11 Therefore my inner parts moan like a lyre for Moab, and my inmost self for Kir-hareseth. 12 And when Moab presents himself, when he wearies himself on the high place, when he comes to his sanctuary to pray, he will not prevail. 13 This is the word that the LORD spoke concerning Moab in the past. 14 But now the LORD has spoken, saying, “In three years, like the years of a hired worker, the glory of Moab will be brought into contempt, in spite of all his great multitude, and those who remain will be very few and feeble.” An Oracle Concerning Damascus 17 An oracle concerning Damascus. Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins.2 The cities of Aroer are deserted; they will be for flocks, which will lie down, and none will make them afraid.3 The fortress will disappear from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus; and the remnant of Syria will be like the glory of the children of Israel, declares the LORD of hosts. 4 And in that day the glory of Jacob will be brought low, and the fat of his flesh will grow lean.5 And it shall be as when the reaper gathers standing grain and his arm harvests the ears, and as when one gleans the ears of grain in the Valley of Rephaim.6 Gleanings will be left in it, as when an olive tree is beaten— two or three berries in the top of the highest bough, four or five on the branches of a fruit tree, declares the LORD God of Israel. 7 In that day man will look to his Maker, and his eyes will look on the Holy One of Israel. 8 He will not look to the altars, the work of his hands, and he will not look on what his own fingers have made, either the Asherim or the altars of incense. 9 In that day their strong cities will be like the deserted places of the wooded heights and the hilltops, which they deserted because of the children of Israel, and there will be desolation. 10 For you have forgotten the God of your salvation and have not remembered the Rock of your refuge; therefore, though you plant pleasant plants and sow the vine-branch of a stranger,11 though you make them grow5 on the day that you plant them, and make them blossom in the morning that you sow, yet the harvest will flee away6 in a day of grief and incurable pain. 12 Ah, the thunder of many peoples; they thunder like the thundering of the sea! Ah, the roar of nations; they roar like the roaring of mighty waters!13 The nations roar like the roaring of many waters, but he will rebuke them, and they will flee far away, chased like chaff on the mountains before the wind and whirling dust before the storm.14 At evening time, behold, terror! Before morning, they are no more! This is the portion of those who loot us, and the lot of those who plunder us. An Oracle Concerning Cush 18 Ah, land of whirring wings that is beyond the rivers of Cush,72 which sends ambassadors by the sea, in vessels of papyrus on the waters! Go, you swift messengers, to a nation tall and smooth, to a people feared near and far, a nation mighty and conquering, whose land the rivers divide. 3 All you inhabitants of the world, you who dwell on the earth, when a signal is raised on the mountains, look! When a trumpet is blown, hear!4 For thus the LORD said to me: “I will quietly look from my dwelling like clear heat in sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”5 For before the harvest, when the blossom is over, and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he cuts off the shoots with pruning hooks, and the spreading branches he lops off and clears away.6 They shall all of them be left to the birds of prey of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth. And the birds of prey will summer on them, and all the beasts of the earth will winter on them. 7 At that time tribute will be brought to the LORD of hosts from a people tall and smooth, from a people feared near and far, a nation mighty and conquering, whose land the rivers divide, to Mount Zion, the place of the name of the LORD of hosts. An Oracle Concerning Egypt 19 An oracle concerning Egypt. Behold, the LORD is riding on a swift cloud and comes to Egypt; and the idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence, and the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them.2 And I will stir up Egyptians against Egyptians, and they will fight, each against another and each against his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom;3 and the spirit of the Egyptians within them will be emptied out, and I will confound8 their counsel; and they will inquire of the idols and the sorcerers, and the mediums and the necromancers;4 and I will give over the Egyptians into the hand of a hard master, and a fierce king will rule over them, declares the Lord GOD of hosts. 5 And the waters of the sea will be dried up, and the river will be dry and parched,6 and its canals will become foul, and the branches of Egypt's Nile will diminish and dry up, reeds and rushes will rot away.7 There will be bare places by the Nile, on the brink of the Nile, and all that is sown by the Nile will be parched, will be driven away, and will be no more.8 The fishermen will mourn and lament, all who cast a hook in the Nile; and they will languish who spread nets on the water.9 The workers in combed flax will be in despair, and the weavers of white cotton.10 Those who are the pillars of the land will be crushed, and all who work for pay will be grieved. 11 The princes of Zoan are utterly foolish; the wisest counselors of Pharaoh give stupid counsel. How can you say to Pharaoh, “I am a son of the wise, a son of ancient kings”?12 Where then are your wise men? Let them tell you that they might know what the LORD of hosts has purposed against Egypt.13 The princes of Zoan have become fools, and the princes of Memphis are deluded; those who are the cornerstones of her tribes have made Egypt stagger.14 The LORD has mingled within her a spirit of confusion, and they will make Egypt stagger in all its deeds, as a drunken man staggers in his vomit.15 And there will be nothing for Egypt that head or tail, palm branch or reed, may do. Egypt, Assyria, Israel Blessed 16 In that day the Egyptians will be like women, and tremble with fear before the hand that the LORD of hosts shakes over them. 17 And the land of Judah will become a terror to the Egyptians. Everyone to whom it is mentioned will fear because of the purpose that the LORD of hosts has purposed against them. 18 In that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the LORD of hosts. One of these will be called the City of Destruction.9 19 In that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the LORD at its border. 20 It will be a sign and a witness to the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt. When they cry to the LORD because of oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and deliver them. 21 And the LORD will make himself known to the Egyptians, and the Egyptians will know the LORD in that day and worship with sacrifice and offering, and they will make vows to the LORD and perform them. 22 And the LORD will strike Egypt, striking and healing, and they will return to the LORD, and he will listen to their pleas for mercy and heal them. 23 In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria will come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians. 24 In that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, 25 whom the LORD of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.” Footnotes [1] 15:2 Hebrew the house [2] 15:2 Or temple, even Dibon to the high places [3] 15:9 Dead Sea Scroll, Vulgate (compare Syriac); Masoretic Text Dimon; twice in this verse [4] 16:4 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac; Masoretic Text let my outcasts sojourn among you; as for Moab, be a shelter to them [5] 17:11 Or though you carefully fence them [6] 17:11 Or will be a heap [7] 18:1 Probably Nubia [8] 19:3 Or I will swallow up [9] 19:18 Dead Sea Scroll and some other manuscripts City of the Sun (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 87 Psalm 87 (Listen) Glorious Things of You Are Spoken A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. A Song. 87 On the holy mount stands the city he founded;2 the LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.3 Glorious things of you are spoken, O city of God. Selah 4 Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon; behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Cush1— “This one was born there,” they say.5 And of Zion it shall be said, “This one and that one were born in her”; for the Most High himself will establish her.
Morning: Isaiah 13–15 Isaiah 13–15 (Listen) The Judgment of Babylon 13 The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw. 2 On a bare hill raise a signal; cry aloud to them; wave the hand for them to enter the gates of the nobles.3 I myself have commanded my consecrated ones, and have summoned my mighty men to execute my anger, my proudly exulting ones.1 4 The sound of a tumult is on the mountains as of a great multitude! The sound of an uproar of kingdoms, of nations gathering together! The LORD of hosts is mustering a host for battle.5 They come from a distant land, from the end of the heavens, the LORD and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.2 6 Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; as destruction from the Almighty3 it will come!7 Therefore all hands will be feeble, and every human heart will melt.8 They will be dismayed: pangs and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame. 9 Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it.10 For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light.11 I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless.12 I will make people more rare than fine gold, and mankind than the gold of Ophir.13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the LORD of hosts in the day of his fierce anger.14 And like a hunted gazelle, or like sheep with none to gather them, each will turn to his own people, and each will flee to his own land.15 Whoever is found will be thrust through, and whoever is caught will fall by the sword.16 Their infants will be dashed in pieces before their eyes; their houses will be plundered and their wives ravished. 17 Behold, I am stirring up the Medes against them, who have no regard for silver and do not delight in gold.18 Their bows will slaughter4 the young men; they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb; their eyes will not pity children.19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them.20 It will never be inhabited or lived in for all generations; no Arab will pitch his tent there; no shepherds will make their flocks lie down there.21 But wild animals will lie down there, and their houses will be full of howling creatures; there ostriches5 will dwell, and there wild goats will dance.22 Hyenas6 will cry in its towers, and jackals in the pleasant palaces; its time is close at hand and its days will not be prolonged. The Restoration of Jacob 14 For the LORD will have compassion on Jacob and will again choose Israel, and will set them in their own land, and sojourners will join them and will attach themselves to the house of Jacob. 2 And the peoples will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them in the LORD's land as male and female slaves.7 They will take captive those who were their captors, and rule over those who oppressed them. Israel's Remnant Taunts Babylon 3 When the LORD has given you rest from your pain and turmoil and the hard service with which you were made to serve, 4 you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: “How the oppressor has ceased, the insolent fury8 ceased!5 The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of rulers,6 that struck the peoples in wrath with unceasing blows, that ruled the nations in anger with unrelenting persecution.7 The whole earth is at rest and quiet; they break forth into singing.8 The cypresses rejoice at you, the cedars of Lebanon, saying, ‘Since you were laid low, no woodcutter comes up against us.'9 Sheol beneath is stirred up to meet you when you come; it rouses the shades to greet you, all who were leaders of the earth; it raises from their thrones all who were kings of the nations.10 All of them will answer and say to you: ‘You too have become as weak as we! You have become like us!'11 Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, the sound of your harps; maggots are laid as a bed beneath you, and worms are your covers. 12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low!13 You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north;914 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.'15 But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.16 Those who see you will stare at you and ponder over you: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms,17 who made the world like a desert and overthrew its cities, who did not let his prisoners go home?'18 All the kings of the nations lie in glory, each in his own tomb;1019 but you are cast out, away from your grave, like a loathed branch, clothed with the slain, those pierced by the sword, who go down to the stones of the pit, like a dead body trampled underfoot.20 You will not be joined with them in burial, because you have destroyed your land, you have slain your people. “May the offspring of evildoers nevermore be named!21 Prepare slaughter for his sons because of the guilt of their fathers, lest they rise and possess the earth, and fill the face of the world with cities.” 22 “I will rise up against them,” declares the LORD of hosts, “and will cut off from Babylon name and remnant, descendants and posterity,” declares the LORD. 23 “And I will make it a possession of the hedgehog,11 and pools of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction,” declares the LORD of hosts. An Oracle Concerning Assyria 24 The LORD of hosts has sworn: “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand,25 that I will break the Assyrian in my land, and on my mountains trample him underfoot; and his yoke shall depart from them, and his burden from their shoulder.” 26 This is the purpose that is purposed concerning the whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations.27 For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back? An Oracle Concerning Philistia 28 In the year that King Ahaz died came this oracle: 29 Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of you, that the rod that struck you is broken, for from the serpent's root will come forth an adder, and its fruit will be a flying fiery serpent.30 And the firstborn of the poor will graze, and the needy lie down in safety; but I will kill your root with famine, and your remnant it will slay.31 Wail, O gate; cry out, O city; melt in fear, O Philistia, all of you! For smoke comes out of the north, and there is no straggler in his ranks. 32 What will one answer the messengers of the nation? “The LORD has founded Zion, and in her the afflicted of his people find refuge.” An Oracle Concerning Moab 15 An oracle concerning Moab. Because Ar of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone; because Kir of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone.2 He has gone up to the temple,12 and to Dibon, to the high places13 to weep; over Nebo and over Medeba Moab wails. On every head is baldness; every beard is shorn;3 in the streets they wear sackcloth; on the housetops and in the squares everyone wails and melts in tears.4 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out; their voice is heard as far as Jahaz; therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud; his soul trembles.5 My heart cries out for Moab; her fugitives flee to Zoar, to Eglath-shelishiyah. For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping; on the road to Horonaim they raise a cry of destruction;6 the waters of Nimrim are a desolation; the grass is withered, the vegetation fails, the greenery is no more.7 Therefore the abundance they have gained and what they have laid up they carry away over the Brook of the Willows.8 For a cry has gone around the land of Moab; her wailing reaches to Eglaim; her wailing reaches to Beer-elim.9 For the waters of Dibon14 are full of blood; for I will bring upon Dibon even more, a lion for those of Moab who escape, for the remnant of the land. Footnotes [1] 13:3 Or those who exult in my majesty [2] 13:5 Or earth; also verse 9 [3] 13:6 The Hebrew words for destruction and almighty sound alike [4] 13:18 Hebrew dash in pieces [5] 13:21 Or owls [6] 13:22 Or foxes [7] 14:2 Or servants [8] 14:4 Dead Sea Scroll (compare Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate); the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain [9] 14:13 Or in the remote parts of Zaphon [10] 14:18 Hebrew house [11] 14:23 Possibly porcupine, or owl [12] 15:2 Hebrew the house [13] 15:2 Or temple, even Dibon to the high places [14] 15:9 Dead Sea Scroll, Vulgate (compare Syriac); Masoretic Text Dimon; twice in this verse (ESV) Evening: Galatians 6 Galatians 6 (Listen) Bear One Another's Burdens 6 Brothers,1 if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. 5 For each will have to bear his own load. 6 Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. 7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. Final Warning and Benediction 11 See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand. 12 It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13 For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. 14 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which2 the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. 16 And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. 17 From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen. Footnotes
Audio Bible Old Testament Ecclesiastes to Malachi, King James Version
église AB Lausanne ; KJV Jeremiah 48 Against Moab thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Woe unto Nebo! for it is spoiled: Kiriathaim is confounded and taken: Misgab is confounded and dismayed. There shall be no more praise of Moab: in Heshbon they have devised evil against it; come, and let us cut it off from being a nation. Also thou shalt be cut down, O Madmen; the sword shall pursue thee. A voice of crying shall be from Horonaim, spoiling and great destruction. Moab is destroyed; her little ones have caused a cry to be heard. For in the going up of Luhith continual weeping shall go up; for in the going down of Horonaim the enemies have heard a cry of destruction. Flee, save your lives, and be like the heath in the wilderness. For because thou hast trusted in thy works and in thy treasures, thou shalt also be taken: and Chemosh shall go forth into captivity with his priests and his princes together. And the spoiler shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape: the valley also shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the LORD hath spoken. Give wings unto Moab, that it may flee and get away: for the cities thereof shall be desolate, without any to dwell therein. Cursed be he that doeth the work of the LORD deceitfully, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood. ...
Jeremiah 46–48 Jeremiah 46–48 (Listen) Judgment on Egypt 46 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations. 2 About Egypt. Concerning the army of Pharaoh Neco, king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates at Carchemish and which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: 3 “Prepare buckler and shield, and advance for battle!4 Harness the horses; mount, O horsemen! Take your stations with your helmets, polish your spears, put on your armor!5 Why have I seen it? They are dismayed and have turned backward. Their warriors are beaten down and have fled in haste; they look not back— terror on every side! declares the LORD. 6 “The swift cannot flee away, nor the warrior escape; in the north by the river Euphrates they have stumbled and fallen. 7 “Who is this, rising like the Nile, like rivers whose waters surge?8 Egypt rises like the Nile, like rivers whose waters surge. He said, ‘I will rise, I will cover the earth, I will destroy cities and their inhabitants.'9 Advance, O horses, and rage, O chariots! Let the warriors go out: men of Cush and Put who handle the shield, men of Lud, skilled in handling the bow.10 That day is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, to avenge himself on his foes. The sword shall devour and be sated and drink its fill of their blood. For the Lord GOD of hosts holds a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates.11 Go up to Gilead, and take balm, O virgin daughter of Egypt! In vain you have used many medicines; there is no healing for you.12 The nations have heard of your shame, and the earth is full of your cry; for warrior has stumbled against warrior; they have both fallen together.” 13 The word that the LORD spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to strike the land of Egypt: 14 “Declare in Egypt, and proclaim in Migdol; proclaim in Memphis and Tahpanhes; say, ‘Stand ready and be prepared, for the sword shall devour around you.'15 Why are your mighty ones face down? They do not stand1 because the LORD thrust them down.16 He made many stumble, and they fell, and they said one to another, ‘Arise, and let us go back to our own people and to the land of our birth, because of the sword of the oppressor.'17 Call the name of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, ‘Noisy one who lets the hour go by.' 18 “As I live, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts, like Tabor among the mountains and like Carmel by the sea, shall one come.19 Prepare yourselves baggage for exile, O inhabitants of Egypt! For Memphis shall become a waste, a ruin, without inhabitant. 20 “A beautiful heifer is Egypt, but a biting fly from the north has come upon her.21 Even her hired soldiers in her midst are like fattened calves; yes, they have turned and fled together; they did not stand, for the day of their calamity has come upon them, the time of their punishment. 22 “She makes a sound like a serpent gliding away; for her enemies march in force and come against her with axes like those who fell trees.23 They shall cut down her forest, declares the LORD, though it is impenetrable, because they are more numerous than locusts; they are without number.24 The daughter of Egypt shall be put to shame; she shall be delivered into the hand of a people from the north.” 25 The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, said: “Behold, I am bringing punishment upon Amon of Thebes, and Pharaoh and Egypt and her gods and her kings, upon Pharaoh and those who trust in him. 26 I will deliver them into the hand of those who seek their life, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his officers. Afterward Egypt shall be inhabited as in the days of old, declares the LORD. 27 “But fear not, O Jacob my servant, nor be dismayed, O Israel, for behold, I will save you from far away, and your offspring from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease, and none shall make him afraid.28 Fear not, O Jacob my servant, declares the LORD, for I am with you. I will make a full end of all the nations to which I have driven you, but of you I will not make a full end. I will discipline you in just measure, and I will by no means leave you unpunished.” Judgment on the Philistines 47 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines, before Pharaoh struck down Gaza. 2 “Thus says the LORD: Behold, waters are rising out of the north, and shall become an overflowing torrent; they shall overflow the land and all that fills it, the city and those who dwell in it. Men shall cry out, and every inhabitant of the land shall wail.3 At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his stallions, at the rushing of his chariots, at the rumbling of their wheels, the fathers look not back to their children, so feeble are their hands,4 because of the day that is coming to destroy all the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Sidon every helper that remains. For the LORD is destroying the Philistines, the remnant of the coastland of Caphtor.5 Baldness has come upon Gaza; Ashkelon has perished. O remnant of their valley, how long will you gash yourselves?6 Ah, sword of the LORD! How long till you are quiet? Put yourself into your scabbard; rest and be still!7 How can it2 be quiet when the LORD has given it a charge? Against Ashkelon and against the seashore he has appointed it.” Judgment on Moab 48 Concerning Moab. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Woe to Nebo, for it is laid waste! Kiriathaim is put to shame, it is taken; the fortress is put to shame and broken down;2 the renown of Moab is no more. In Heshbon they planned disaster against her: ‘Come, let us cut her off from being a nation!' You also, O Madmen, shall be brought to silence; the sword shall pursue you. 3 “A voice! A cry from Horonaim, ‘Desolation and great destruction!'4 Moab is destroyed; her little ones have made a cry.5 For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping;3 for at the descent of Horonaim they have heard the distressed cry4 of destruction.6 Flee! Save yourselves! You will be like a juniper in the desert!7 For, because you trusted in your works and your treasures, you also shall be taken; and Chemosh shall go into exile with his priests and his officials.8 The destroyer shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape; the valley shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the LORD has spoken. 9 “Give wings to Moab, for she would fly away; her cities shall become a desolation, with no inhabitant in them. 10 “Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed. 11 “Moab has been at ease from his youth and has settled on his dregs; he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile; so his taste remains in him, and his scent is not changed. 12 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I shall send to him pourers who will pour him, and empty his vessels and break his5 jars in pieces. 13 Then Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence. 14 “How do you say, ‘We are heroes and mighty men of war'?15 The destroyer of Moab and his cities has come up, and the choicest of his young men have gone down to slaughter, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.16 The calamity of Moab is near at hand, and his affliction hastens swiftly.17 Grieve for him, all you who are around him, and all who know his name; say, ‘How the mighty scepter is broken, the glorious staff.' 18 “Come down from your glory, and sit on the parched ground, O inhabitant of Dibon! For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you; he has destroyed your strongholds.19 Stand by the way and watch, O inhabitant of Aroer! Ask him who flees and her who escapes; say, ‘What has happened?'20 Moab is put to shame, for it is broken; wail and cry! Tell it beside the Arnon, that Moab is laid waste. 21 “Judgment has come upon the tableland, upon Holon, and Jahzah, and Mephaath, 22 and Dibon, and Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim, 23 and Kiriathaim, and Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon, 24 and Kerioth, and Bozrah, and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near. 25 The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, declares the LORD. 26 “Make him drunk, because he magnified himself against the LORD, so that Moab shall wallow in his vomit, and he too shall be held in derision. 27 Was not Israel a derision to you? Was he found among thieves, that whenever you spoke of him you wagged your head? 28 “Leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, O inhabitants of Moab! Be like the dove that nests in the sides of the mouth of a gorge.29 We have heard of the pride of Moab— he is very proud— of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance, and the haughtiness of his heart.30 I know his insolence, declares the LORD; his boasts are false, his deeds are false.31 Therefore I wail for Moab; I cry out for all Moab; for the men of Kir-hareseth I mourn.32 More than for Jazer I weep for you, O vine of Sibmah! Your branches passed over the sea, reached to the Sea of Jazer; on your summer fruits and your grapes the destroyer has fallen.33 Gladness and joy have been taken away from the fruitful land of Moab; I have made the wine cease from the winepresses; no one treads them with shouts of joy; the shouting is not the shout of joy. 34 “From the outcry at Heshbon even to Elealeh, as far as Jahaz they utter their voice, from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. For the waters of Nimrim also have become desolate. 35 And I will bring to an end in Moab, declares the LORD, him who offers sacrifice in the high place and makes offerings to his god. 36 Therefore my heart moans for Moab like a flute, and my heart moans like a flute for the men of Kir-hareseth. Therefore the riches they gained have perished. 37 “For every head is shaved and every beard cut off. On all the hands are gashes, and around the waist is sackcloth. 38 On all the housetops of Moab and in the squares there is nothing but lamentation, for I have broken Moab like a vessel for which no one cares, declares the LORD. 39 How it is broken! How they wail! How Moab has turned his back in shame! So Moab has become a derision and a horror to all that are around him.” 40 For thus says the LORD: “Behold, one shall fly swiftly like an eagle and spread his wings against Moab;41 the cities shall be taken and the strongholds seized. The heart of the warriors of Moab shall be in that day like the heart of a woman in her birth pains;42 Moab shall be destroyed and be no longer a people, because he magnified himself against the LORD.43 Terror, pit, and snare are before you, O inhabitant of Moab! declares the LORD.44 He who flees from the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For I will bring these things upon Moab, the year of their punishment, declares the LORD. 45 “In the shadow of Heshbon fugitives stop without strength, for fire came out from Heshbon, flame from the house of Sihon; it has destroyed the forehead of Moab, the crown of the sons of tumult.46 Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh are undone, for your sons have been taken captive, and your daughters into captivity.47 Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days, declares the LORD.” Thus far is the judgment on Moab. Footnotes [1] 46:15 Hebrew He does not stand
With family: 1 Samuel 11; Romans 9 1 Samuel 11 (Listen) Saul Defeats the Ammonites 11 Then Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh-gilead, and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you.” 2 But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, “On this condition I will make a treaty with you, that I gouge out all your right eyes, and thus bring disgrace on all Israel.” 3 The elders of Jabesh said to him, “Give us seven days' respite that we may send messengers through all the territory of Israel. Then, if there is no one to save us, we will give ourselves up to you.” 4 When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul, they reported the matter in the ears of the people, and all the people wept aloud. 5 Now, behold, Saul was coming from the field behind the oxen. And Saul said, “What is wrong with the people, that they are weeping?” So they told him the news of the men of Jabesh. 6 And the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and his anger was greatly kindled. 7 He took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hand of the messengers, saying, “Whoever does not come out after Saul and Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen!” Then the dread of the LORD fell upon the people, and they came out as one man. 8 When he mustered them at Bezek, the people of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. 9 And they said to the messengers who had come, “Thus shall you say to the men of Jabesh-gilead: ‘Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you shall have salvation.'” When the messengers came and told the men of Jabesh, they were glad. 10 Therefore the men of Jabesh said, “Tomorrow we will give ourselves up to you, and you may do to us whatever seems good to you.” 11 And the next day Saul put the people in three companies. And they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch and struck down the Ammonites until the heat of the day. And those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together. The Kingdom Is Renewed 12 Then the people said to Samuel, “Who is it that said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?' Bring the men, that we may put them to death.” 13 But Saul said, “Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today the LORD has worked salvation in Israel.” 14 Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and there renew the kingdom.” 15 So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal. There they sacrificed peace offerings before the LORD, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly. (ESV) Romans 9 (Listen) God's Sovereign Choice 9 I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit—2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers,1 my kinsmen according to the flesh. 4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. 6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. 9 For this is what the promise said: “About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.” 10 And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls—12 she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” 13 As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” 14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion,2 but on God, who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. 19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” 20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? 25 As indeed he says in Hosea, “Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,' and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.'”26 “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,' there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.'” 27 And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel3 be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, 28 for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” 29 And as Isaiah predicted, “If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring, we would have been like Sodom and become like Gomorrah.” Israel's Unbelief 30 What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness4 did not succeed in reaching that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” Footnotes [1] 9:3 Or brothers and sisters [2] 9:16 Greek not of him who wills or runs [3] 9:27 Or children of Israel [4] 9:31 Greek a law of righteousness (ESV) In private: Psalm 25; Jeremiah 48 Psalm 25 (Listen) Teach Me Your Paths 1 Of David. 25 To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.2 O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me.3 Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. 4 Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.5 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. 6 Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.7 Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O LORD! 8 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.10 All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. 11 For your name's sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great.12 Who is the man who fears the LORD? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.13 His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land.14 The friendship2 of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.15 My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for he will pluck my feet out of the net. 16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses.18 Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins. 19 Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me.20 Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me! Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you. 22 Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles. Footnotes [1] 25:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet [2] 25:14 Or The secret counsel (ESV) Jeremiah 48 (Listen) Judgment on Moab 48 Concerning Moab. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Woe to Nebo, for it is laid waste! Kiriathaim is put to shame, it is taken; the fortress is put to shame and broken down;2 the renown of Moab is no more. In Heshbon they planned disaster against her: ‘Come, let us cut her off from being a nation!' You also, O Madmen, shall be brought to silence; the sword shall pursue you. 3 “A voice! A cry from Horonaim, ‘Desolation and great destruction!'4 Moab is destroyed; her little ones have made a cry.5 For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping;1 for at the descent of Horonaim they have heard the distressed cry2 of destruction.6 Flee! Save yourselves! You will be like a juniper in the desert!7 For, because you trusted in your works and your treasures, you also shall be taken; and Chemosh shall go into exile with his priests and his officials.8 The destroyer shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape; the valley shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the LORD has spoken. 9 “Give wings to Moab, for she would fly away; her cities shall become a desolation, with no inhabitant in them. 10 “Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed. 11 “Moab has been at ease from his youth and has settled on his dregs; he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile; so his taste remains in him, and his scent is not changed. 12 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I shall send to him pourers who will pour him, and empty his vessels and break his3 jars in pieces. 13 Then Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence. 14 “How do you say, ‘We are heroes and mighty men of war'?15 The destroyer of Moab and his cities has come up, and the choicest of his young men have gone down to slaughter, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.16 The calamity of Moab is near at hand, and his affliction hastens swiftly.17 Grieve for him, all you who are around him, and all who know his name; say, ‘How the mighty scepter is broken, the glorious staff.' 18 “Come down from your glory, and sit on the parched ground, O inhabitant of Dibon! For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you; he has destroyed your strongholds.19 Stand by the way and watch, O inhabitant of Aroer! Ask him who flees and her who escapes; say, ‘What has happened?'20 Moab is put to shame, for it is broken; wail and cry! Tell it beside the Arnon, that Moab is laid waste. 21 “Judgment has come upon the tableland, upon Holon, and Jahzah, and Mephaath, 22 and Dibon, and Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim, 23 and Kiriathaim, and Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon, 24 and Kerioth, and Bozrah, and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near. 25 The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, declares the LORD. 26 “Make him drunk, because he magnified himself against the LORD, so that Moab shall wallow in his vomit, and he too shall be held in derision. 27 Was not Israel a derision to you? Was he found among thieves, that whenever you spoke of him you wagged your head? 28 “Leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, O inhabitants of Moab! Be like the dove that nests in the sides of the mouth of a gorge.29 We have heard of the pride of Moab— he is very proud— of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance, and the haughtiness of his heart.30 I know his insolence, declares the LORD; his boasts are false, his deeds are false.31 Therefore I wail for Moab; I cry out for all Moab; for the men of Kir-hareseth I mourn.32 More than for Jazer I weep for you, O vine of Sibmah! Your branches passed over the sea, reached to the Sea of Jazer; on your summer fruits and your grapes the destroyer has fallen.33 Gladness and joy have been taken away from the fruitful land of Moab; I have made the wine cease from the winepresses; no one treads them with shouts of joy; the shouting is not the shout of joy. 34 “From the outcry at Heshbon even to Elealeh, as far as Jahaz they utter their voice, from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. For the waters of Nimrim also have become desolate. 35 And I will bring to an end in Moab, declares the LORD, him who offers sacrifice in the high place and makes offerings to his god. 36 Therefore my heart moans for Moab like a flute, and my heart moans like a flute for the men of Kir-hareseth. Therefore the riches they gained have perished. 37 “For every head is shaved and every beard cut off. On all the hands are gashes, and around the waist is sackcloth. 38 On all the housetops of Moab and in the squares there is nothing but lamentation, for I have broken Moab like a vessel for which no one cares, declares the LORD. 39 How it is broken! How they wail! How Moab has turned his back in shame! So Moab has become a derision and a horror to all that are around him.” 40 For thus says the LORD: “Behold, one shall fly swiftly like an eagle and spread his wings against Moab;41 the cities shall be taken and the strongholds seized. The heart of the warriors of Moab shall be in that day like the heart of a woman in her birth pains;42 Moab shall be destroyed and be no longer a people, because he magnified himself against the LORD.43 Terror, pit, and snare are before you, O inhabitant of Moab! declares the LORD.44 He who flees from the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For I will bring these things upon Moab, the year of their punishment, declares the LORD. 45 “In the shadow of Heshbon fugitives stop without strength, for fire came out from Heshbon, flame from the house of Sihon; it has destroyed the forehead of Moab, the crown of the sons of tumult.46 Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh are undone, for your sons have been taken captive, and your daughters into captivity.47
Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 16 Psalm 16 (Listen) You Will Not Abandon My Soul A Miktam1 of David. 16 Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.2 I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” 3 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.2 4 The sorrows of those who run after3 another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips. 5 The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. 7 I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.48 I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being5 rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.6 11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Footnotes [1] 16:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term [2] 16:3 Or To the saints in the land, the excellent in whom is all my delight, I say: [3] 16:4 Or who acquire [4] 16:7 Hebrew my kidneys instruct me [5] 16:9 Hebrew my glory [6] 16:10 Or see the pit (ESV) Pentateuch and History: 1 Samuel 3 1 Samuel 3 (Listen) The Lord Calls Samuel 3 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD in the presence of Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. 2 At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the LORD called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!” 5 and ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down. 6 And the LORD called again, “Samuel!” and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. 8 And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the LORD was calling the boy. 9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant hears.'” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 And the LORD came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” 11 Then the LORD said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. 12 On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God,1 and he did not restrain them. 14 Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.” 15 Samuel lay until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. 16 But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Here I am.” 17 And Eli said, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.” 18 So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the LORD. Let him do what seems good to him.” 19 And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the LORD. 21 And the LORD appeared again at Shiloh, for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the LORD. Footnotes [1] 3:13 Or blaspheming for themselves (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Jeremiah 48 Jeremiah 48 (Listen) Judgment on Moab 48 Concerning Moab. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Woe to Nebo, for it is laid waste! Kiriathaim is put to shame, it is taken; the fortress is put to shame and broken down;2 the renown of Moab is no more. In Heshbon they planned disaster against her: ‘Come, let us cut her off from being a nation!' You also, O Madmen, shall be brought to silence; the sword shall pursue you. 3 “A voice! A cry from Horonaim, ‘Desolation and great destruction!'4 Moab is destroyed; her little ones have made a cry.5 For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping;1 for at the descent of Horonaim they have heard the distressed cry2 of destruction.6 Flee! Save yourselves! You will be like a juniper in the desert!7 For, because you trusted in your works and your treasures, you also shall be taken; and Chemosh shall go into exile with his priests and his officials.8 The destroyer shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape; the valley shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the LORD has spoken. 9 “Give wings to Moab, for she would fly away; her cities shall become a desolation, with no inhabitant in them. 10 “Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed. 11 “Moab has been at ease from his youth and has settled on his dregs; he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile; so his taste remains in him, and his scent is not changed. 12 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I shall send to him pourers who will pour him, and empty his vessels and break his3 jars in pieces. 13 Then Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence. 14 “How do you say, ‘We are heroes and mighty men of war'?15 The destroyer of Moab and his cities has come up, and the choicest of his young men have gone down to slaughter, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.16 The calamity of Moab is near at hand, and his affliction hastens swiftly.17 Grieve for him, all you who are around him, and all who know his name; say, ‘How the mighty scepter is broken, the glorious staff.' 18 “Come down from your glory, and sit on the parched ground, O inhabitant of Dibon! For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you; he has destroyed your strongholds.19 Stand by the way and watch, O inhabitant of Aroer! Ask him who flees and her who escapes; say, ‘What has happened?'20 Moab is put to shame, for it is broken; wail and cry! Tell it beside the Arnon, that Moab is laid waste. 21 “Judgment has come upon the tableland, upon Holon, and Jahzah, and Mephaath, 22 and Dibon, and Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim, 23 and Kiriathaim, and Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon, 24 and Kerioth, and Bozrah, and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near. 25 The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, declares the LORD. 26 “Make him drunk, because he magnified himself against the LORD, so that Moab shall wallow in his vomit, and he too shall be held in derision. 27 Was not Israel a derision to you? Was he found among thieves, that whenever you spoke of him you wagged your head? 28 “Leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, O inhabitants of Moab! Be like the dove that nests in the sides of the mouth of a gorge.29 We have heard of the pride of Moab— he is very proud— of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance, and the haughtiness of his heart.30 I know his insolence, declares the LORD; his boasts are false, his deeds are false.31 Therefore I wail for Moab; I cry out for all Moab; for the men of Kir-hareseth I mourn.32 More than for Jazer I weep for you, O vine of Sibmah! Your branches passed over the sea, reached to the Sea of Jazer; on your summer fruits and your grapes the destroyer has fallen.33 Gladness and joy have been taken away from the fruitful land of Moab; I have made the wine cease from the winepresses; no one treads them with shouts of joy; the shouting is not the shout of joy. 34 “From the outcry at Heshbon even to Elealeh, as far as Jahaz they utter their voice, from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. For the waters of Nimrim also have become desolate. 35 And I will bring to an end in Moab, declares the LORD, him who offers sacrifice in the high place and makes offerings to his god. 36 Therefore my heart moans for Moab like a flute, and my heart moans like a flute for the men of Kir-hareseth. Therefore the riches they gained have perished. 37 “For every head is shaved and every beard cut off. On all the hands are gashes, and around the waist is sackcloth. 38 On all the housetops of Moab and in the squares there is nothing but lamentation, for I have broken Moab like a vessel for which no one cares, declares the LORD. 39 How it is broken! How they wail! How Moab has turned his back in shame! So Moab has become a derision and a horror to all that are around him.” 40 For thus says the LORD: “Behold, one shall fly swiftly like an eagle and spread his wings against Moab;41 the cities shall be taken and the strongholds seized. The heart of the warriors of Moab shall be in that day like the heart of a woman in her birth pains;42 Moab shall be destroyed and be no longer a people, because he magnified himself against the LORD.43 Terror, pit, and snare are before you, O inhabitant of Moab! declares the LORD.44 He who flees from the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For I will bring these things upon Moab, the year of their punishment, declares the LORD. 45 “In the shadow of Heshbon fugitives stop without strength, for fire came out from Heshbon, flame from the house of Sihon; it has destroyed the forehead of Moab, the crown of the sons of tumult.46 Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh are undone, for your sons have been taken captive, and your daughters into captivity.47 Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days, declares the LORD.” Thus far is the judgment on Moab. Footnotes [1] 48:5 Hebrew weeping goes up with weeping [2] 48:5 Septuagint (compare Isaiah 15:5) heard the cry [3] 48:12 Septuagint, Aquila; Hebrew their (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: Mark 15 Mark 15 (Listen) Jesus Delivered to Pilate 15 And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate. 2 And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” 3 And the chief priests accused him of many things. 4 And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” 5 But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed. Pilate Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified 6 Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. 7 And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. 8 And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them. 9 And he answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” 10 For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. 12 And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” 13 And they cried out again, “Crucify him.” 14 And Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.” 15 So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged1 Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. Jesus Is Mocked 16 And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor's headquarters),2 and they called together the whole battalion.3 17 And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. 18 And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him. The Crucifixion 21 And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. 22 And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). 23 And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. 25 And it was the third hour4 when they crucified him. 26 And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” 27 And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left.5 29 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him. The Death of Jesus 33 And when the sixth hour6 had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.7 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 35 And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” 36 And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” 37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he8 breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son9 of God!” 40
Isaiah 13–17 Isaiah 13–17 (Listen) The Judgment of Babylon 13 The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw. 2 On a bare hill raise a signal; cry aloud to them; wave the hand for them to enter the gates of the nobles.3 I myself have commanded my consecrated ones, and have summoned my mighty men to execute my anger, my proudly exulting ones.1 4 The sound of a tumult is on the mountains as of a great multitude! The sound of an uproar of kingdoms, of nations gathering together! The LORD of hosts is mustering a host for battle.5 They come from a distant land, from the end of the heavens, the LORD and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.2 6 Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; as destruction from the Almighty3 it will come!7 Therefore all hands will be feeble, and every human heart will melt.8 They will be dismayed: pangs and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame. 9 Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it.10 For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light.11 I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless.12 I will make people more rare than fine gold, and mankind than the gold of Ophir.13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the LORD of hosts in the day of his fierce anger.14 And like a hunted gazelle, or like sheep with none to gather them, each will turn to his own people, and each will flee to his own land.15 Whoever is found will be thrust through, and whoever is caught will fall by the sword.16 Their infants will be dashed in pieces before their eyes; their houses will be plundered and their wives ravished. 17 Behold, I am stirring up the Medes against them, who have no regard for silver and do not delight in gold.18 Their bows will slaughter4 the young men; they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb; their eyes will not pity children.19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them.20 It will never be inhabited or lived in for all generations; no Arab will pitch his tent there; no shepherds will make their flocks lie down there.21 But wild animals will lie down there, and their houses will be full of howling creatures; there ostriches5 will dwell, and there wild goats will dance.22 Hyenas6 will cry in its towers, and jackals in the pleasant palaces; its time is close at hand and its days will not be prolonged. The Restoration of Jacob 14 For the LORD will have compassion on Jacob and will again choose Israel, and will set them in their own land, and sojourners will join them and will attach themselves to the house of Jacob. 2 And the peoples will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them in the LORD's land as male and female slaves.7 They will take captive those who were their captors, and rule over those who oppressed them. Israel's Remnant Taunts Babylon 3 When the LORD has given you rest from your pain and turmoil and the hard service with which you were made to serve, 4 you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: “How the oppressor has ceased, the insolent fury8 ceased!5 The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of rulers,6 that struck the peoples in wrath with unceasing blows, that ruled the nations in anger with unrelenting persecution.7 The whole earth is at rest and quiet; they break forth into singing.8 The cypresses rejoice at you, the cedars of Lebanon, saying, ‘Since you were laid low, no woodcutter comes up against us.'9 Sheol beneath is stirred up to meet you when you come; it rouses the shades to greet you, all who were leaders of the earth; it raises from their thrones all who were kings of the nations.10 All of them will answer and say to you: ‘You too have become as weak as we! You have become like us!'11 Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, the sound of your harps; maggots are laid as a bed beneath you, and worms are your covers. 12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low!13 You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north;914 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.'15 But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.16 Those who see you will stare at you and ponder over you: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms,17 who made the world like a desert and overthrew its cities, who did not let his prisoners go home?'18 All the kings of the nations lie in glory, each in his own tomb;1019 but you are cast out, away from your grave, like a loathed branch, clothed with the slain, those pierced by the sword, who go down to the stones of the pit, like a dead body trampled underfoot.20 You will not be joined with them in burial, because you have destroyed your land, you have slain your people. “May the offspring of evildoers nevermore be named!21 Prepare slaughter for his sons because of the guilt of their fathers, lest they rise and possess the earth, and fill the face of the world with cities.” 22 “I will rise up against them,” declares the LORD of hosts, “and will cut off from Babylon name and remnant, descendants and posterity,” declares the LORD. 23 “And I will make it a possession of the hedgehog,11 and pools of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction,” declares the LORD of hosts. An Oracle Concerning Assyria 24 The LORD of hosts has sworn: “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand,25 that I will break the Assyrian in my land, and on my mountains trample him underfoot; and his yoke shall depart from them, and his burden from their shoulder.” 26 This is the purpose that is purposed concerning the whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations.27 For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back? An Oracle Concerning Philistia 28 In the year that King Ahaz died came this oracle: 29 Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of you, that the rod that struck you is broken, for from the serpent's root will come forth an adder, and its fruit will be a flying fiery serpent.30 And the firstborn of the poor will graze, and the needy lie down in safety; but I will kill your root with famine, and your remnant it will slay.31 Wail, O gate; cry out, O city; melt in fear, O Philistia, all of you! For smoke comes out of the north, and there is no straggler in his ranks. 32 What will one answer the messengers of the nation? “The LORD has founded Zion, and in her the afflicted of his people find refuge.” An Oracle Concerning Moab 15 An oracle concerning Moab. Because Ar of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone; because Kir of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone.2 He has gone up to the temple,12 and to Dibon, to the high places13 to weep; over Nebo and over Medeba Moab wails. On every head is baldness; every beard is shorn;3 in the streets they wear sackcloth; on the housetops and in the squares everyone wails and melts in tears.4 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out; their voice is heard as far as Jahaz; therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud; his soul trembles.5 My heart cries out for Moab; her fugitives flee to Zoar, to Eglath-shelishiyah. For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping; on the road to Horonaim they raise a cry of destruction;6 the waters of Nimrim are a desolation; the grass is withered, the vegetation fails, the greenery is no more.7 Therefore the abundance they have gained and what they have laid up they carry away over the Brook of the Willows.8 For a cry has gone around the land of Moab; her wailing reaches to Eglaim; her wailing reaches to Beer-elim.9 For the waters of Dibon14 are full of blood; for I will bring upon Dibon even more, a lion for those of Moab who escape, for the remnant of the land.16 Send the lamb to the ruler of the land, from Sela, by way of the desert, to the mount of the daughter of Zion.2 Like fleeing birds, like a scattered nest, so are the daughters of Moab at the fords of the Arnon. 3 “Give counsel; grant justice; make your shade like night at the height of noon; shelter the outcasts; do not reveal the fugitive;4 let the outcasts of Moab sojourn among you; be a shelter to them15 from the destroyer. When the oppressor is no more, and destruction has ceased, and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land,5 then a throne will be established in steadfast love, and on it will sit in faithfulness in the tent of David one who judges and seeks justice and is swift to do righteousness.” 6 We have heard of the pride of Moab— how proud he is!— of his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence; in his idle boasting he is not right.7 Therefore let Moab wail for Moab, let everyone wail. Mourn, utterly stricken, for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth. 8 For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah; the lords of the nations have struck down its branches, which reached to Jazer and strayed to the desert; its shoots spread abroad and passed over the sea.9 Therefore I weep with the weeping of Jazer for the vine of Sibmah; I drench you with my tears, O Heshbon and Elealeh;
Jeremiah 46–48 Jeremiah 46–48 (Listen) Judgment on Egypt 46 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations. 2 About Egypt. Concerning the army of Pharaoh Neco, king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates at Carchemish and which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: 3 “Prepare buckler and shield, and advance for battle!4 Harness the horses; mount, O horsemen! Take your stations with your helmets, polish your spears, put on your armor!5 Why have I seen it? They are dismayed and have turned backward. Their warriors are beaten down and have fled in haste; they look not back— terror on every side! declares the LORD. 6 “The swift cannot flee away, nor the warrior escape; in the north by the river Euphrates they have stumbled and fallen. 7 “Who is this, rising like the Nile, like rivers whose waters surge?8 Egypt rises like the Nile, like rivers whose waters surge. He said, ‘I will rise, I will cover the earth, I will destroy cities and their inhabitants.'9 Advance, O horses, and rage, O chariots! Let the warriors go out: men of Cush and Put who handle the shield, men of Lud, skilled in handling the bow.10 That day is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, to avenge himself on his foes. The sword shall devour and be sated and drink its fill of their blood. For the Lord GOD of hosts holds a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates.11 Go up to Gilead, and take balm, O virgin daughter of Egypt! In vain you have used many medicines; there is no healing for you.12 The nations have heard of your shame, and the earth is full of your cry; for warrior has stumbled against warrior; they have both fallen together.” 13 The word that the LORD spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to strike the land of Egypt: 14 “Declare in Egypt, and proclaim in Migdol; proclaim in Memphis and Tahpanhes; say, ‘Stand ready and be prepared, for the sword shall devour around you.'15 Why are your mighty ones face down? They do not stand1 because the LORD thrust them down.16 He made many stumble, and they fell, and they said one to another, ‘Arise, and let us go back to our own people and to the land of our birth, because of the sword of the oppressor.'17 Call the name of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, ‘Noisy one who lets the hour go by.' 18 “As I live, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts, like Tabor among the mountains and like Carmel by the sea, shall one come.19 Prepare yourselves baggage for exile, O inhabitants of Egypt! For Memphis shall become a waste, a ruin, without inhabitant. 20 “A beautiful heifer is Egypt, but a biting fly from the north has come upon her.21 Even her hired soldiers in her midst are like fattened calves; yes, they have turned and fled together; they did not stand, for the day of their calamity has come upon them, the time of their punishment. 22 “She makes a sound like a serpent gliding away; for her enemies march in force and come against her with axes like those who fell trees.23 They shall cut down her forest, declares the LORD, though it is impenetrable, because they are more numerous than locusts; they are without number.24 The daughter of Egypt shall be put to shame; she shall be delivered into the hand of a people from the north.” 25 The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, said: “Behold, I am bringing punishment upon Amon of Thebes, and Pharaoh and Egypt and her gods and her kings, upon Pharaoh and those who trust in him. 26 I will deliver them into the hand of those who seek their life, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his officers. Afterward Egypt shall be inhabited as in the days of old, declares the LORD. 27 “But fear not, O Jacob my servant, nor be dismayed, O Israel, for behold, I will save you from far away, and your offspring from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease, and none shall make him afraid.28 Fear not, O Jacob my servant, declares the LORD, for I am with you. I will make a full end of all the nations to which I have driven you, but of you I will not make a full end. I will discipline you in just measure, and I will by no means leave you unpunished.” Judgment on the Philistines 47 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines, before Pharaoh struck down Gaza. 2 “Thus says the LORD: Behold, waters are rising out of the north, and shall become an overflowing torrent; they shall overflow the land and all that fills it, the city and those who dwell in it. Men shall cry out, and every inhabitant of the land shall wail.3 At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his stallions, at the rushing of his chariots, at the rumbling of their wheels, the fathers look not back to their children, so feeble are their hands,4 because of the day that is coming to destroy all the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Sidon every helper that remains. For the LORD is destroying the Philistines, the remnant of the coastland of Caphtor.5 Baldness has come upon Gaza; Ashkelon has perished. O remnant of their valley, how long will you gash yourselves?6 Ah, sword of the LORD! How long till you are quiet? Put yourself into your scabbard; rest and be still!7 How can it2 be quiet when the LORD has given it a charge? Against Ashkelon and against the seashore he has appointed it.” Judgment on Moab 48 Concerning Moab. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Woe to Nebo, for it is laid waste! Kiriathaim is put to shame, it is taken; the fortress is put to shame and broken down;2 the renown of Moab is no more. In Heshbon they planned disaster against her: ‘Come, let us cut her off from being a nation!' You also, O Madmen, shall be brought to silence; the sword shall pursue you. 3 “A voice! A cry from Horonaim, ‘Desolation and great destruction!'4 Moab is destroyed; her little ones have made a cry.5 For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping;3 for at the descent of Horonaim they have heard the distressed cry4 of destruction.6 Flee! Save yourselves! You will be like a juniper in the desert!7 For, because you trusted in your works and your treasures, you also shall be taken; and Chemosh shall go into exile with his priests and his officials.8 The destroyer shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape; the valley shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the LORD has spoken. 9 “Give wings to Moab, for she would fly away; her cities shall become a desolation, with no inhabitant in them. 10 “Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed. 11 “Moab has been at ease from his youth and has settled on his dregs; he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile; so his taste remains in him, and his scent is not changed. 12 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I shall send to him pourers who will pour him, and empty his vessels and break his5 jars in pieces. 13 Then Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence. 14 “How do you say, ‘We are heroes and mighty men of war'?15 The destroyer of Moab and his cities has come up, and the choicest of his young men have gone down to slaughter, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.16 The calamity of Moab is near at hand, and his affliction hastens swiftly.17 Grieve for him, all you who are around him, and all who know his name; say, ‘How the mighty scepter is broken, the glorious staff.' 18 “Come down from your glory, and sit on the parched ground, O inhabitant of Dibon! For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you; he has destroyed your strongholds.19 Stand by the way and watch, O inhabitant of Aroer! Ask him who flees and her who escapes; say, ‘What has happened?'20 Moab is put to shame, for it is broken; wail and cry! Tell it beside the Arnon, that Moab is laid waste. 21 “Judgment has come upon the tableland, upon Holon, and Jahzah, and Mephaath, 22 and Dibon, and Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim, 23 and Kiriathaim, and Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon, 24 and Kerioth, and Bozrah, and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near. 25 The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, declares the LORD. 26 “Make him drunk, because he magnified himself against the LORD, so that Moab shall wallow in his vomit, and he too shall be held in derision. 27 Was not Israel a derision to you? Was he found among thieves, that whenever you spoke of him you wagged your head? 28 “Leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, O inhabitants of Moab! Be like the dove that nests in the sides of the mouth of a gorge.29 We have heard of the pride of Moab— he is very proud— of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance, and the haughtiness of his heart.30 I know his insolence, declares the LORD; his boasts are false, his deeds are false.31 Therefore I wail for Moab; I cry out for all Moab; for the men of Kir-hareseth I mourn.32 More than for Jazer I weep for you, O vine of Sibmah! Your branches passed over the sea, reached to the Sea of Jazer; on your summer fruits and your grapes the destroyer has fallen.33 Gladness and joy have been taken away from the fruitful land of Moab; I have made the wine cease from the winepresses; no one treads them with shouts of joy; the shouting is not the shout of joy. 34 “From the outcry at Heshbon even to Elealeh, as far as Jahaz they utter their voice, from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. For the waters of Nimrim also have become desolate. 35 And I will bring to an end in Moab, declares the LORD, him who offers sacrifice in the high place and makes offerings to his god. 36 Therefore my heart moans for Moab like a flute, and my heart moans like a flute for the men of Kir-hareseth. Therefore the riches they gained have perished. 37 “For every head is shaved and every beard cut off. On all the hands are gashes, and around the waist is sackcloth. 38 On all the housetops of Moab and in the squares there is nothing but lamentation, for I have broken Moab like a vessel for which no one cares, declares the LORD. 39 How it is broken! How they wail! How Moab has turned his back in shame! So Moab has become a derision and a horror to all that are around him.” 40 For thus says the LORD: “Behold, one shall fly swiftly like an eagle and spread his wings against Moab;41 the cities shall be taken and the strongholds seized. The heart of the warriors of Moab shall be in that day like the heart of a woman in her birth pains;42 Moab shall be destroyed and be no longer a people, because he magnified himself against the LORD.43 Terror, pit, and snare are before you, O inhabitant of Moab! declares the LORD.44 He who flees from the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For I will bring these things upon Moab, the year of their punishment, declares the LORD. 45 “In the shadow of Heshbon fugitives stop without strength, for fire came out from Heshbon, flame from the house of Sihon; it has destroyed the forehead of Moab, the crown of the sons of tumult.46 Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh are undone, for your sons have been taken captive, and your daughters into captivity.47 Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days, declares the LORD.” Thus far is the judgment on Moab. Footnotes [1] 46:15 Hebrew He does not stand
Isaiah 13–17 Isaiah 13–17 (Listen) The Judgment of Babylon 13 The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw. 2 On a bare hill raise a signal; cry aloud to them; wave the hand for them to enter the gates of the nobles.3 I myself have commanded my consecrated ones, and have summoned my mighty men to execute my anger, my proudly exulting ones.1 4 The sound of a tumult is on the mountains as of a great multitude! The sound of an uproar of kingdoms, of nations gathering together! The LORD of hosts is mustering a host for battle.5 They come from a distant land, from the end of the heavens, the LORD and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.2 6 Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; as destruction from the Almighty3 it will come!7 Therefore all hands will be feeble, and every human heart will melt.8 They will be dismayed: pangs and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame. 9 Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it.10 For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light.11 I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless.12 I will make people more rare than fine gold, and mankind than the gold of Ophir.13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the LORD of hosts in the day of his fierce anger.14 And like a hunted gazelle, or like sheep with none to gather them, each will turn to his own people, and each will flee to his own land.15 Whoever is found will be thrust through, and whoever is caught will fall by the sword.16 Their infants will be dashed in pieces before their eyes; their houses will be plundered and their wives ravished. 17 Behold, I am stirring up the Medes against them, who have no regard for silver and do not delight in gold.18 Their bows will slaughter4 the young men; they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb; their eyes will not pity children.19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them.20 It will never be inhabited or lived in for all generations; no Arab will pitch his tent there; no shepherds will make their flocks lie down there.21 But wild animals will lie down there, and their houses will be full of howling creatures; there ostriches5 will dwell, and there wild goats will dance.22 Hyenas6 will cry in its towers, and jackals in the pleasant palaces; its time is close at hand and its days will not be prolonged. The Restoration of Jacob 14 For the LORD will have compassion on Jacob and will again choose Israel, and will set them in their own land, and sojourners will join them and will attach themselves to the house of Jacob. 2 And the peoples will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them in the LORD's land as male and female slaves.7 They will take captive those who were their captors, and rule over those who oppressed them. Israel's Remnant Taunts Babylon 3 When the LORD has given you rest from your pain and turmoil and the hard service with which you were made to serve, 4 you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: “How the oppressor has ceased, the insolent fury8 ceased!5 The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of rulers,6 that struck the peoples in wrath with unceasing blows, that ruled the nations in anger with unrelenting persecution.7 The whole earth is at rest and quiet; they break forth into singing.8 The cypresses rejoice at you, the cedars of Lebanon, saying, ‘Since you were laid low, no woodcutter comes up against us.'9 Sheol beneath is stirred up to meet you when you come; it rouses the shades to greet you, all who were leaders of the earth; it raises from their thrones all who were kings of the nations.10 All of them will answer and say to you: ‘You too have become as weak as we! You have become like us!'11 Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, the sound of your harps; maggots are laid as a bed beneath you, and worms are your covers. 12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low!13 You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north;914 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.'15 But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.16 Those who see you will stare at you and ponder over you: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms,17 who made the world like a desert and overthrew its cities, who did not let his prisoners go home?'18 All the kings of the nations lie in glory, each in his own tomb;1019 but you are cast out, away from your grave, like a loathed branch, clothed with the slain, those pierced by the sword, who go down to the stones of the pit, like a dead body trampled underfoot.20 You will not be joined with them in burial, because you have destroyed your land, you have slain your people. “May the offspring of evildoers nevermore be named!21 Prepare slaughter for his sons because of the guilt of their fathers, lest they rise and possess the earth, and fill the face of the world with cities.” 22 “I will rise up against them,” declares the LORD of hosts, “and will cut off from Babylon name and remnant, descendants and posterity,” declares the LORD. 23 “And I will make it a possession of the hedgehog,11 and pools of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction,” declares the LORD of hosts. An Oracle Concerning Assyria 24 The LORD of hosts has sworn: “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand,25 that I will break the Assyrian in my land, and on my mountains trample him underfoot; and his yoke shall depart from them, and his burden from their shoulder.” 26 This is the purpose that is purposed concerning the whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations.27 For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back? An Oracle Concerning Philistia 28 In the year that King Ahaz died came this oracle: 29 Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of you, that the rod that struck you is broken, for from the serpent's root will come forth an adder, and its fruit will be a flying fiery serpent.30 And the firstborn of the poor will graze, and the needy lie down in safety; but I will kill your root with famine, and your remnant it will slay.31 Wail, O gate; cry out, O city; melt in fear, O Philistia, all of you! For smoke comes out of the north, and there is no straggler in his ranks. 32 What will one answer the messengers of the nation? “The LORD has founded Zion, and in her the afflicted of his people find refuge.” An Oracle Concerning Moab 15 An oracle concerning Moab. Because Ar of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone; because Kir of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone.2 He has gone up to the temple,12 and to Dibon, to the high places13 to weep; over Nebo and over Medeba Moab wails. On every head is baldness; every beard is shorn;3 in the streets they wear sackcloth; on the housetops and in the squares everyone wails and melts in tears.4 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out; their voice is heard as far as Jahaz; therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud; his soul trembles.5 My heart cries out for Moab; her fugitives flee to Zoar, to Eglath-shelishiyah. For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping; on the road to Horonaim they raise a cry of destruction;6 the waters of Nimrim are a desolation; the grass is withered, the vegetation fails, the greenery is no more.7 Therefore the abundance they have gained and what they have laid up they carry away over the Brook of the Willows.8 For a cry has gone around the land of Moab; her wailing reaches to Eglaim; her wailing reaches to Beer-elim.9 For the waters of Dibon14 are full of blood; for I will bring upon Dibon even more, a lion for those of Moab who escape, for the remnant of the land.16 Send the lamb to the ruler of the land, from Sela, by way of the desert, to the mount of the daughter of Zion.2 Like fleeing birds, like a scattered nest, so are the daughters of Moab at the fords of the Arnon. 3 “Give counsel; grant justice; make your shade like night at the height of noon; shelter the outcasts; do not reveal the fugitive;4 let the outcasts of Moab sojourn among you; be a shelter to them15 from the destroyer. When the oppressor is no more, and destruction has ceased, and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land,5 then a throne will be established in steadfast love, and on it will sit in faithfulness in the tent of David one who judges and seeks justice and is swift to do righteousness.” 6 We have heard of the pride of Moab— how proud he is!— of his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence; in his idle boasting he is not right.7 Therefore let Moab wail for Moab, let everyone wail. Mourn, utterly stricken, for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth. 8 For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah; the lords of the nations have struck down its branches, which reached to Jazer and strayed to the desert; its shoots spread abroad and passed over the sea.9 Therefore I weep with the weeping of Jazer for the vine of Sibmah; I drench you with my tears, O Heshbon and Elealeh;
With family: Numbers 25; Psalm 68 Numbers 25 (Listen) Baal Worship at Peor 25 While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. 2 These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. 4 And the LORD said to Moses, “Take all the chiefs of the people and hang1 them in the sun before the LORD, that the fierce anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel.” 5 And Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you kill those of his men who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor.” 6 And behold, one of the people of Israel came and brought a Midianite woman to his family, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the people of Israel, while they were weeping in the entrance of the tent of meeting. 7 When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose and left the congregation and took a spear in his hand 8 and went after the man of Israel into the chamber and pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the woman through her belly. Thus the plague on the people of Israel was stopped. 9 Nevertheless, those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand. The Zeal of Phinehas 10 And the LORD said to Moses, 11 “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy. 12 Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace, 13 and it shall be to him and to his descendants after him the covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the people of Israel.'” 14 The name of the slain man of Israel, who was killed with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, chief of a father's house belonging to the Simeonites. 15 And the name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi the daughter of Zur, who was the tribal head of a father's house in Midian. 16 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “Harass the Midianites and strike them down, 18 for they have harassed you with their wiles, with which they beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of the chief of Midian, their sister, who was killed on the day of the plague on account of Peor.” Footnotes [1] 25:4 Or impale (ESV) Psalm 68 (Listen) God Shall Scatter His Enemies To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A Song. 68 God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered; and those who hate him shall flee before him!2 As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away; as wax melts before fire, so the wicked shall perish before God!3 But the righteous shall be glad; they shall exult before God; they shall be jubilant with joy! 4 Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the LORD; exult before him!5 Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.6 God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land. 7 O God, when you went out before your people, when you marched through the wilderness, Selah8 the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain, before God, the One of Sinai, before God,1 the God of Israel.9 Rain in abundance, O God, you shed abroad; you restored your inheritance as it languished;10 your flock2 found a dwelling in it; in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy. 11 The Lord gives the word; the women who announce the news are a great host:12 “The kings of the armies—they flee, they flee!” The women at home divide the spoil—13 though you men lie among the sheepfolds— the wings of a dove covered with silver, its pinions with shimmering gold.14 When the Almighty scatters kings there, let snow fall on Zalmon. 15 O mountain of God, mountain of Bashan; O many-peaked3 mountain, mountain of Bashan!16 Why do you look with hatred, O many-peaked mountain, at the mount that God desired for his abode, yes, where the LORD will dwell forever?17 The chariots of God are twice ten thousand, thousands upon thousands; the Lord is among them; Sinai is now in the sanctuary.18 You ascended on high, leading a host of captives in your train and receiving gifts among men, even among the rebellious, that the LORD God may dwell there. 19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. Selah20 Our God is a God of salvation, and to GOD, the Lord, belong deliverances from death.21 But God will strike the heads of his enemies, the hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways.22 The Lord said, “I will bring them back from Bashan, I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,23 that you may strike your feet in their blood, that the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from the foe.” 24 Your procession is4 seen, O God, the procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary—25 the singers in front, the musicians last, between them virgins playing tambourines:26 “Bless God in the great congregation, the LORD, O you5 who are of Israel's fountain!”27 There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead, the princes of Judah in their throng, the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali. 28 Summon your power, O God,6 the power, O God, by which you have worked for us.29 Because of your temple at Jerusalem kings shall bear gifts to you.30 Rebuke the beasts that dwell among the reeds, the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples. Trample underfoot those who lust after tribute; scatter the peoples who delight in war.731 Nobles shall come from Egypt; Cush shall hasten to stretch out her hands to God. 32 O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God; sing praises to the Lord, Selah33 to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens; behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.34 Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel, and whose power is in the skies.35 Awesome is God from his8 sanctuary; the God of Israel—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people. Blessed be God! Footnotes [1] 68:8 Or before God, even Sinai before God [2] 68:10 Or your congregation [3] 68:15 Or hunch-backed; also verse 16 [4] 68:24 Or has been [5] 68:26 The Hebrew for you is plural here [6] 68:28 By revocalization (compare Septuagint); Hebrew Your God has summoned your power [7] 68:30 The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain [8] 68:35 Septuagint; Hebrew your (ESV) In private: Isaiah 15; 1 Peter 3 Isaiah 15 (Listen) An Oracle Concerning Moab 15 An oracle concerning Moab. Because Ar of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone; because Kir of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone.2 He has gone up to the temple,1 and to Dibon, to the high places2 to weep; over Nebo and over Medeba Moab wails. On every head is baldness; every beard is shorn;3 in the streets they wear sackcloth; on the housetops and in the squares everyone wails and melts in tears.4 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out; their voice is heard as far as Jahaz; therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud; his soul trembles.5 My heart cries out for Moab; her fugitives flee to Zoar, to Eglath-shelishiyah. For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping; on the road to Horonaim they raise a cry of destruction;6 the waters of Nimrim are a desolation; the grass is withered, the vegetation fails, the greenery is no more.7 Therefore the abundance they have gained and what they have laid up they carry away over the Brook of the Willows.8 For a cry has gone around the land of Moab; her wailing reaches to Eglaim; her wailing reaches to Beer-elim.9 For the waters of Dibon3 are full of blood; for I will bring upon Dibon even more, a lion for those of Moab who escape, for the remnant of the land. Footnotes [1] 15:2 Hebrew the house [2] 15:2 Or temple, even Dibon to the high places [3] 15:9 Dead Sea Scroll, Vulgate (compare Syriac); Masoretic Text Dimon; twice in this verse (ESV) 1 Peter 3 (Listen) Wives and Husbands 3 Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they see your respectful and pure conduct. 3 Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. 5 For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening. 7 Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you1 of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. Suffering for Righteousness' Sake 8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. 10 For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit;11 let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil. 18 For Christ also suffered2 once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which3 he went and proclaimed4 to the spirits in prison, 20 because5 they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him. Footnotes [1] 3:7 Some manuscripts since you are joint heirs [2] 3:18 Some manuscripts died [3] 3:19 Or the Spirit, in whom [4] 3:19 Or preached [5] 3:20 Or when (ESV)
Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 107 Psalm 107 (Listen) Book Five Let the Redeemed of the Lord Say So 107 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble13 and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. 4 Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in;5 hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.6 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.7 He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in.8 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!9 For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things. 10 Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons,11 for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High.12 So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor; they fell down, with none to help.13 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart.15 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!16 For he shatters the doors of bronze and cuts in two the bars of iron. 17 Some were fools through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;18 they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death.19 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.20 He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.21 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!22 And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy! 23 Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters;24 they saw the deeds of the LORD, his wondrous works in the deep.25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea.26 They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their evil plight;27 they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits' end.228 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.29 He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.30 Then they were glad that the waters3 were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.31 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders. 33 He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground,34 a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the evil of its inhabitants.35 He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water.36 And there he lets the hungry dwell, and they establish a city to live in;37 they sow fields and plant vineyards and get a fruitful yield.38 By his blessing they multiply greatly, and he does not let their livestock diminish. 39 When they are diminished and brought low through oppression, evil, and sorrow,40 he pours contempt on princes and makes them wander in trackless wastes;41 but he raises up the needy out of affliction and makes their families like flocks.42 The upright see it and are glad, and all wickedness shuts its mouth. 43 Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD. Footnotes [1] 107:2 Or from the hand of the foe [2] 107:27 Hebrew and all their wisdom was swallowed up [3] 107:30 Hebrew they (ESV) Pentateuch and History: Leviticus 14:1–32 Leviticus 14:1–32 (Listen) Laws for Cleansing Lepers 14 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “This shall be the law of the leprous person for the day of his cleansing. He shall be brought to the priest, 3 and the priest shall go out of the camp, and the priest shall look. Then, if the case of leprous disease is healed in the leprous person, 4 the priest shall command them to take for him who is to be cleansed two live1 clean birds and cedarwood and scarlet yarn and hyssop. 5 And the priest shall command them to kill one of the birds in an earthenware vessel over fresh2 water. 6 He shall take the live bird with the cedarwood and the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, and dip them and the live bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water. 7 And he shall sprinkle it seven times on him who is to be cleansed of the leprous disease. Then he shall pronounce him clean and shall let the living bird go into the open field. 8 And he who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes and shave off all his hair and bathe himself in water, and he shall be clean. And after that he may come into the camp, but live outside his tent seven days. 9 And on the seventh day he shall shave off all his hair from his head, his beard, and his eyebrows. He shall shave off all his hair, and then he shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and he shall be clean. 10 “And on the eighth day he shall take two male lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb a year old without blemish, and a grain offering of three tenths of an ephah3 of fine flour mixed with oil, and one log4 of oil. 11 And the priest who cleanses him shall set the man who is to be cleansed and these things before the LORD, at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 12 And the priest shall take one of the male lambs and offer it for a guilt offering, along with the log of oil, and wave them for a wave offering before the LORD. 13 And he shall kill the lamb in the place where they kill the sin offering and the burnt offering, in the place of the sanctuary. For the guilt offering, like the sin offering, belongs to the priest; it is most holy. 14 The priest shall take some of the blood of the guilt offering, and the priest shall put it on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. 15 Then the priest shall take some of the log of oil and pour it into the palm of his own left hand 16 and dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand and sprinkle some oil with his finger seven times before the LORD. 17 And some of the oil that remains in his hand the priest shall put on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering. 18 And the rest of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed. Then the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD. 19 The priest shall offer the sin offering, to make atonement for him who is to be cleansed from his uncleanness. And afterward he shall kill the burnt offering. 20 And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be clean. 21 “But if he is poor and cannot afford so much, then he shall take one male lamb for a guilt offering to be waved, to make atonement for him, and a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, and a log of oil; 22 also two turtledoves or two pigeons, whichever he can afford. The one shall be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering. 23 And on the eighth day he shall bring them for his cleansing to the priest, to the entrance of the tent of meeting, before the LORD. 24 And the priest shall take the lamb of the guilt offering and the log of oil, and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD. 25 And he shall kill the lamb of the guilt offering. And the priest shall take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. 26 And the priest shall pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left hand, 27 and shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before the LORD. 28 And the priest shall put some of the oil that is in his hand on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot, in the place where the blood of the guilt offering was put. 29 And the rest of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before the LORD. 30 And he shall offer, of the turtledoves or pigeons, whichever he can afford, 31 one5 for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, along with a grain offering. And the priest shall make atonement before the LORD for him who is being cleansed. 32 This is the law for him in whom is a case of leprous disease, who cannot afford the offerings for his cleansing.” Footnotes [1] 14:4 Or wild [2] 14:5 Or running; Hebrew living; also verses 6, 50, 51, 52 [3] 14:10 An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters [4] 14:10 A log was about 1/3 quart or 0.3 liter [5] 14:31 Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew afford, 31such as he can afford, one (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Isaiah 15–16 Isaiah 15–16 (Listen) An Oracle Concerning Moab 15 An oracle concerning Moab. Because Ar of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone; because Kir of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone.2 He has gone up to the temple,1 and to Dibon, to the high places2 to weep; over Nebo and over Medeba Moab wails. On every head is baldness; every beard is shorn;3 in the streets they wear sackcloth; on the housetops and in the squares everyone wails and melts in tears.4 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out; their voice is heard as far as Jahaz; therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud; his soul trembles.5 My heart cries out for Moab; her fugitives flee to Zoar, to Eglath-shelishiyah. For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping; on the road to Horonaim they raise a cry of destruction;6 the waters of Nimrim are a desolation; the grass is withered, the vegetation fails, the greenery is no more.7 Therefore the abundance they have gained and what they have laid up they carry away over the Brook of the Willows.8 For a cry has gone around the land of Moab; her wailing reaches to Eglaim; her wailing reaches to Beer-elim.9 For the waters of Dibon3 are full of blood; for I will bring upon Dibon even more, a lion for those of Moab who escape, for the remnant of the land.16 Send the lamb to the ruler of the land, from Sela, by way of the desert, to the mount of the daughter of Zion.2 Like fleeing birds, like a scattered nest, so are the daughters of Moab at the fords of the Arnon. 3 “Give counsel; grant justice; make your shade like night at the height of noon; shelter the outcasts; do not reveal the fugitive;4 let the outcasts of Moab sojourn among you; be a shelter to them4 from the destroyer. When the oppressor is no more, and destruction has ceased, and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land,5 then a throne will be established in steadfast love, and on it will sit in faithfulness in the tent of David one who judges and seeks justice and is swift to do righteousness.” 6 We have heard of the pride of Moab— how proud he is!— of his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence; in his idle boasting he is not right.7 Therefore let Moab wail for Moab, let everyone wail. Mourn, utterly stricken, for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth. 8 For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah; the lords of the nations have struck down its branches, which reached to Jazer and strayed to the desert; its shoots spread abroad and passed over the sea.9 Therefore I weep with the weeping of Jazer for the vine of Sibmah; I drench you with my tears, O Heshbon and Elealeh; for over your summer fruit and your harvest the shout has ceased.10 And joy and gladness are taken away from the fruitful field, and in the vineyards no songs are sung, no cheers are raised; no treader treads out wine in the presses; I have put an end to the shouting.11 Therefore my inner parts moan like a lyre for Moab, and my inmost self for Kir-hareseth. 12 And when Moab presents himself, when he wearies himself on the high place, when he comes to his sanctuary to pray, he will not prevail. 13 This is the word that the LORD spoke concerning Moab in the past. 14 But now the LORD has spoken, saying, “In three years, like the years of a hired worker, the glory of Moab will be brought into contempt, in spite of all his great multitude, and those who remain will be very few and feeble.” Footnotes [1] 15:2 Hebrew the house [2] 15:2 Or temple, even Dibon to the high places [3] 15:9 Dead Sea Scroll, Vulgate (compare Syriac); Masoretic Text Dimon; twice in this verse [4] 16:4 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac; Masoretic Text let my outcasts sojourn among you; as for Moab, be a shelter to them (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: 2 Corinthians 10:13–12:13 2 Corinthians 10:13–12:13 (Listen) 13 But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you. 14 For we are not overextending ourselves, as though we did not reach you. For we were the first to come all the way to you with the gospel of Christ. 15 We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others. But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged, 16 so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another's area of influence. 17 “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” 18 For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. Paul and the False Apostles 11 I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! 2 For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. 5 Indeed, I consider that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. 6 Even if I am uns
Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 115 Psalm 115 (Listen) To Your Name Give Glory 115 Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! 2 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”3 Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. 4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.5 They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see.6 They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell.7 They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat.8 Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them. 9 O Israel,1 trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield.10 O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield.11 You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield. 12 The LORD has remembered us; he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron;13 he will bless those who fear the LORD, both the small and the great. 14 May the LORD give you increase, you and your children!15 May you be blessed by the LORD, who made heaven and earth! 16 The heavens are the LORD's heavens, but the earth he has given to the children of man.17 The dead do not praise the LORD, nor do any who go down into silence.18 But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and forevermore. Praise the LORD! Footnotes [1] 115:9 Masoretic Text; many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac O house of Israel (ESV) Pentateuch and History: 2 Kings 23:1–30 2 Kings 23:1–30 (Listen) Josiah's Reforms 23 Then the king sent, and all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem were gathered to him. 2 And the king went up to the house of the LORD, and with him all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priests and the prophets, all the people, both small and great. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the LORD. 3 And the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people joined in the covenant. 4 And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the priests of the second order and the keepers of the threshold to bring out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron and carried their ashes to Bethel. 5 And he deposed the priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to make offerings in the high places at the cities of Judah and around Jerusalem; those also who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and the moon and the constellations and all the host of the heavens. 6 And he brought out the Asherah from the house of the LORD, outside Jerusalem, to the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron and beat it to dust and cast the dust of it upon the graves of the common people. 7 And he broke down the houses of the male cult prostitutes who were in the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the Asherah. 8 And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had made offerings, from Geba to Beersheba. And he broke down the high places of the gates that were at the entrance of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on one's left at the gate of the city. 9 However, the priests of the high places did not come up to the altar of the LORD in Jerusalem, but they ate unleavened bread among their brothers. 10 And he defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, that no one might burn his son or his daughter as an offering to Molech.1 11 And he removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun, at the entrance to the house of the LORD, by the chamber of Nathan-melech the chamberlain, which was in the precincts.2 And he burned the chariots of the sun with fire. 12 And the altars on the roof of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars that Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the LORD, he pulled down and broke in pieces3 and cast the dust of them into the brook Kidron. 13 And the king defiled the high places that were east of Jerusalem, to the south of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 14 And he broke in pieces the pillars and cut down the Asherim and filled their places with the bones of men. 15 Moreover, the altar at Bethel, the high place erected by Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, that altar with the high place he pulled down and burned,4 reducing it to dust. He also burned the Asherah. 16 And as Josiah turned, he saw the tombs there on the mount. And he sent and took the bones out of the tombs and burned them on the altar and defiled it, according to the word of the LORD that the man of God proclaimed, who had predicted these things. 17 Then he said, “What is that monument that I see?” And the men of the city told him, “It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and predicted5 these things that you have done against the altar at Bethel.” 18 And he said, “Let him be; let no man move his bones.” So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet who came out of Samaria. 19 And Josiah removed all the shrines also of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which kings of Israel had made, provoking the LORD to anger. He did to them according to all that he had done at Bethel. 20 And he sacrificed all the priests of the high places who were there, on the altars, and burned human bones on them. Then he returned to Jerusalem. Josiah Restores the Passover 21 And the king commanded all the people, “Keep the Passover to the LORD your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.” 22 For no such Passover had been kept since the days of the judges who judged Israel, or during all the days of the kings of Israel or of the kings of Judah. 23 But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this Passover was kept to the LORD in Jerusalem. 24 Moreover, Josiah put away the mediums and the necromancers and the household gods and the idols and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might establish the words of the law that were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the LORD. 25 Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him. 26 Still the LORD did not turn from the burning of his great wrath, by which his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked him. 27 And the LORD said, “I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and I will cast off this city that I have chosen, Jerusalem, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.” Josiah's Death in Battle 28 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 29 In his days Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt went up to the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates. King Josiah went to meet him, and Pharaoh Neco killed him at Megiddo, as soon as he saw him. 30 And his servants carried him dead in a chariot from Megiddo and brought him to Jerusalem and buried him in his own tomb. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king in his father's place. Footnotes [1] 23:10 Hebrew might cause his son or daughter to pass through the fire for Molech [2] 23:11 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain [3] 23:12 Hebrew pieces from there [4] 23:15 Septuagint broke in pieces its stones [5] 23:17 Hebrew called (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Isaiah 15–16 Isaiah 15–16 (Listen) An Oracle Concerning Moab 15 An oracle concerning Moab. Because Ar of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone; because Kir of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone.2 He has gone up to the temple,1 and to Dibon, to the high places2 to weep; over Nebo and over Medeba Moab wails. On every head is baldness; every beard is shorn;3 in the streets they wear sackcloth; on the housetops and in the squares everyone wails and melts in tears.4 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out; their voice is heard as far as Jahaz; therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud; his soul trembles.5 My heart cries out for Moab; her fugitives flee to Zoar, to Eglath-shelishiyah. For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping; on the road to Horonaim they raise a cry of destruction;6 the waters of Nimrim are a desolation; the grass is withered, the vegetation fails, the greenery is no more.7 Therefore the abundance they have gained and what they have laid up they carry away over the Brook of the Willows.8 For a cry has gone around the land of Moab; her wailing reaches to Eglaim; her wailing reaches to Beer-elim.9 For the waters of Dibon3 are full of blood; for I will bring upon Dibon even more, a lion for those of Moab who escape, for the remnant of the land.16 Send the lamb to the ruler of the land, from Sela, by way of the desert, to the mount of the daughter of Zion.2 Like fleeing birds, like a scattered nest, so are the daughters of Moab at the fords of the Arnon. 3 “Give counsel; grant justice; make your shade like night at the height of noon; shelter the outcasts; do not reveal the fugitive;4 let the outcasts of Moab sojourn among you; be a shelter to them4 from the destroyer. When the oppressor is no more, and destruction has ceased, and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land,5 then a throne will be established in steadfast love, and on it will sit in faithfulness in the tent of David one who judges and seeks justice and is swift to do righteousness.” 6 We have heard of the pride of Moab— how proud he is!— of his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence; in his idle boasting he is not right.7 Therefore let Moab wail for Moab, let everyone wail. Mourn, utterly stricken, for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth. 8 For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah; the lords of the nations have struck down its branches, which reached to Jazer and strayed to the desert; its shoots spread abroad and passed over the sea.9 Therefore I weep with the weeping of Jazer for the vine of Sibmah; I drench you with my tears, O Heshbon and Elealeh; for over your summer fruit and your harvest the shout has ceased.10 And joy and gladness are taken away from the fruitful field, and in the vineyards no songs are sung, no cheers are raised; no treader treads out wine in the presses; I have put an end to the shouting.11 Therefore my inner parts moan like a lyre for Moab, and my inmost self for Kir-hareseth. 12 And when Moab presents himself, when he wearies himself on the high place, when he comes to his sanctuary to pray, he will not prevail. 13 This is the word that the LORD spoke concerning Moab in the past. 14 But now the LORD has spoken, saying, “In three years, like the years of a hired worker, the glory of Moab will be brought into contempt, in spite of all his great multitude, and those who remain will be very few and feeble.” Footnotes [1] 15:2 Hebrew the house [2] 15:2 Or temple, even Dibon to the high places [3] 15:9 Dead Sea Scroll, Vulgate (compare Syriac); Masoretic Text Dimon; twice in this verse [4] 16:4 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac; Masoretic Text let my outcasts sojourn among you; as for Moab, be a shelter to them (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: John 15:18–16:15 John 15:18–16:15 (Listen) The Hatred of the World 18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin,1 but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.' 26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning. 16 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. 3 And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. 4 But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. The Work of the Holy Spirit “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?' 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. Footnotes [1] 15:22 Greek they would not have sin; also verse 24 (ESV)
Old Testament: Jeremiah 48 Jeremiah 48 (Listen) Judgment on Moab 48 Concerning Moab. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Woe to Nebo, for it is laid waste! Kiriathaim is put to shame, it is taken; the fortress is put to shame and broken down;2 the renown of Moab is no more. In Heshbon they planned disaster against her: ‘Come, let us cut her off from being a nation!' You also, O Madmen, shall be brought to silence; the sword shall pursue you. 3 “A voice! A cry from Horonaim, ‘Desolation and great destruction!'4 Moab is destroyed; her little ones have made a cry.5 For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping;1 for at the descent of Horonaim they have heard the distressed cry2 of destruction.6 Flee! Save yourselves! You will be like a juniper in the desert!7 For, because you trusted in your works and your treasures, you also shall be taken; and Chemosh shall go into exile with his priests and his officials.8 The destroyer shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape; the valley shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the LORD has spoken. 9 “Give wings to Moab, for she would fly away; her cities shall become a desolation, with no inhabitant in them. 10 “Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed. 11 “Moab has been at ease from his youth and has settled on his dregs; he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile; so his taste remains in him, and his scent is not changed. 12 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I shall send to him pourers who will pour him, and empty his vessels and break his3 jars in pieces. 13 Then Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence. 14 “How do you say, ‘We are heroes and mighty men of war'?15 The destroyer of Moab and his cities has come up, and the choicest of his young men have gone down to slaughter, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.16 The calamity of Moab is near at hand, and his affliction hastens swiftly.17 Grieve for him, all you who are around him, and all who know his name; say, ‘How the mighty scepter is broken, the glorious staff.' 18 “Come down from your glory, and sit on the parched ground, O inhabitant of Dibon! For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you; he has destroyed your strongholds.19 Stand by the way and watch, O inhabitant of Aroer! Ask him who flees and her who escapes; say, ‘What has happened?'20 Moab is put to shame, for it is broken; wail and cry! Tell it beside the Arnon, that Moab is laid waste. 21 “Judgment has come upon the tableland, upon Holon, and Jahzah, and Mephaath, 22 and Dibon, and Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim, 23 and Kiriathaim, and Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon, 24 and Kerioth, and Bozrah, and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near. 25 The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, declares the LORD. 26 “Make him drunk, because he magnified himself against the LORD, so that Moab shall wallow in his vomit, and he too shall be held in derision. 27 Was not Israel a derision to you? Was he found among thieves, that whenever you spoke of him you wagged your head? 28 “Leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, O inhabitants of Moab! Be like the dove that nests in the sides of the mouth of a gorge.29 We have heard of the pride of Moab— he is very proud— of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance, and the haughtiness of his heart.30 I know his insolence, declares the LORD; his boasts are false, his deeds are false.31 Therefore I wail for Moab; I cry out for all Moab; for the men of Kir-hareseth I mourn.32 More than for Jazer I weep for you, O vine of Sibmah! Your branches passed over the sea, reached to the Sea of Jazer; on your summer fruits and your grapes the destroyer has fallen.33 Gladness and joy have been taken away from the fruitful land of Moab; I have made the wine cease from the winepresses; no one treads them with shouts of joy; the shouting is not the shout of joy. 34 “From the outcry at Heshbon even to Elealeh, as far as Jahaz they utter their voice, from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. For the waters of Nimrim also have become desolate. 35 And I will bring to an end in Moab, declares the LORD, him who offers sacrifice in the high place and makes offerings to his god. 36 Therefore my heart moans for Moab like a flute, and my heart moans like a flute for the men of Kir-hareseth. Therefore the riches they gained have perished. 37 “For every head is shaved and every beard cut off. On all the hands are gashes, and around the waist is sackcloth. 38 On all the housetops of Moab and in the squares there is nothing but lamentation, for I have broken Moab like a vessel for which no one cares, declares the LORD. 39 How it is broken! How they wail! How Moab has turned his back in shame! So Moab has become a derision and a horror to all that are around him.” 40 For thus says the LORD: “Behold, one shall fly swiftly like an eagle and spread his wings against Moab;41 the cities shall be taken and the strongholds seized. The heart of the warriors of Moab shall be in that day like the heart of a woman in her birth pains;42 Moab shall be destroyed and be no longer a people, because he magnified himself against the LORD.43 Terror, pit, and snare are before you, O inhabitant of Moab! declares the LORD.44 He who flees from the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For I will bring these things upon Moab, the year of their punishment, declares the LORD. 45 “In the shadow of Heshbon fugitives stop without strength, for fire came out from Heshbon, flame from the house of Sihon; it has destroyed the forehead of Moab, the crown of the sons of tumult.46 Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh are undone, for your sons have been taken captive, and your daughters into captivity.47 Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days, declares the LORD.” Thus far is the judgment on Moab. Footnotes [1] 48:5 Hebrew weeping goes up with weeping [2] 48:5 Septuagint (compare Isaiah 15:5) heard the cry [3] 48:12 Septuagint, Aquila; Hebrew their (ESV) New Testament: Revelation 3:1–13 Revelation 3:1–13 (Listen) To the Church in Sardis 3 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. 4 Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.' To the Church in Philadelphia 7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens. 8 “‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. 11 I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. 12 The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. 13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.' (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 119:17–24 Psalm 119:17–24 (Listen) Gimel 17 Deal bountifully with your servant, that I may live and keep your word.18 Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.19 I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not your commandments from me!20 My soul is consumed with longing for your rules1 at all times.21 You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones, who wander from your commandments.22 Take away from me scorn and contempt, for I have kept your testimonies.23 Even though princes sit plotting against me, your servant will meditate on your statutes.24 Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors. Footnotes [1] 119:20 Or your just decrees; also verses 30, 39, 43, 52, 75, 102, 108, 137, 156, 175 (ESV) Proverb: Proverbs 27:14 Proverbs 27:14 (Listen) 14 Whoever blesses his neighbor with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, will be counted as cursing. (ESV)
Old Testament: Jeremiah 48 Jeremiah 48 (Listen) Judgment on Moab 48 Concerning Moab. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Woe to Nebo, for it is laid waste! Kiriathaim is put to shame, it is taken; the fortress is put to shame and broken down;2 the renown of Moab is no more. In Heshbon they planned disaster against her: ‘Come, let us cut her off from being a nation!' You also, O Madmen, shall be brought to silence; the sword shall pursue you. 3 “A voice! A cry from Horonaim, ‘Desolation and great destruction!'4 Moab is destroyed; her little ones have made a cry.5 For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping;1 for at the descent of Horonaim they have heard the distressed cry2 of destruction.6 Flee! Save yourselves! You will be like a juniper in the desert!7 For, because you trusted in your works and your treasures, you also shall be taken; and Chemosh shall go into exile with his priests and his officials.8 The destroyer shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape; the valley shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the LORD has spoken. 9 “Give wings to Moab, for she would fly away; her cities shall become a desolation, with no inhabitant in them. 10 “Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed. 11 “Moab has been at ease from his youth and has settled on his dregs; he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile; so his taste remains in him, and his scent is not changed. 12 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I shall send to him pourers who will pour him, and empty his vessels and break his3 jars in pieces. 13 Then Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence. 14 “How do you say, ‘We are heroes and mighty men of war'?15 The destroyer of Moab and his cities has come up, and the choicest of his young men have gone down to slaughter, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.16 The calamity of Moab is near at hand, and his affliction hastens swiftly.17 Grieve for him, all you who are around him, and all who know his name; say, ‘How the mighty scepter is broken, the glorious staff.' 18 “Come down from your glory, and sit on the parched ground, O inhabitant of Dibon! For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you; he has destroyed your strongholds.19 Stand by the way and watch, O inhabitant of Aroer! Ask him who flees and her who escapes; say, ‘What has happened?'20 Moab is put to shame, for it is broken; wail and cry! Tell it beside the Arnon, that Moab is laid waste. 21 “Judgment has come upon the tableland, upon Holon, and Jahzah, and Mephaath, 22 and Dibon, and Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim, 23 and Kiriathaim, and Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon, 24 and Kerioth, and Bozrah, and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near. 25 The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, declares the LORD. 26 “Make him drunk, because he magnified himself against the LORD, so that Moab shall wallow in his vomit, and he too shall be held in derision. 27 Was not Israel a derision to you? Was he found among thieves, that whenever you spoke of him you wagged your head? 28 “Leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, O inhabitants of Moab! Be like the dove that nests in the sides of the mouth of a gorge.29 We have heard of the pride of Moab— he is very proud— of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance, and the haughtiness of his heart.30 I know his insolence, declares the LORD; his boasts are false, his deeds are false.31 Therefore I wail for Moab; I cry out for all Moab; for the men of Kir-hareseth I mourn.32 More than for Jazer I weep for you, O vine of Sibmah! Your branches passed over the sea, reached to the Sea of Jazer; on your summer fruits and your grapes the destroyer has fallen.33 Gladness and joy have been taken away from the fruitful land of Moab; I have made the wine cease from the winepresses; no one treads them with shouts of joy; the shouting is not the shout of joy. 34 “From the outcry at Heshbon even to Elealeh, as far as Jahaz they utter their voice, from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. For the waters of Nimrim also have become desolate. 35 And I will bring to an end in Moab, declares the LORD, him who offers sacrifice in the high place and makes offerings to his god. 36 Therefore my heart moans for Moab like a flute, and my heart moans like a flute for the men of Kir-hareseth. Therefore the riches they gained have perished. 37 “For every head is shaved and every beard cut off. On all the hands are gashes, and around the waist is sackcloth. 38 On all the housetops of Moab and in the squares there is nothing but lamentation, for I have broken Moab like a vessel for which no one cares, declares the LORD. 39 How it is broken! How they wail! How Moab has turned his back in shame! So Moab has become a derision and a horror to all that are around him.” 40 For thus says the LORD: “Behold, one shall fly swiftly like an eagle and spread his wings against Moab;41 the cities shall be taken and the strongholds seized. The heart of the warriors of Moab shall be in that day like the heart of a woman in her birth pains;42 Moab shall be destroyed and be no longer a people, because he magnified himself against the LORD.43 Terror, pit, and snare are before you, O inhabitant of Moab! declares the LORD.44 He who flees from the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For I will bring these things upon Moab, the year of their punishment, declares the LORD. 45 “In the shadow of Heshbon fugitives stop without strength, for fire came out from Heshbon, flame from the house of Sihon; it has destroyed the forehead of Moab, the crown of the sons of tumult.46 Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh are undone, for your sons have been taken captive, and your daughters into captivity.47 Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days, declares the LORD.” Thus far is the judgment on Moab. Footnotes [1] 48:5 Hebrew weeping goes up with weeping [2] 48:5 Septuagint (compare Isaiah 15:5) heard the cry [3] 48:12 Septuagint, Aquila; Hebrew their (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 119:17–24 Psalm 119:17–24 (Listen) Gimel 17 Deal bountifully with your servant, that I may live and keep your word.18 Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.19 I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not your commandments from me!20 My soul is consumed with longing for your rules1 at all times.21 You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones, who wander from your commandments.22 Take away from me scorn and contempt, for I have kept your testimonies.23 Even though princes sit plotting against me, your servant will meditate on your statutes.24 Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors. Footnotes [1] 119:20 Or your just decrees; also verses 30, 39, 43, 52, 75, 102, 108, 137, 156, 175 (ESV) New Testament: 2 Corinthians 1–2 2 Corinthians 1–2 (Listen) Greeting 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. God of All Comfort 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.1 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. 8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers,2 of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. 11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many. Paul's Change of Plans 12 For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity3 and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you. 13 For we are not writing to you anything other than what you read and understand and I hope you will fully understand—14 just as you did partially understand us—that on the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you. 15 Because I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a second experience of grace. 16 I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and to come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on my way to Judea. 17 Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans according to the flesh, ready to say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time? 18 As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No. 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. 20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. 21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.4 23 But I call God to witness against me—it was to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth. 24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith. 2 For I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you. 2 For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? 3 And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all. 4 For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you. Forgive the Sinner 5 Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. 6 For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, 7 so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. 9 For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. 10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, 11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs. Triumph in Christ 12 When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, 13 my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia. 14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ. Footnotes [1] 1:5 Or For as the sufferings of Christ abound for us, so also our comfort abounds through Christ [2] 1:8 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 [3] 1:12 Some manuscripts holiness [4] 1:22 Or down payment (ESV)
Morning: Jeremiah 46–48 Jeremiah 46–48 (Listen) Judgment on Egypt 46 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations. 2 About Egypt. Concerning the army of Pharaoh Neco, king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates at Carchemish and which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: 3 “Prepare buckler and shield, and advance for battle!4 Harness the horses; mount, O horsemen! Take your stations with your helmets, polish your spears, put on your armor!5 Why have I seen it? They are dismayed and have turned backward. Their warriors are beaten down and have fled in haste; they look not back— terror on every side! declares the LORD. 6 “The swift cannot flee away, nor the warrior escape; in the north by the river Euphrates they have stumbled and fallen. 7 “Who is this, rising like the Nile, like rivers whose waters surge?8 Egypt rises like the Nile, like rivers whose waters surge. He said, ‘I will rise, I will cover the earth, I will destroy cities and their inhabitants.'9 Advance, O horses, and rage, O chariots! Let the warriors go out: men of Cush and Put who handle the shield, men of Lud, skilled in handling the bow.10 That day is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, to avenge himself on his foes. The sword shall devour and be sated and drink its fill of their blood. For the Lord GOD of hosts holds a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates.11 Go up to Gilead, and take balm, O virgin daughter of Egypt! In vain you have used many medicines; there is no healing for you.12 The nations have heard of your shame, and the earth is full of your cry; for warrior has stumbled against warrior; they have both fallen together.” 13 The word that the LORD spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to strike the land of Egypt: 14 “Declare in Egypt, and proclaim in Migdol; proclaim in Memphis and Tahpanhes; say, ‘Stand ready and be prepared, for the sword shall devour around you.'15 Why are your mighty ones face down? They do not stand1 because the LORD thrust them down.16 He made many stumble, and they fell, and they said one to another, ‘Arise, and let us go back to our own people and to the land of our birth, because of the sword of the oppressor.'17 Call the name of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, ‘Noisy one who lets the hour go by.' 18 “As I live, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts, like Tabor among the mountains and like Carmel by the sea, shall one come.19 Prepare yourselves baggage for exile, O inhabitants of Egypt! For Memphis shall become a waste, a ruin, without inhabitant. 20 “A beautiful heifer is Egypt, but a biting fly from the north has come upon her.21 Even her hired soldiers in her midst are like fattened calves; yes, they have turned and fled together; they did not stand, for the day of their calamity has come upon them, the time of their punishment. 22 “She makes a sound like a serpent gliding away; for her enemies march in force and come against her with axes like those who fell trees.23 They shall cut down her forest, declares the LORD, though it is impenetrable, because they are more numerous than locusts; they are without number.24 The daughter of Egypt shall be put to shame; she shall be delivered into the hand of a people from the north.” 25 The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, said: “Behold, I am bringing punishment upon Amon of Thebes, and Pharaoh and Egypt and her gods and her kings, upon Pharaoh and those who trust in him. 26 I will deliver them into the hand of those who seek their life, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his officers. Afterward Egypt shall be inhabited as in the days of old, declares the LORD. 27 “But fear not, O Jacob my servant, nor be dismayed, O Israel, for behold, I will save you from far away, and your offspring from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease, and none shall make him afraid.28 Fear not, O Jacob my servant, declares the LORD, for I am with you. I will make a full end of all the nations to which I have driven you, but of you I will not make a full end. I will discipline you in just measure, and I will by no means leave you unpunished.” Judgment on the Philistines 47 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines, before Pharaoh struck down Gaza. 2 “Thus says the LORD: Behold, waters are rising out of the north, and shall become an overflowing torrent; they shall overflow the land and all that fills it, the city and those who dwell in it. Men shall cry out, and every inhabitant of the land shall wail.3 At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his stallions, at the rushing of his chariots, at the rumbling of their wheels, the fathers look not back to their children, so feeble are their hands,4 because of the day that is coming to destroy all the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Sidon every helper that remains. For the LORD is destroying the Philistines, the remnant of the coastland of Caphtor.5 Baldness has come upon Gaza; Ashkelon has perished. O remnant of their valley, how long will you gash yourselves?6 Ah, sword of the LORD! How long till you are quiet? Put yourself into your scabbard; rest and be still!7 How can it2 be quiet when the LORD has given it a charge? Against Ashkelon and against the seashore he has appointed it.” Judgment on Moab 48 Concerning Moab. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Woe to Nebo, for it is laid waste! Kiriathaim is put to shame, it is taken; the fortress is put to shame and broken down;2 the renown of Moab is no more. In Heshbon they planned disaster against her: ‘Come, let us cut her off from being a nation!' You also, O Madmen, shall be brought to silence; the sword shall pursue you. 3 “A voice! A cry from Horonaim, ‘Desolation and great destruction!'4 Moab is destroyed; her little ones have made a cry.5 For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping;3 for at the descent of Horonaim they have heard the distressed cry4 of destruction.6 Flee! Save yourselves! You will be like a juniper in the desert!7 For, because you trusted in your works and your treasures, you also shall be taken; and Chemosh shall go into exile with his priests and his officials.8 The destroyer shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape; the valley shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the LORD has spoken. 9 “Give wings to Moab, for she would fly away; her cities shall become a desolation, with no inhabitant in them. 10 “Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed. 11 “Moab has been at ease from his youth and has settled on his dregs; he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile; so his taste remains in him, and his scent is not changed. 12 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I shall send to him pourers who will pour him, and empty his vessels and break his5 jars in pieces. 13 Then Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence. 14 “How do you say, ‘We are heroes and mighty men of war'?15 The destroyer of Moab and his cities has come up, and the choicest of his young men have gone down to slaughter, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.16 The calamity of Moab is near at hand, and his affliction hastens swiftly.17 Grieve for him, all you who are around him, and all who know his name; say, ‘How the mighty scepter is broken, the glorious staff.' 18 “Come down from your glory, and sit on the parched ground, O inhabitant of Dibon! For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you; he has destroyed your strongholds.19 Stand by the way and watch, O inhabitant of Aroer! Ask him who flees and her who escapes; say, ‘What has happened?'20 Moab is put to shame, for it is broken; wail and cry! Tell it beside the Arnon, that Moab is laid waste. 21 “Judgment has come upon the tableland, upon Holon, and Jahzah, and Mephaath, 22 and Dibon, and Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim, 23 and Kiriathaim, and Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon, 24 and Kerioth, and Bozrah, and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near. 25 The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, declares the LORD. 26 “Make him drunk, because he magnified himself against the LORD, so that Moab shall wallow in his vomit, and he too shall be held in derision. 27 Was not Israel a derision to you? Was he found among thieves, that whenever you spoke of him you wagged your head? 28 “Leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, O inhabitants of Moab! Be like the dove that nests in the sides of the mouth of a gorge.29 We have heard of the pride of Moab— he is very proud— of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance, and the haughtiness of his heart.30 I know his insolence, declares the LORD; his boasts are false, his deeds are false.31 Therefore I wail for Moab; I cry out for all Moab; for the men of Kir-hareseth I mourn.32 More than for Jazer I weep for you, O vine of Sibmah! Your branches passed over the sea, reached to the Sea of Jazer; on your summer fruits and your grapes the destroyer has fallen.33 Gladness and joy have been taken away from the fruitful land of Moab; I have made the wine cease from the winepresses; no one treads them with shouts of joy; the shouting is not the shout of joy. 34 “From the outcry at Heshbon even to Elealeh, as far as Jahaz they utter their voice, from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. For the waters of Nimrim also have become desolate. 35 And I will bring to an end in Moab, declares the LORD, him who offers sacrifice in the high place and makes offerings to his god. 36 Therefore my heart moans for Moab like a flute, and my heart moans like a flute for the men of Kir-hareseth. Therefore the riches they gained have perished. 37 “For every head is shaved and every beard cut off. On all the hands are gashes, and around the waist is sackcloth. 38 On all the housetops of Moab and in the squares there is nothing but lamentation, for I have broken Moab like a vessel for which no one cares, declares the LORD. 39 How it is broken! How they wail! How Moab has turned his back in shame! So Moab has become a derision and a horror to all that are around him.” 40 For thus says the LORD: “Behold, one shall fly swiftly like an eagle and spread his wings against Moab;41 the cities shall be taken and the strongholds seized. The heart of the warriors of Moab shall be in that day like the heart of a woman in her birth pains;42 Moab shall be destroyed and be no longer a people, because he magnified himself against the LORD.43 Terror, pit, and snare are before you, O inhabitant of Moab! declares the LORD.44 He who flees from the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For I will bring these things upon Moab, the year of their punishment, declares the LORD. 45 “In the shadow of Heshbon fugitives stop without strength, for fire came out from Heshbon, flame from the house of Sihon; it has destroyed the forehead of Moab, the crown of the sons of tumult.46 Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh are undone, for your sons have been taken captive, and your daughters into captivity.47 Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days, declares the LORD.” Thus far is the judgment on Moab. Footnotes [1] 46:15 Hebrew He does not stand
Old Testament: Isaiah 15–19 Isaiah 15–19 (Listen) An Oracle Concerning Moab 15 An oracle concerning Moab. Because Ar of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone; because Kir of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone.2 He has gone up to the temple,1 and to Dibon, to the high places2 to weep; over Nebo and over Medeba Moab wails. On every head is baldness; every beard is shorn;3 in the streets they wear sackcloth; on the housetops and in the squares everyone wails and melts in tears.4 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out; their voice is heard as far as Jahaz; therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud; his soul trembles.5 My heart cries out for Moab; her fugitives flee to Zoar, to Eglath-shelishiyah. For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping; on the road to Horonaim they raise a cry of destruction;6 the waters of Nimrim are a desolation; the grass is withered, the vegetation fails, the greenery is no more.7 Therefore the abundance they have gained and what they have laid up they carry away over the Brook of the Willows.8 For a cry has gone around the land of Moab; her wailing reaches to Eglaim; her wailing reaches to Beer-elim.9 For the waters of Dibon3 are full of blood; for I will bring upon Dibon even more, a lion for those of Moab who escape, for the remnant of the land.16 Send the lamb to the ruler of the land, from Sela, by way of the desert, to the mount of the daughter of Zion.2 Like fleeing birds, like a scattered nest, so are the daughters of Moab at the fords of the Arnon. 3 “Give counsel; grant justice; make your shade like night at the height of noon; shelter the outcasts; do not reveal the fugitive;4 let the outcasts of Moab sojourn among you; be a shelter to them4 from the destroyer. When the oppressor is no more, and destruction has ceased, and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land,5 then a throne will be established in steadfast love, and on it will sit in faithfulness in the tent of David one who judges and seeks justice and is swift to do righteousness.” 6 We have heard of the pride of Moab— how proud he is!— of his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence; in his idle boasting he is not right.7 Therefore let Moab wail for Moab, let everyone wail. Mourn, utterly stricken, for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth. 8 For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah; the lords of the nations have struck down its branches, which reached to Jazer and strayed to the desert; its shoots spread abroad and passed over the sea.9 Therefore I weep with the weeping of Jazer for the vine of Sibmah; I drench you with my tears, O Heshbon and Elealeh; for over your summer fruit and your harvest the shout has ceased.10 And joy and gladness are taken away from the fruitful field, and in the vineyards no songs are sung, no cheers are raised; no treader treads out wine in the presses; I have put an end to the shouting.11 Therefore my inner parts moan like a lyre for Moab, and my inmost self for Kir-hareseth. 12 And when Moab presents himself, when he wearies himself on the high place, when he comes to his sanctuary to pray, he will not prevail. 13 This is the word that the LORD spoke concerning Moab in the past. 14 But now the LORD has spoken, saying, “In three years, like the years of a hired worker, the glory of Moab will be brought into contempt, in spite of all his great multitude, and those who remain will be very few and feeble.” An Oracle Concerning Damascus 17 An oracle concerning Damascus. Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins.2 The cities of Aroer are deserted; they will be for flocks, which will lie down, and none will make them afraid.3 The fortress will disappear from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus; and the remnant of Syria will be like the glory of the children of Israel, declares the LORD of hosts. 4 And in that day the glory of Jacob will be brought low, and the fat of his flesh will grow lean.5 And it shall be as when the reaper gathers standing grain and his arm harvests the ears, and as when one gleans the ears of grain in the Valley of Rephaim.6 Gleanings will be left in it, as when an olive tree is beaten— two or three berries in the top of the highest bough, four or five on the branches of a fruit tree, declares the LORD God of Israel. 7 In that day man will look to his Maker, and his eyes will look on the Holy One of Israel. 8 He will not look to the altars, the work of his hands, and he will not look on what his own fingers have made, either the Asherim or the altars of incense. 9 In that day their strong cities will be like the deserted places of the wooded heights and the hilltops, which they deserted because of the children of Israel, and there will be desolation. 10 For you have forgotten the God of your salvation and have not remembered the Rock of your refuge; therefore, though you plant pleasant plants and sow the vine-branch of a stranger,11 though you make them grow5 on the day that you plant them, and make them blossom in the morning that you sow, yet the harvest will flee away6 in a day of grief and incurable pain. 12 Ah, the thunder of many peoples; they thunder like the thundering of the sea! Ah, the roar of nations; they roar like the roaring of mighty waters!13 The nations roar like the roaring of many waters, but he will rebuke them, and they will flee far away, chased like chaff on the mountains before the wind and whirling dust before the storm.14 At evening time, behold, terror! Before morning, they are no more! This is the portion of those who loot us, and the lot of those who plunder us. An Oracle Concerning Cush 18 Ah, land of whirring wings that is beyond the rivers of Cush,72 which sends ambassadors by the sea, in vessels of papyrus on the waters! Go, you swift messengers, to a nation tall and smooth, to a people feared near and far, a nation mighty and conquering, whose land the rivers divide. 3 All you inhabitants of the world, you who dwell on the earth, when a signal is raised on the mountains, look! When a trumpet is blown, hear!4 For thus the LORD said to me: “I will quietly look from my dwelling like clear heat in sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”5 For before the harvest, when the blossom is over, and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he cuts off the shoots with pruning hooks, and the spreading branches he lops off and clears away.6 They shall all of them be left to the birds of prey of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth. And the birds of prey will summer on them, and all the beasts of the earth will winter on them. 7 At that time tribute will be brought to the LORD of hosts from a people tall and smooth, from a people feared near and far, a nation mighty and conquering, whose land the rivers divide, to Mount Zion, the place of the name of the LORD of hosts. An Oracle Concerning Egypt 19 An oracle concerning Egypt. Behold, the LORD is riding on a swift cloud and comes to Egypt; and the idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence, and the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them.2 And I will stir up Egyptians against Egyptians, and they will fight, each against another and each against his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom;3 and the spirit of the Egyptians within them will be emptied out, and I will confound8 their counsel; and they will inquire of the idols and the sorcerers, and the mediums and the necromancers;4 and I will give over the Egyptians into the hand of a hard master, and a fierce king will rule over them, declares the Lord GOD of hosts. 5 And the waters of the sea will be dried up, and the river will be dry and parched,6 and its canals will become foul, and the branches of Egypt's Nile will diminish and dry up, reeds and rushes will rot away.7 There will be bare places by the Nile, on the brink of the Nile, and all that is sown by the Nile will be parched, will be driven away, and will be no more.8 The fishermen will mourn and lament, all who cast a hook in the Nile; and they will languish who spread nets on the water.9 The workers in combed flax will be in despair, and the weavers of white cotton.10 Those who are the pillars of the land will be crushed, and all who work for pay will be grieved. 11 The princes of Zoan are utterly foolish; the wisest counselors of Pharaoh give stupid counsel. How can you say to Pharaoh, “I am a son of the wise, a son of ancient kings”?12 Where then are your wise men? Let them tell you that they might know what the LORD of hosts has purposed against Egypt.13 The princes of Zoan have become fools, and the princes of Memphis are deluded; those who are the cornerstones of her tribes have made Egypt stagger.14 The LORD has mingled within her a spirit of confusion, and they will make Egypt stagger in all its deeds, as a drunken man staggers in his vomit.15 And there will be nothing for Egypt that head or tail, palm branch or reed, may do. Egypt, Assyria, Israel Blessed 16 In that day the Egyptians will be like women, and tremble with fear before the hand that the LORD of hosts shakes over them. 17 And the land of Judah will become a terror to the Egyptians. Everyone to whom it is mentioned will fear because of the purpose that the LORD of hosts has purposed against them. 18 In that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the LORD of hosts. One of these will be called the City of Destruction.9 19 In that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the LORD at its border. 20 It will be a sign and a witness to the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt. When they cry to the LORD because of oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and deliver them. 21 And the LORD will make himself known to the Egyptians, and the Egyptians will know the LORD in that day and worship with sacrifice and offering, and they will make vows to the LORD and perform them. 22 And the LORD will strike Egypt, striking and healing, and they will return to the LORD, and he will listen to their pleas for mercy and heal them. 23 In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria will come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians. 24 In that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, 25 whom the LORD of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.” Footnotes [1] 15:2 Hebrew the house [2] 15:2 Or temple, even Dibon to the high places [3] 15:9 Dead Sea Scroll, Vulgate (compare Syriac); Masoretic Text Dimon; twice in this verse [4] 16:4 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac; Masoretic Text let my outcasts sojourn among you; as for Moab, be a shelter to them [5] 17:11 Or though you carefully fence them [6] 17:11 Or will be a heap [7] 18:1 Probably Nubia [8] 19:3 Or I will swallow up [9] 19:18 Dead Sea Scroll and some other manuscripts City of the Sun (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 87 Psalm 87 (Listen) Glorious Things of You Are Spoken A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. A Song. 87 On the holy mount stands the city he founded;2 the LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.3 Glorious things of you are spoken, O city of God. Selah 4 Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon; behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Cush1— “This one was born there,” they say.5 And of Zion it shall be said, “This one and that one were born in her”; for the Most High himself will establish her.
Old Testament: Isaiah 15–19 Isaiah 15–19 (Listen) An Oracle Concerning Moab 15 An oracle concerning Moab. Because Ar of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone; because Kir of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone.2 He has gone up to the temple,1 and to Dibon, to the high places2 to weep; over Nebo and over Medeba Moab wails. On every head is baldness; every beard is shorn;3 in the streets they wear sackcloth; on the housetops and in the squares everyone wails and melts in tears.4 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out; their voice is heard as far as Jahaz; therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud; his soul trembles.5 My heart cries out for Moab; her fugitives flee to Zoar, to Eglath-shelishiyah. For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping; on the road to Horonaim they raise a cry of destruction;6 the waters of Nimrim are a desolation; the grass is withered, the vegetation fails, the greenery is no more.7 Therefore the abundance they have gained and what they have laid up they carry away over the Brook of the Willows.8 For a cry has gone around the land of Moab; her wailing reaches to Eglaim; her wailing reaches to Beer-elim.9 For the waters of Dibon3 are full of blood; for I will bring upon Dibon even more, a lion for those of Moab who escape, for the remnant of the land.16 Send the lamb to the ruler of the land, from Sela, by way of the desert, to the mount of the daughter of Zion.2 Like fleeing birds, like a scattered nest, so are the daughters of Moab at the fords of the Arnon. 3 “Give counsel; grant justice; make your shade like night at the height of noon; shelter the outcasts; do not reveal the fugitive;4 let the outcasts of Moab sojourn among you; be a shelter to them4 from the destroyer. When the oppressor is no more, and destruction has ceased, and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land,5 then a throne will be established in steadfast love, and on it will sit in faithfulness in the tent of David one who judges and seeks justice and is swift to do righteousness.” 6 We have heard of the pride of Moab— how proud he is!— of his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence; in his idle boasting he is not right.7 Therefore let Moab wail for Moab, let everyone wail. Mourn, utterly stricken, for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth. 8 For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah; the lords of the nations have struck down its branches, which reached to Jazer and strayed to the desert; its shoots spread abroad and passed over the sea.9 Therefore I weep with the weeping of Jazer for the vine of Sibmah; I drench you with my tears, O Heshbon and Elealeh; for over your summer fruit and your harvest the shout has ceased.10 And joy and gladness are taken away from the fruitful field, and in the vineyards no songs are sung, no cheers are raised; no treader treads out wine in the presses; I have put an end to the shouting.11 Therefore my inner parts moan like a lyre for Moab, and my inmost self for Kir-hareseth. 12 And when Moab presents himself, when he wearies himself on the high place, when he comes to his sanctuary to pray, he will not prevail. 13 This is the word that the LORD spoke concerning Moab in the past. 14 But now the LORD has spoken, saying, “In three years, like the years of a hired worker, the glory of Moab will be brought into contempt, in spite of all his great multitude, and those who remain will be very few and feeble.” An Oracle Concerning Damascus 17 An oracle concerning Damascus. Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins.2 The cities of Aroer are deserted; they will be for flocks, which will lie down, and none will make them afraid.3 The fortress will disappear from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus; and the remnant of Syria will be like the glory of the children of Israel, declares the LORD of hosts. 4 And in that day the glory of Jacob will be brought low, and the fat of his flesh will grow lean.5 And it shall be as when the reaper gathers standing grain and his arm harvests the ears, and as when one gleans the ears of grain in the Valley of Rephaim.6 Gleanings will be left in it, as when an olive tree is beaten— two or three berries in the top of the highest bough, four or five on the branches of a fruit tree, declares the LORD God of Israel. 7 In that day man will look to his Maker, and his eyes will look on the Holy One of Israel. 8 He will not look to the altars, the work of his hands, and he will not look on what his own fingers have made, either the Asherim or the altars of incense. 9 In that day their strong cities will be like the deserted places of the wooded heights and the hilltops, which they deserted because of the children of Israel, and there will be desolation. 10 For you have forgotten the God of your salvation and have not remembered the Rock of your refuge; therefore, though you plant pleasant plants and sow the vine-branch of a stranger,11 though you make them grow5 on the day that you plant them, and make them blossom in the morning that you sow, yet the harvest will flee away6 in a day of grief and incurable pain. 12 Ah, the thunder of many peoples; they thunder like the thundering of the sea! Ah, the roar of nations; they roar like the roaring of mighty waters!13 The nations roar like the roaring of many waters, but he will rebuke them, and they will flee far away, chased like chaff on the mountains before the wind and whirling dust before the storm.14 At evening time, behold, terror! Before morning, they are no more! This is the portion of those who loot us, and the lot of those who plunder us. An Oracle Concerning Cush 18 Ah, land of whirring wings that is beyond the rivers of Cush,72 which sends ambassadors by the sea, in vessels of papyrus on the waters! Go, you swift messengers, to a nation tall and smooth, to a people feared near and far, a nation mighty and conquering, whose land the rivers divide. 3 All you inhabitants of the world, you who dwell on the earth, when a signal is raised on the mountains, look! When a trumpet is blown, hear!4 For thus the LORD said to me: “I will quietly look from my dwelling like clear heat in sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”5 For before the harvest, when the blossom is over, and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he cuts off the shoots with pruning hooks, and the spreading branches he lops off and clears away.6 They shall all of them be left to the birds of prey of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth. And the birds of prey will summer on them, and all the beasts of the earth will winter on them. 7 At that time tribute will be brought to the LORD of hosts from a people tall and smooth, from a people feared near and far, a nation mighty and conquering, whose land the rivers divide, to Mount Zion, the place of the name of the LORD of hosts. An Oracle Concerning Egypt 19 An oracle concerning Egypt. Behold, the LORD is riding on a swift cloud and comes to Egypt; and the idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence, and the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them.2 And I will stir up Egyptians against Egyptians, and they will fight, each against another and each against his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom;3 and the spirit of the Egyptians within them will be emptied out, and I will confound8 their counsel; and they will inquire of the idols and the sorcerers, and the mediums and the necromancers;4 and I will give over the Egyptians into the hand of a hard master, and a fierce king will rule over them, declares the Lord GOD of hosts. 5 And the waters of the sea will be dried up, and the river will be dry and parched,6 and its canals will become foul, and the branches of Egypt's Nile will diminish and dry up, reeds and rushes will rot away.7 There will be bare places by the Nile, on the brink of the Nile, and all that is sown by the Nile will be parched, will be driven away, and will be no more.8 The fishermen will mourn and lament, all who cast a hook in the Nile; and they will languish who spread nets on the water.9 The workers in combed flax will be in despair, and the weavers of white cotton.10 Those who are the pillars of the land will be crushed, and all who work for pay will be grieved. 11 The princes of Zoan are utterly foolish; the wisest counselors of Pharaoh give stupid counsel. How can you say to Pharaoh, “I am a son of the wise, a son of ancient kings”?12 Where then are your wise men? Let them tell you that they might know what the LORD of hosts has purposed against Egypt.13 The princes of Zoan have become fools, and the princes of Memphis are deluded; those who are the cornerstones of her tribes have made Egypt stagger.14 The LORD has mingled within her a spirit of confusion, and they will make Egypt stagger in all its deeds, as a drunken man staggers in his vomit.15 And there will be nothing for Egypt that head or tail, palm branch or reed, may do. Egypt, Assyria, Israel Blessed 16 In that day the Egyptians will be like women, and tremble with fear before the hand that the LORD of hosts shakes over them. 17 And the land of Judah will become a terror to the Egyptians. Everyone to whom it is mentioned will fear because of the purpose that the LORD of hosts has purposed against them. 18 In that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the LORD of hosts. One of these will be called the City of Destruction.9 19 In that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the LORD at its border. 20 It will be a sign and a witness to the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt. When they cry to the LORD because of oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and deliver them. 21 And the LORD will make himself known to the Egyptians, and the Egyptians will know the LORD in that day and worship with sacrifice and offering, and they will make vows to the LORD and perform them. 22 And the LORD will strike Egypt, striking and healing, and they will return to the LORD, and he will listen to their pleas for mercy and heal them. 23 In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria will come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians. 24 In that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, 25 whom the LORD of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.” Footnotes [1] 15:2 Hebrew the house [2] 15:2 Or temple, even Dibon to the high places [3] 15:9 Dead Sea Scroll, Vulgate (compare Syriac); Masoretic Text Dimon; twice in this verse [4] 16:4 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac; Masoretic Text let my outcasts sojourn among you; as for Moab, be a shelter to them [5] 17:11 Or though you carefully fence them [6] 17:11 Or will be a heap [7] 18:1 Probably Nubia [8] 19:3 Or I will swallow up [9] 19:18 Dead Sea Scroll and some other manuscripts City of the Sun (ESV) New Testament: Hebrews 9:11–10:18 Hebrews 9:11–10:18 (Listen) Redemption Through the Blood of Christ 11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come,1 then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify2 for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our3 conscience from dead works to serve the living God. 15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.4 16 For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. &
Morning: Isaiah 13–15 Isaiah 13–15 (Listen) The Judgment of Babylon 13 The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw. 2 On a bare hill raise a signal; cry aloud to them; wave the hand for them to enter the gates of the nobles.3 I myself have commanded my consecrated ones, and have summoned my mighty men to execute my anger, my proudly exulting ones.1 4 The sound of a tumult is on the mountains as of a great multitude! The sound of an uproar of kingdoms, of nations gathering together! The LORD of hosts is mustering a host for battle.5 They come from a distant land, from the end of the heavens, the LORD and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.2 6 Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; as destruction from the Almighty3 it will come!7 Therefore all hands will be feeble, and every human heart will melt.8 They will be dismayed: pangs and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame. 9 Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it.10 For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light.11 I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless.12 I will make people more rare than fine gold, and mankind than the gold of Ophir.13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the LORD of hosts in the day of his fierce anger.14 And like a hunted gazelle, or like sheep with none to gather them, each will turn to his own people, and each will flee to his own land.15 Whoever is found will be thrust through, and whoever is caught will fall by the sword.16 Their infants will be dashed in pieces before their eyes; their houses will be plundered and their wives ravished. 17 Behold, I am stirring up the Medes against them, who have no regard for silver and do not delight in gold.18 Their bows will slaughter4 the young men; they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb; their eyes will not pity children.19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them.20 It will never be inhabited or lived in for all generations; no Arab will pitch his tent there; no shepherds will make their flocks lie down there.21 But wild animals will lie down there, and their houses will be full of howling creatures; there ostriches5 will dwell, and there wild goats will dance.22 Hyenas6 will cry in its towers, and jackals in the pleasant palaces; its time is close at hand and its days will not be prolonged. The Restoration of Jacob 14 For the LORD will have compassion on Jacob and will again choose Israel, and will set them in their own land, and sojourners will join them and will attach themselves to the house of Jacob. 2 And the peoples will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them in the LORD's land as male and female slaves.7 They will take captive those who were their captors, and rule over those who oppressed them. Israel's Remnant Taunts Babylon 3 When the LORD has given you rest from your pain and turmoil and the hard service with which you were made to serve, 4 you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: “How the oppressor has ceased, the insolent fury8 ceased!5 The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of rulers,6 that struck the peoples in wrath with unceasing blows, that ruled the nations in anger with unrelenting persecution.7 The whole earth is at rest and quiet; they break forth into singing.8 The cypresses rejoice at you, the cedars of Lebanon, saying, ‘Since you were laid low, no woodcutter comes up against us.'9 Sheol beneath is stirred up to meet you when you come; it rouses the shades to greet you, all who were leaders of the earth; it raises from their thrones all who were kings of the nations.10 All of them will answer and say to you: ‘You too have become as weak as we! You have become like us!'11 Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, the sound of your harps; maggots are laid as a bed beneath you, and worms are your covers. 12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low!13 You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north;914 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.'15 But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.16 Those who see you will stare at you and ponder over you: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms,17 who made the world like a desert and overthrew its cities, who did not let his prisoners go home?'18 All the kings of the nations lie in glory, each in his own tomb;1019 but you are cast out, away from your grave, like a loathed branch, clothed with the slain, those pierced by the sword, who go down to the stones of the pit, like a dead body trampled underfoot.20 You will not be joined with them in burial, because you have destroyed your land, you have slain your people. “May the offspring of evildoers nevermore be named!21 Prepare slaughter for his sons because of the guilt of their fathers, lest they rise and possess the earth, and fill the face of the world with cities.” 22 “I will rise up against them,” declares the LORD of hosts, “and will cut off from Babylon name and remnant, descendants and posterity,” declares the LORD. 23 “And I will make it a possession of the hedgehog,11 and pools of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction,” declares the LORD of hosts. An Oracle Concerning Assyria 24 The LORD of hosts has sworn: “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand,25 that I will break the Assyrian in my land, and on my mountains trample him underfoot; and his yoke shall depart from them, and his burden from their shoulder.” 26 This is the purpose that is purposed concerning the whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations.27 For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back? An Oracle Concerning Philistia 28 In the year that King Ahaz died came this oracle: 29 Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of you, that the rod that struck you is broken, for from the serpent's root will come forth an adder, and its fruit will be a flying fiery serpent.30 And the firstborn of the poor will graze, and the needy lie down in safety; but I will kill your root with famine, and your remnant it will slay.31 Wail, O gate; cry out, O city; melt in fear, O Philistia, all of you! For smoke comes out of the north, and there is no straggler in his ranks. 32 What will one answer the messengers of the nation? “The LORD has founded Zion, and in her the afflicted of his people find refuge.” An Oracle Concerning Moab 15 An oracle concerning Moab. Because Ar of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone; because Kir of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone.2 He has gone up to the temple,12 and to Dibon, to the high places13 to weep; over Nebo and over Medeba Moab wails. On every head is baldness; every beard is shorn;3 in the streets they wear sackcloth; on the housetops and in the squares everyone wails and melts in tears.4 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out; their voice is heard as far as Jahaz; therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud; his soul trembles.5 My heart cries out for Moab; her fugitives flee to Zoar, to Eglath-shelishiyah. For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping; on the road to Horonaim they raise a cry of destruction;6 the waters of Nimrim are a desolation; the grass is withered, the vegetation fails, the greenery is no more.7 Therefore the abundance they have gained and what they have laid up they carry away over the Brook of the Willows.8 For a cry has gone around the land of Moab; her wailing reaches to Eglaim; her wailing reaches to Beer-elim.9 For the waters of Dibon14 are full of blood; for I will bring upon Dibon even more, a lion for those of Moab who escape, for the remnant of the land. Footnotes [1] 13:3 Or those who exult in my majesty [2] 13:5 Or earth; also verse 9 [3] 13:6 The Hebrew words for destruction and almighty sound alike [4] 13:18 Hebrew dash in pieces [5] 13:21 Or owls [6] 13:22 Or foxes [7] 14:2 Or servants [8] 14:4 Dead Sea Scroll (compare Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate); the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain [9] 14:13 Or in the remote parts of Zaphon [10] 14:18 Hebrew house [11] 14:23 Possibly porcupine, or owl [12] 15:2 Hebrew the house [13] 15:2 Or temple, even Dibon to the high places [14] 15:9 Dead Sea Scroll, Vulgate (compare Syriac); Masoretic Text Dimon; twice in this verse (ESV) Evening: Galatians 6 Galatians 6 (Listen) Bear One Another's Burdens 6 Brothers,1 if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. 5 For each will have to bear his own load. 6 Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. 7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. Final Warning and Benediction 11 See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand. 12 It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13 For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. 14 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which2 the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. 16 And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. 17 From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen. Footnotes [1]
Isaiah 15 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane. 1 This message came to me concerning Moab: In one night the town of Ar will be leveled, and the city of Kir will be destroyed. 2 Your people will go to their temple in Dibon to mourn. They will go to their sacred shrines to weep. They will wail for the fate of Nebo and Medeba, shaving their heads in sorrow and cutting off their beards. 3 They will wear burlap as they wander the streets. From every home and public square will come the sound of wailing. 4 The people of Heshbon and Elealeh will cry out; their voices will be heard as far away as Jahaz! The bravest warriors of Moab will cry out in utter terror. They will be helpless with fear. 5 My heart weeps for Moab. Its people flee to Zoar and Eglath-shelishiyah. Weeping, they climb the road to Luhith. Their cries of distress can be heard all along the road to Horonaim. 6 Even the waters of Nimrim are dried up! The grassy banks are scorched. The tender plants are gone; nothing green remains. 7 The people grab their possessions and carry them across the Ravine of Willows. 8 A cry of distress echoes through the land of Moab from one end to the other— from Eglaim to Beer-elim. 9 The stream near Dibon runs red with blood, but I am still not finished with Dibon! Lions will hunt down the survivors— both those who try to escape and those who remain behind.
With family: 1 Samuel 11; Romans 9 1 Samuel 11 (Listen) Saul Defeats the Ammonites 11 Then Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh-gilead, and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you.” 2 But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, “On this condition I will make a treaty with you, that I gouge out all your right eyes, and thus bring disgrace on all Israel.” 3 The elders of Jabesh said to him, “Give us seven days' respite that we may send messengers through all the territory of Israel. Then, if there is no one to save us, we will give ourselves up to you.” 4 When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul, they reported the matter in the ears of the people, and all the people wept aloud. 5 Now, behold, Saul was coming from the field behind the oxen. And Saul said, “What is wrong with the people, that they are weeping?” So they told him the news of the men of Jabesh. 6 And the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and his anger was greatly kindled. 7 He took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hand of the messengers, saying, “Whoever does not come out after Saul and Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen!” Then the dread of the LORD fell upon the people, and they came out as one man. 8 When he mustered them at Bezek, the people of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. 9 And they said to the messengers who had come, “Thus shall you say to the men of Jabesh-gilead: ‘Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you shall have salvation.'” When the messengers came and told the men of Jabesh, they were glad. 10 Therefore the men of Jabesh said, “Tomorrow we will give ourselves up to you, and you may do to us whatever seems good to you.” 11 And the next day Saul put the people in three companies. And they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch and struck down the Ammonites until the heat of the day. And those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together. The Kingdom Is Renewed 12 Then the people said to Samuel, “Who is it that said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?' Bring the men, that we may put them to death.” 13 But Saul said, “Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today the LORD has worked salvation in Israel.” 14 Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and there renew the kingdom.” 15 So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal. There they sacrificed peace offerings before the LORD, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly. (ESV) Romans 9 (Listen) God's Sovereign Choice 9 I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit—2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers,1 my kinsmen according to the flesh. 4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. 6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. 9 For this is what the promise said: “About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.” 10 And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls—12 she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” 13 As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” 14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion,2 but on God, who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. 19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” 20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? 25 As indeed he says in Hosea, “Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,' and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.'”26 “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,' there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.'” 27 And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel3 be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, 28 for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” 29 And as Isaiah predicted, “If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring, we would have been like Sodom and become like Gomorrah.” Israel's Unbelief 30 What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness4 did not succeed in reaching that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” Footnotes [1] 9:3 Or brothers and sisters [2] 9:16 Greek not of him who wills or runs [3] 9:27 Or children of Israel [4] 9:31 Greek a law of righteousness (ESV) In private: Psalm 25; Jeremiah 48 Psalm 25 (Listen) Teach Me Your Paths 1 Of David. 25 To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.2 O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me.3 Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. 4 Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.5 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. 6 Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.7 Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O LORD! 8 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.10 All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. 11 For your name's sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great.12 Who is the man who fears the LORD? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.13 His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land.14 The friendship2 of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.15 My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for he will pluck my feet out of the net. 16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses.18 Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins. 19 Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me.20 Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me! Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you. 22 Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles. Footnotes [1] 25:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet [2] 25:14 Or The secret counsel (ESV) Jeremiah 48 (Listen) Judgment on Moab 48 Concerning Moab. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Woe to Nebo, for it is laid waste! Kiriathaim is put to shame, it is taken; the fortress is put to shame and broken down;2 the renown of Moab is no more. In Heshbon they planned disaster against her: ‘Come, let us cut her off from being a nation!' You also, O Madmen, shall be brought to silence; the sword shall pursue you. 3 “A voice! A cry from Horonaim, ‘Desolation and great destruction!'4 Moab is destroyed; her little ones have made a cry.5 For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping;1 for at the descent of Horonaim they have heard the distressed cry2 of destruction.6 Flee! Save yourselves! You will be like a juniper in the desert!7 For, because you trusted in your works and your treasures, you also shall be taken; and Chemosh shall go into exile with his priests and his officials.8 The destroyer shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape; the valley shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the LORD has spoken. 9 “Give wings to Moab, for she would fly away; her cities shall become a desolation, with no inhabitant in them. 10 “Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed. 11 “Moab has been at ease from his youth and has settled on his dregs; he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile; so his taste remains in him, and his scent is not changed. 12 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I shall send to him pourers who will pour him, and empty his vessels and break his3 jars in pieces. 13 Then Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence. 14 “How do you say, ‘We are heroes and mighty men of war'?15 The destroyer of Moab and his cities has come up, and the choicest of his young men have gone down to slaughter, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.16 The calamity of Moab is near at hand, and his affliction hastens swiftly.17 Grieve for him, all you who are around him, and all who know his name; say, ‘How the mighty scepter is broken, the glorious staff.' 18 “Come down from your glory, and sit on the parched ground, O inhabitant of Dibon! For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you; he has destroyed your strongholds.19 Stand by the way and watch, O inhabitant of Aroer! Ask him who flees and her who escapes; say, ‘What has happened?'20 Moab is put to shame, for it is broken; wail and cry! Tell it beside the Arnon, that Moab is laid waste. 21 “Judgment has come upon the tableland, upon Holon, and Jahzah, and Mephaath, 22 and Dibon, and Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim, 23 and Kiriathaim, and Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon, 24 and Kerioth, and Bozrah, and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near. 25 The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, declares the LORD. 26 “Make him drunk, because he magnified himself against the LORD, so that Moab shall wallow in his vomit, and he too shall be held in derision. 27 Was not Israel a derision to you? Was he found among thieves, that whenever you spoke of him you wagged your head? 28 “Leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, O inhabitants of Moab! Be like the dove that nests in the sides of the mouth of a gorge.29 We have heard of the pride of Moab— he is very proud— of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance, and the haughtiness of his heart.30 I know his insolence, declares the LORD; his boasts are false, his deeds are false.31 Therefore I wail for Moab; I cry out for all Moab; for the men of Kir-hareseth I mourn.32 More than for Jazer I weep for you, O vine of Sibmah! Your branches passed over the sea, reached to the Sea of Jazer; on your summer fruits and your grapes the destroyer has fallen.33 Gladness and joy have been taken away from the fruitful land of Moab; I have made the wine cease from the winepresses; no one treads them with shouts of joy; the shouting is not the shout of joy. 34 “From the outcry at Heshbon even to Elealeh, as far as Jahaz they utter their voice, from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. For the waters of Nimrim also have become desolate. 35 And I will bring to an end in Moab, declares the LORD, him who offers sacrifice in the high place and makes offerings to his god. 36 Therefore my heart moans for Moab like a flute, and my heart moans like a flute for the men of Kir-hareseth. Therefore the riches they gained have perished. 37 “For every head is shaved and every beard cut off. On all the hands are gashes, and around the waist is sackcloth. 38 On all the housetops of Moab and in the squares there is nothing but lamentation, for I have broken Moab like a vessel for which no one cares, declares the LORD. 39 How it is broken! How they wail! How Moab has turned his back in shame! So Moab has become a derision and a horror to all that are around him.” 40 For thus says the LORD: “Behold, one shall fly swiftly like an eagle and spread his wings against Moab;41 the cities shall be taken and the strongholds seized. The heart of the warriors of Moab shall be in that day like the heart of a woman in her birth pains;42 Moab shall be destroyed and be no longer a people, because he magnified himself against the LORD.43 Terror, pit, and snare are before you, O inhabitant of Moab! declares the LORD.44 He who flees from the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For I will bring these things upon Moab, the year of their punishment, declares the LORD. 45 “In the shadow of Heshbon fugitives stop without strength, for fire came out from Heshbon, flame from the house of Sihon; it has destroyed the forehead of Moab, the crown of the sons of tumult.46 Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh are undone, for your sons have been taken captive, and your daughters into captivity.47 &am
Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 16 Psalm 16 (Listen) You Will Not Abandon My Soul A Miktam1 of David. 16 Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.2 I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” 3 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.2 4 The sorrows of those who run after3 another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips. 5 The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. 7 I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.48 I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being5 rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.6 11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Footnotes [1] 16:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term [2] 16:3 Or To the saints in the land, the excellent in whom is all my delight, I say: [3] 16:4 Or who acquire [4] 16:7 Hebrew my kidneys instruct me [5] 16:9 Hebrew my glory [6] 16:10 Or see the pit (ESV) Pentateuch and History: 1 Samuel 3 1 Samuel 3 (Listen) The Lord Calls Samuel 3 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD in the presence of Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. 2 At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the LORD called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!” 5 and ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down. 6 And the LORD called again, “Samuel!” and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. 8 And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the LORD was calling the boy. 9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant hears.'” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 And the LORD came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” 11 Then the LORD said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. 12 On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God,1 and he did not restrain them. 14 Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.” 15 Samuel lay until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. 16 But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Here I am.” 17 And Eli said, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.” 18 So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the LORD. Let him do what seems good to him.” 19 And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the LORD. 21 And the LORD appeared again at Shiloh, for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the LORD. Footnotes [1] 3:13 Or blaspheming for themselves (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Jeremiah 48 Jeremiah 48 (Listen) Judgment on Moab 48 Concerning Moab. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Woe to Nebo, for it is laid waste! Kiriathaim is put to shame, it is taken; the fortress is put to shame and broken down;2 the renown of Moab is no more. In Heshbon they planned disaster against her: ‘Come, let us cut her off from being a nation!' You also, O Madmen, shall be brought to silence; the sword shall pursue you. 3 “A voice! A cry from Horonaim, ‘Desolation and great destruction!'4 Moab is destroyed; her little ones have made a cry.5 For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping;1 for at the descent of Horonaim they have heard the distressed cry2 of destruction.6 Flee! Save yourselves! You will be like a juniper in the desert!7 For, because you trusted in your works and your treasures, you also shall be taken; and Chemosh shall go into exile with his priests and his officials.8 The destroyer shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape; the valley shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the LORD has spoken. 9 “Give wings to Moab, for she would fly away; her cities shall become a desolation, with no inhabitant in them. 10 “Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed. 11 “Moab has been at ease from his youth and has settled on his dregs; he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile; so his taste remains in him, and his scent is not changed. 12 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I shall send to him pourers who will pour him, and empty his vessels and break his3 jars in pieces. 13 Then Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence. 14 “How do you say, ‘We are heroes and mighty men of war'?15 The destroyer of Moab and his cities has come up, and the choicest of his young men have gone down to slaughter, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.16 The calamity of Moab is near at hand, and his affliction hastens swiftly.17 Grieve for him, all you who are around him, and all who know his name; say, ‘How the mighty scepter is broken, the glorious staff.' 18 “Come down from your glory, and sit on the parched ground, O inhabitant of Dibon! For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you; he has destroyed your strongholds.19 Stand by the way and watch, O inhabitant of Aroer! Ask him who flees and her who escapes; say, ‘What has happened?'20 Moab is put to shame, for it is broken; wail and cry! Tell it beside the Arnon, that Moab is laid waste. 21 “Judgment has come upon the tableland, upon Holon, and Jahzah, and Mephaath, 22 and Dibon, and Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim, 23 and Kiriathaim, and Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon, 24 and Kerioth, and Bozrah, and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near. 25 The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, declares the LORD. 26 “Make him drunk, because he magnified himself against the LORD, so that Moab shall wallow in his vomit, and he too shall be held in derision. 27 Was not Israel a derision to you? Was he found among thieves, that whenever you spoke of him you wagged your head? 28 “Leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, O inhabitants of Moab! Be like the dove that nests in the sides of the mouth of a gorge.29 We have heard of the pride of Moab— he is very proud— of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance, and the haughtiness of his heart.30 I know his insolence, declares the LORD; his boasts are false, his deeds are false.31 Therefore I wail for Moab; I cry out for all Moab; for the men of Kir-hareseth I mourn.32 More than for Jazer I weep for you, O vine of Sibmah! Your branches passed over the sea, reached to the Sea of Jazer; on your summer fruits and your grapes the destroyer has fallen.33 Gladness and joy have been taken away from the fruitful land of Moab; I have made the wine cease from the winepresses; no one treads them with shouts of joy; the shouting is not the shout of joy. 34 “From the outcry at Heshbon even to Elealeh, as far as Jahaz they utter their voice, from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. For the waters of Nimrim also have become desolate. 35 And I will bring to an end in Moab, declares the LORD, him who offers sacrifice in the high place and makes offerings to his god. 36 Therefore my heart moans for Moab like a flute, and my heart moans like a flute for the men of Kir-hareseth. Therefore the riches they gained have perished. 37 “For every head is shaved and every beard cut off. On all the hands are gashes, and around the waist is sackcloth. 38 On all the housetops of Moab and in the squares there is nothing but lamentation, for I have broken Moab like a vessel for which no one cares, declares the LORD. 39 How it is broken! How they wail! How Moab has turned his back in shame! So Moab has become a derision and a horror to all that are around him.” 40 For thus says the LORD: “Behold, one shall fly swiftly like an eagle and spread his wings against Moab;41 the cities shall be taken and the strongholds seized. The heart of the warriors of Moab shall be in that day like the heart of a woman in her birth pains;42 Moab shall be destroyed and be no longer a people, because he magnified himself against the LORD.43 Terror, pit, and snare are before you, O inhabitant of Moab! declares the LORD.44 He who flees from the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For I will bring these things upon Moab, the year of their punishment, declares the LORD. 45 “In the shadow of Heshbon fugitives stop without strength, for fire came out from Heshbon, flame from the house of Sihon; it has destroyed the forehead of Moab, the crown of the sons of tumult.46 Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh are undone, for your sons have been taken captive, and your daughters into captivity.47 Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days, declares the LORD.” Thus far is the judgment on Moab. Footnotes [1] 48:5 Hebrew weeping goes up with weeping [2] 48:5 Septuagint (compare Isaiah 15:5) heard the cry [3] 48:12 Septuagint, Aquila; Hebrew their (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: Mark 15 Mark 15 (Listen) Jesus Delivered to Pilate 15 And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate. 2 And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” 3 And the chief priests accused him of many things. 4 And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” 5 But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed. Pilate Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified 6 Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. 7 And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. 8 And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them. 9 And he answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” 10 For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. 12 And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” 13 And they cried out again, “Crucify him.” 14 And Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.” 15 So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged1 Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. Jesus Is Mocked 16 And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor's headquarters),2 and they called together the whole battalion.3 17 And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. 18 And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him. The Crucifixion 21 And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. 22 And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). 23 And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. 25 And it was the third hour4 when they crucified him. 26 And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” 27 And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left.5 29 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him. The Death of Jesus 33 And when the sixth hour6 had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.7 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 35 And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” 36 And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” 37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he8 breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son9 of God!” 40 There were also women looking on from a dist
Jeremiah 46–48 Jeremiah 46–48 (Listen) Judgment on Egypt 46 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations. 2 About Egypt. Concerning the army of Pharaoh Neco, king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates at Carchemish and which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: 3 “Prepare buckler and shield, and advance for battle!4 Harness the horses; mount, O horsemen! Take your stations with your helmets, polish your spears, put on your armor!5 Why have I seen it? They are dismayed and have turned backward. Their warriors are beaten down and have fled in haste; they look not back— terror on every side! declares the LORD. 6 “The swift cannot flee away, nor the warrior escape; in the north by the river Euphrates they have stumbled and fallen. 7 “Who is this, rising like the Nile, like rivers whose waters surge?8 Egypt rises like the Nile, like rivers whose waters surge. He said, ‘I will rise, I will cover the earth, I will destroy cities and their inhabitants.'9 Advance, O horses, and rage, O chariots! Let the warriors go out: men of Cush and Put who handle the shield, men of Lud, skilled in handling the bow.10 That day is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, to avenge himself on his foes. The sword shall devour and be sated and drink its fill of their blood. For the Lord GOD of hosts holds a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates.11 Go up to Gilead, and take balm, O virgin daughter of Egypt! In vain you have used many medicines; there is no healing for you.12 The nations have heard of your shame, and the earth is full of your cry; for warrior has stumbled against warrior; they have both fallen together.” 13 The word that the LORD spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to strike the land of Egypt: 14 “Declare in Egypt, and proclaim in Migdol; proclaim in Memphis and Tahpanhes; say, ‘Stand ready and be prepared, for the sword shall devour around you.'15 Why are your mighty ones face down? They do not stand1 because the LORD thrust them down.16 He made many stumble, and they fell, and they said one to another, ‘Arise, and let us go back to our own people and to the land of our birth, because of the sword of the oppressor.'17 Call the name of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, ‘Noisy one who lets the hour go by.' 18 “As I live, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts, like Tabor among the mountains and like Carmel by the sea, shall one come.19 Prepare yourselves baggage for exile, O inhabitants of Egypt! For Memphis shall become a waste, a ruin, without inhabitant. 20 “A beautiful heifer is Egypt, but a biting fly from the north has come upon her.21 Even her hired soldiers in her midst are like fattened calves; yes, they have turned and fled together; they did not stand, for the day of their calamity has come upon them, the time of their punishment. 22 “She makes a sound like a serpent gliding away; for her enemies march in force and come against her with axes like those who fell trees.23 They shall cut down her forest, declares the LORD, though it is impenetrable, because they are more numerous than locusts; they are without number.24 The daughter of Egypt shall be put to shame; she shall be delivered into the hand of a people from the north.” 25 The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, said: “Behold, I am bringing punishment upon Amon of Thebes, and Pharaoh and Egypt and her gods and her kings, upon Pharaoh and those who trust in him. 26 I will deliver them into the hand of those who seek their life, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his officers. Afterward Egypt shall be inhabited as in the days of old, declares the LORD. 27 “But fear not, O Jacob my servant, nor be dismayed, O Israel, for behold, I will save you from far away, and your offspring from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease, and none shall make him afraid.28 Fear not, O Jacob my servant, declares the LORD, for I am with you. I will make a full end of all the nations to which I have driven you, but of you I will not make a full end. I will discipline you in just measure, and I will by no means leave you unpunished.” Judgment on the Philistines 47 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines, before Pharaoh struck down Gaza. 2 “Thus says the LORD: Behold, waters are rising out of the north, and shall become an overflowing torrent; they shall overflow the land and all that fills it, the city and those who dwell in it. Men shall cry out, and every inhabitant of the land shall wail.3 At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his stallions, at the rushing of his chariots, at the rumbling of their wheels, the fathers look not back to their children, so feeble are their hands,4 because of the day that is coming to destroy all the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Sidon every helper that remains. For the LORD is destroying the Philistines, the remnant of the coastland of Caphtor.5 Baldness has come upon Gaza; Ashkelon has perished. O remnant of their valley, how long will you gash yourselves?6 Ah, sword of the LORD! How long till you are quiet? Put yourself into your scabbard; rest and be still!7 How can it2 be quiet when the LORD has given it a charge? Against Ashkelon and against the seashore he has appointed it.” Judgment on Moab 48 Concerning Moab. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Woe to Nebo, for it is laid waste! Kiriathaim is put to shame, it is taken; the fortress is put to shame and broken down;2 the renown of Moab is no more. In Heshbon they planned disaster against her: ‘Come, let us cut her off from being a nation!' You also, O Madmen, shall be brought to silence; the sword shall pursue you. 3 “A voice! A cry from Horonaim, ‘Desolation and great destruction!'4 Moab is destroyed; her little ones have made a cry.5 For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping;3 for at the descent of Horonaim they have heard the distressed cry4 of destruction.6 Flee! Save yourselves! You will be like a juniper in the desert!7 For, because you trusted in your works and your treasures, you also shall be taken; and Chemosh shall go into exile with his priests and his officials.8 The destroyer shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape; the valley shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the LORD has spoken. 9 “Give wings to Moab, for she would fly away; her cities shall become a desolation, with no inhabitant in them. 10 “Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed. 11 “Moab has been at ease from his youth and has settled on his dregs; he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile; so his taste remains in him, and his scent is not changed. 12 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I shall send to him pourers who will pour him, and empty his vessels and break his5 jars in pieces. 13 Then Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence. 14 “How do you say, ‘We are heroes and mighty men of war'?15 The destroyer of Moab and his cities has come up, and the choicest of his young men have gone down to slaughter, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.16 The calamity of Moab is near at hand, and his affliction hastens swiftly.17 Grieve for him, all you who are around him, and all who know his name; say, ‘How the mighty scepter is broken, the glorious staff.' 18 “Come down from your glory, and sit on the parched ground, O inhabitant of Dibon! For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you; he has destroyed your strongholds.19 Stand by the way and watch, O inhabitant of Aroer! Ask him who flees and her who escapes; say, ‘What has happened?'20 Moab is put to shame, for it is broken; wail and cry! Tell it beside the Arnon, that Moab is laid waste. 21 “Judgment has come upon the tableland, upon Holon, and Jahzah, and Mephaath, 22 and Dibon, and Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim, 23 and Kiriathaim, and Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon, 24 and Kerioth, and Bozrah, and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near. 25 The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, declares the LORD. 26 “Make him drunk, because he magnified himself against the LORD, so that Moab shall wallow in his vomit, and he too shall be held in derision. 27 Was not Israel a derision to you? Was he found among thieves, that whenever you spoke of him you wagged your head? 28 “Leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, O inhabitants of Moab! Be like the dove that nests in the sides of the mouth of a gorge.29 We have heard of the pride of Moab— he is very proud— of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance, and the haughtiness of his heart.30 I know his insolence, declares the LORD; his boasts are false, his deeds are false.31 Therefore I wail for Moab; I cry out for all Moab; for the men of Kir-hareseth I mourn.32 More than for Jazer I weep for you, O vine of Sibmah! Your branches passed over the sea, reached to the Sea of Jazer; on your summer fruits and your grapes the destroyer has fallen.33 Gladness and joy have been taken away from the fruitful land of Moab; I have made the wine cease from the winepresses; no one treads them with shouts of joy; the shouting is not the shout of joy. 34 “From the outcry at Heshbon even to Elealeh, as far as Jahaz they utter their voice, from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. For the waters of Nimrim also have become desolate. 35 And I will bring to an end in Moab, declares the LORD, him who offers sacrifice in the high place and makes offerings to his god. 36 Therefore my heart moans for Moab like a flute, and my heart moans like a flute for the men of Kir-hareseth. Therefore the riches they gained have perished. 37 “For every head is shaved and every beard cut off. On all the hands are gashes, and around the waist is sackcloth. 38 On all the housetops of Moab and in the squares there is nothing but lamentation, for I have broken Moab like a vessel for which no one cares, declares the LORD. 39 How it is broken! How they wail! How Moab has turned his back in shame! So Moab has become a derision and a horror to all that are around him.” 40 For thus says the LORD: “Behold, one shall fly swiftly like an eagle and spread his wings against Moab;41 the cities shall be taken and the strongholds seized. The heart of the warriors of Moab shall be in that day like the heart of a woman in her birth pains;42 Moab shall be destroyed and be no longer a people, because he magnified himself against the LORD.43 Terror, pit, and snare are before you, O inhabitant of Moab! declares the LORD.44 He who flees from the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For I will bring these things upon Moab, the year of their punishment, declares the LORD. 45 “In the shadow of Heshbon fugitives stop without strength, for fire came out from Heshbon, flame from the house of Sihon; it has destroyed the forehead of Moab, the crown of the sons of tumult.46 Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh are undone, for your sons have been taken captive, and your daughters into captivity.47 Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days, declares the LORD.” Thus far is the judgment on Moab. Footnotes [1] 46:15 Hebrew He does not stand [2]&
Isaiah 13–17 Isaiah 13–17 (Listen) The Judgment of Babylon 13 The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw. 2 On a bare hill raise a signal; cry aloud to them; wave the hand for them to enter the gates of the nobles.3 I myself have commanded my consecrated ones, and have summoned my mighty men to execute my anger, my proudly exulting ones.1 4 The sound of a tumult is on the mountains as of a great multitude! The sound of an uproar of kingdoms, of nations gathering together! The LORD of hosts is mustering a host for battle.5 They come from a distant land, from the end of the heavens, the LORD and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.2 6 Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; as destruction from the Almighty3 it will come!7 Therefore all hands will be feeble, and every human heart will melt.8 They will be dismayed: pangs and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame. 9 Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it.10 For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light.11 I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless.12 I will make people more rare than fine gold, and mankind than the gold of Ophir.13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the LORD of hosts in the day of his fierce anger.14 And like a hunted gazelle, or like sheep with none to gather them, each will turn to his own people, and each will flee to his own land.15 Whoever is found will be thrust through, and whoever is caught will fall by the sword.16 Their infants will be dashed in pieces before their eyes; their houses will be plundered and their wives ravished. 17 Behold, I am stirring up the Medes against them, who have no regard for silver and do not delight in gold.18 Their bows will slaughter4 the young men; they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb; their eyes will not pity children.19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them.20 It will never be inhabited or lived in for all generations; no Arab will pitch his tent there; no shepherds will make their flocks lie down there.21 But wild animals will lie down there, and their houses will be full of howling creatures; there ostriches5 will dwell, and there wild goats will dance.22 Hyenas6 will cry in its towers, and jackals in the pleasant palaces; its time is close at hand and its days will not be prolonged. The Restoration of Jacob 14 For the LORD will have compassion on Jacob and will again choose Israel, and will set them in their own land, and sojourners will join them and will attach themselves to the house of Jacob. 2 And the peoples will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them in the LORD's land as male and female slaves.7 They will take captive those who were their captors, and rule over those who oppressed them. Israel's Remnant Taunts Babylon 3 When the LORD has given you rest from your pain and turmoil and the hard service with which you were made to serve, 4 you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: “How the oppressor has ceased, the insolent fury8 ceased!5 The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of rulers,6 that struck the peoples in wrath with unceasing blows, that ruled the nations in anger with unrelenting persecution.7 The whole earth is at rest and quiet; they break forth into singing.8 The cypresses rejoice at you, the cedars of Lebanon, saying, ‘Since you were laid low, no woodcutter comes up against us.'9 Sheol beneath is stirred up to meet you when you come; it rouses the shades to greet you, all who were leaders of the earth; it raises from their thrones all who were kings of the nations.10 All of them will answer and say to you: ‘You too have become as weak as we! You have become like us!'11 Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, the sound of your harps; maggots are laid as a bed beneath you, and worms are your covers. 12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low!13 You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north;914 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.'15 But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.16 Those who see you will stare at you and ponder over you: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms,17 who made the world like a desert and overthrew its cities, who did not let his prisoners go home?'18 All the kings of the nations lie in glory, each in his own tomb;1019 but you are cast out, away from your grave, like a loathed branch, clothed with the slain, those pierced by the sword, who go down to the stones of the pit, like a dead body trampled underfoot.20 You will not be joined with them in burial, because you have destroyed your land, you have slain your people. “May the offspring of evildoers nevermore be named!21 Prepare slaughter for his sons because of the guilt of their fathers, lest they rise and possess the earth, and fill the face of the world with cities.” 22 “I will rise up against them,” declares the LORD of hosts, “and will cut off from Babylon name and remnant, descendants and posterity,” declares the LORD. 23 “And I will make it a possession of the hedgehog,11 and pools of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction,” declares the LORD of hosts. An Oracle Concerning Assyria 24 The LORD of hosts has sworn: “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand,25 that I will break the Assyrian in my land, and on my mountains trample him underfoot; and his yoke shall depart from them, and his burden from their shoulder.” 26 This is the purpose that is purposed concerning the whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations.27 For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back? An Oracle Concerning Philistia 28 In the year that King Ahaz died came this oracle: 29 Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of you, that the rod that struck you is broken, for from the serpent's root will come forth an adder, and its fruit will be a flying fiery serpent.30 And the firstborn of the poor will graze, and the needy lie down in safety; but I will kill your root with famine, and your remnant it will slay.31 Wail, O gate; cry out, O city; melt in fear, O Philistia, all of you! For smoke comes out of the north, and there is no straggler in his ranks. 32 What will one answer the messengers of the nation? “The LORD has founded Zion, and in her the afflicted of his people find refuge.” An Oracle Concerning Moab 15 An oracle concerning Moab. Because Ar of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone; because Kir of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone.2 He has gone up to the temple,12 and to Dibon, to the high places13 to weep; over Nebo and over Medeba Moab wails. On every head is baldness; every beard is shorn;3 in the streets they wear sackcloth; on the housetops and in the squares everyone wails and melts in tears.4 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out; their voice is heard as far as Jahaz; therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud; his soul trembles.5 My heart cries out for Moab; her fugitives flee to Zoar, to Eglath-shelishiyah. For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping; on the road to Horonaim they raise a cry of destruction;6 the waters of Nimrim are a desolation; the grass is withered, the vegetation fails, the greenery is no more.7 Therefore the abundance they have gained and what they have laid up they carry away over the Brook of the Willows.8 For a cry has gone around the land of Moab; her wailing reaches to Eglaim; her wailing reaches to Beer-elim.9 For the waters of Dibon14 are full of blood; for I will bring upon Dibon even more, a lion for those of Moab who escape, for the remnant of the land.16 Send the lamb to the ruler of the land, from Sela, by way of the desert, to the mount of the daughter of Zion.2 Like fleeing birds, like a scattered nest, so are the daughters of Moab at the fords of the Arnon. 3 “Give counsel; grant justice; make your shade like night at the height of noon; shelter the outcasts; do not reveal the fugitive;4 let the outcasts of Moab sojourn among you; be a shelter to them15 from the destroyer. When the oppressor is no more, and destruction has ceased, and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land,5 then a throne will be established in steadfast love, and on it will sit in faithfulness in the tent of David one who judges and seeks justice and is swift to do righteousness.” 6 We have heard of the pride of Moab— how proud he is!— of his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence; in his idle boasting he is not right.7 Therefore let Moab wail for Moab, let everyone wail. Mourn, utterly stricken, for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth. 8 For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah; the lords of the nations have struck down its branches, which reached to Jazer and strayed to the desert; its shoots spread abroad and passed over the sea.9 Therefore I weep with the weeping of Jazer for the vine of Sibmah; I drench you with my tears, O Heshbon and Elealeh;
With family: Numbers 25; Psalm 68 Numbers 25 (Listen) Baal Worship at Peor 25 While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. 2 These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. 4 And the LORD said to Moses, “Take all the chiefs of the people and hang1 them in the sun before the LORD, that the fierce anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel.” 5 And Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you kill those of his men who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor.” 6 And behold, one of the people of Israel came and brought a Midianite woman to his family, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the people of Israel, while they were weeping in the entrance of the tent of meeting. 7 When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose and left the congregation and took a spear in his hand 8 and went after the man of Israel into the chamber and pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the woman through her belly. Thus the plague on the people of Israel was stopped. 9 Nevertheless, those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand. The Zeal of Phinehas 10 And the LORD said to Moses, 11 “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy. 12 Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace, 13 and it shall be to him and to his descendants after him the covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the people of Israel.’” 14 The name of the slain man of Israel, who was killed with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, chief of a father’s house belonging to the Simeonites. 15 And the name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi the daughter of Zur, who was the tribal head of a father’s house in Midian. 16 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “Harass the Midianites and strike them down, 18 for they have harassed you with their wiles, with which they beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of the chief of Midian, their sister, who was killed on the day of the plague on account of Peor.” Footnotes [1] 25:4 Or impale (ESV) Psalm 68 (Listen) God Shall Scatter His Enemies To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A Song. 68 God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered; and those who hate him shall flee before him!2 As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away; as wax melts before fire, so the wicked shall perish before God!3 But the righteous shall be glad; they shall exult before God; they shall be jubilant with joy! 4 Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the LORD; exult before him!5 Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.6 God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land. 7 O God, when you went out before your people, when you marched through the wilderness, Selah8 the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain, before God, the One of Sinai, before God,1 the God of Israel.9 Rain in abundance, O God, you shed abroad; you restored your inheritance as it languished;10 your flock2 found a dwelling in it; in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy. 11 The Lord gives the word; the women who announce the news are a great host:12 “The kings of the armies—they flee, they flee!” The women at home divide the spoil—13 though you men lie among the sheepfolds— the wings of a dove covered with silver, its pinions with shimmering gold.14 When the Almighty scatters kings there, let snow fall on Zalmon. 15 O mountain of God, mountain of Bashan; O many-peaked3 mountain, mountain of Bashan!16 Why do you look with hatred, O many-peaked mountain, at the mount that God desired for his abode, yes, where the LORD will dwell forever?17 The chariots of God are twice ten thousand, thousands upon thousands; the Lord is among them; Sinai is now in the sanctuary.18 You ascended on high, leading a host of captives in your train and receiving gifts among men, even among the rebellious, that the LORD God may dwell there. 19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. Selah20 Our God is a God of salvation, and to GOD, the Lord, belong deliverances from death.21 But God will strike the heads of his enemies, the hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways.22 The Lord said, “I will bring them back from Bashan, I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,23 that you may strike your feet in their blood, that the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from the foe.” 24 Your procession is4 seen, O God, the procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary—25 the singers in front, the musicians last, between them virgins playing tambourines:26 “Bless God in the great congregation, the LORD, O you5 who are of Israel’s fountain!”27 There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead, the princes of Judah in their throng, the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali. 28 Summon your power, O God,6 the power, O God, by which you have worked for us.29 Because of your temple at Jerusalem kings shall bear gifts to you.30 Rebuke the beasts that dwell among the reeds, the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples. Trample underfoot those who lust after tribute; scatter the peoples who delight in war.731 Nobles shall come from Egypt; Cush shall hasten to stretch out her hands to God. 32 O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God; sing praises to the Lord, Selah33 to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens; behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.34 Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel, and whose power is in the skies.35 Awesome is God from his8 sanctuary; the God of Israel—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people. Blessed be God! Footnotes [1] 68:8 Or before God, even Sinai before God [2] 68:10 Or your congregation [3] 68:15 Or hunch-backed; also verse 16 [4] 68:24 Or has been [5] 68:26 The Hebrew for you is plural here [6] 68:28 By revocalization (compare Septuagint); Hebrew Your God has summoned your power [7] 68:30 The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain [8] 68:35 Septuagint; Hebrew your (ESV) In private: Isaiah 15; 1 Peter 3 Isaiah 15 (Listen) An Oracle Concerning Moab 15 An oracle concerning Moab. Because Ar of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone; because Kir of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone.2 He has gone up to the temple,1 and to Dibon, to the high places2 to weep; over Nebo and over Medeba Moab wails. On every head is baldness; every beard is shorn;3 in the streets they wear sackcloth; on the housetops and in the squares everyone wails and melts in tears.4 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out; their voice is heard as far as Jahaz; therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud; his soul trembles.5 My heart cries out for Moab; her fugitives flee to Zoar, to Eglath-shelishiyah. For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping; on the road to Horonaim they raise a cry of destruction;6 the waters of Nimrim are a desolation; the grass is withered, the vegetation fails, the greenery is no more.7 Therefore the abundance they have gained and what they have laid up they carry away over the Brook of the Willows.8 For a cry has gone around the land of Moab; her wailing reaches to Eglaim; her wailing reaches to Beer-elim.9 For the waters of Dibon3 are full of blood; for I will bring upon Dibon even more, a lion for those of Moab who escape, for the remnant of the land. Footnotes [1] 15:2 Hebrew the house [2] 15:2 Or temple, even Dibon to the high places [3] 15:9 Dead Sea Scroll, Vulgate (compare Syriac); Masoretic Text Dimon; twice in this verse (ESV) 1 Peter 3 (Listen) Wives and Husbands 3 Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they see your respectful and pure conduct. 3 Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. 5 For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening. 7 Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you1 of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. Suffering for Righteousness’ Sake 8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. 10 For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit;11 let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil. 18 For Christ also suffered2 once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which3 he went and proclaimed4 to the spirits in prison, 20 because5 they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him. Footnotes [1] 3:7 Some manuscripts since you are joint heirs [2] 3:18 Some manuscripts died [3] 3:19 Or the Spirit, in whom [4] 3:19 Or preached [5] 3:20 Or when (ESV)
Isaiah 14 (NIV)1 The Lord will have compassion on Jacob; once again he will choose Israel and will settle them in their own land.Foreigners will join them and unite with the descendants of Jacob.2 Nations will take them and bring them to their own place.And Israel will take possession of the nations and make them male and female servants in the Lord's land.They will make captives of their captors and rule over their oppressors.3 On the day the Lord gives you relief from your suffering and turmoil and from the harsh labor forced on you, 4 you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon:How the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury[a] has ended!5 The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers,6 which in anger struck down peoples with unceasing blows,and in fury subdued nations with relentless aggression.7 All the lands are at rest and at peace; they break into singing.8 Even the junipers and the cedars of Lebanon gloat over you and say,“Now that you have been laid low, no one comes to cut us down.”9 The realm of the dead below is all astir to meet you at your coming;it rouses the spirits of the departed to greet you— all those who were leaders in the world;it makes them rise from their thrones— all those who were kings over the nations.10 They will all respond, they will say to you,“You also have become weak, as we are; you have become like us.”11 All your pomp has been brought down to the grave, along with the noise of your harps;maggots are spread out beneath you and worms cover you.12 How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn!You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!13 You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens;I will raise my throne above the stars of God;I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.[b]14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”15 But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit.16 Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate:“Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble,17 the man who made the world a wilderness, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go home?”18 All the kings of the nations lie in state, each in his own tomb.19 But you are cast out of your tomb like a rejected branch;you are covered with the slain, with those pierced by the sword, those who descend to the stones of the pit.Like a corpse trampled underfoot,20 you will not join them in burial,for you have destroyed your land and killed your people.Let the offspring of the wicked never be mentioned again.21 Prepare a place to slaughter his children for the sins of their ancestors;they are not to rise to inherit the land and cover the earth with their cities.22 “I will rise up against them,” declares the Lord Almighty.“I will wipe out Babylon's name and survivors, her offspring and descendants,”declares the Lord.23 “I will turn her into a place for owls and into swampland;I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,” declares the Lord Almighty.24 The Lord Almighty has sworn,“Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen.25 I will crush the Assyrian in my land; on my mountains I will trample him down.His yoke will be taken from my people, and his burden removed from their shoulders.”26 This is the plan determined for the whole world; this is the hand stretched out over all nations.27 For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?A Prophecy Against the Philistines28 This prophecy came in the year King Ahaz died:29 Do not rejoice, all you Philistines, that the rod that struck you is broken;from the root of that snake will spring up a viper, its fruit will be a darting, venomous serpent.30 The poorest of the poor will find pasture, and the needy will lie down in safety.But your root I will destroy by famine; it will slay your survivors.31 Wail, you gate! Howl, you city! Melt away, all you Philistines!A cloud of smoke comes from the north, and there is not a straggler in its ranks.32 What answer shall be given to the envoys of that nation?“The Lord has established Zion, and in her his afflicted people will find refuge.”Footnotes:[a] Isaiah 14:4 Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint and Syriac; the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain.[b] Isaiah 14:13 Or of the north; Zaphon was the most sacred mountain of the Canaanites.Isaiah 15 (NIV)A Prophecy Against Moab1 A prophecy against Moab:Ar in Moab is ruined, destroyed in a night!Kir in Moab is ruined, destroyed in a night!2 Dibon goes up to its temple, to its high places to weep; Moab wails over Nebo and Medeba.Every head is shaved and every beard cut off.3 In the streets they wear sackcloth; on the roofs and in the public squaresthey all wail, prostrate with weeping.4 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out, their voices are heard all the way to Jahaz.Therefore the armed men of Moab cry out, and their hearts are faint.5 My heart cries out over Moab; her fugitives flee as far as Zoar, as far as Eglath Shelishiyah.They go up the hill to Luhith, weeping as they go;on the road to Horonaim they lament their destruction.6 The waters of Nimrim are dried up and the grass is withered;the vegetation is gone and nothing green is left.7 So the wealth they have acquired and stored up they carry away over the Ravine of the Poplars.8 Their outcry echoes along the border of Moab; their wailing reaches as far as Eglaim, their lamentation as far as Beer Elim.9 The waters of Dimon[a] are full of blood, but I will bring still more upon Dimon[b]—a lion upon the fugitives of Moab and upon those who remain in the land.Footnotes:[a] Isaiah 15:9 Dimon, a wordplay on Dibon (see verse 2), sounds like the Hebrew for blood.[b] Isaiah 15:9 Dimon, a wordplay on Dibon (see verse 2), sounds like the Hebrew for blood.
Isaiah 14 (NIV)1 The Lord will have compassion on Jacob; once again he will choose Israel and will settle them in their own land.Foreigners will join them and unite with the descendants of Jacob.2 Nations will take them and bring them to their own place.And Israel will take possession of the nations and make them male and female servants in the Lord's land.They will make captives of their captors and rule over their oppressors.3 On the day the Lord gives you relief from your suffering and turmoil and from the harsh labor forced on you, 4 you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon:How the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury[a] has ended!5 The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers,6 which in anger struck down peoples with unceasing blows,and in fury subdued nations with relentless aggression.7 All the lands are at rest and at peace; they break into singing.8 Even the junipers and the cedars of Lebanon gloat over you and say,“Now that you have been laid low, no one comes to cut us down.”9 The realm of the dead below is all astir to meet you at your coming;it rouses the spirits of the departed to greet you— all those who were leaders in the world;it makes them rise from their thrones— all those who were kings over the nations.10 They will all respond, they will say to you,“You also have become weak, as we are; you have become like us.”11 All your pomp has been brought down to the grave, along with the noise of your harps;maggots are spread out beneath you and worms cover you.12 How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn!You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!13 You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens;I will raise my throne above the stars of God;I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.[b]14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”15 But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit.16 Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate:“Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble,17 the man who made the world a wilderness, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go home?”18 All the kings of the nations lie in state, each in his own tomb.19 But you are cast out of your tomb like a rejected branch;you are covered with the slain, with those pierced by the sword, those who descend to the stones of the pit.Like a corpse trampled underfoot,20 you will not join them in burial,for you have destroyed your land and killed your people.Let the offspring of the wicked never be mentioned again.21 Prepare a place to slaughter his children for the sins of their ancestors;they are not to rise to inherit the land and cover the earth with their cities.22 “I will rise up against them,” declares the Lord Almighty.“I will wipe out Babylon's name and survivors, her offspring and descendants,”declares the Lord.23 “I will turn her into a place for owls and into swampland;I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,” declares the Lord Almighty.24 The Lord Almighty has sworn,“Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen.25 I will crush the Assyrian in my land; on my mountains I will trample him down.His yoke will be taken from my people, and his burden removed from their shoulders.”26 This is the plan determined for the whole world; this is the hand stretched out over all nations.27 For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?A Prophecy Against the Philistines28 This prophecy came in the year King Ahaz died:29 Do not rejoice, all you Philistines, that the rod that struck you is broken;from the root of that snake will spring up a viper, its fruit will be a darting, venomous serpent.30 The poorest of the poor will find pasture, and the needy will lie down in safety.But your root I will destroy by famine; it will slay your survivors.31 Wail, you gate! Howl, you city! Melt away, all you Philistines!A cloud of smoke comes from the north, and there is not a straggler in its ranks.32 What answer shall be given to the envoys of that nation?“The Lord has established Zion, and in her his afflicted people will find refuge.”Footnotes:[a] Isaiah 14:4 Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint and Syriac; the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain.[b] Isaiah 14:13 Or of the north; Zaphon was the most sacred mountain of the Canaanites.Isaiah 15 (NIV)A Prophecy Against Moab1 A prophecy against Moab:Ar in Moab is ruined, destroyed in a night!Kir in Moab is ruined, destroyed in a night!2 Dibon goes up to its temple, to its high places to weep; Moab wails over Nebo and Medeba.Every head is shaved and every beard cut off.3 In the streets they wear sackcloth; on the roofs and in the public squaresthey all wail, prostrate with weeping.4 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out, their voices are heard all the way to Jahaz.Therefore the armed men of Moab cry out, and their hearts are faint.5 My heart cries out over Moab; her fugitives flee as far as Zoar, as far as Eglath Shelishiyah.They go up the hill to Luhith, weeping as they go;on the road to Horonaim they lament their destruction.6 The waters of Nimrim are dried up and the grass is withered;the vegetation is gone and nothing green is left.7 So the wealth they have acquired and stored up they carry away over the Ravine of the Poplars.8 Their outcry echoes along the border of Moab; their wailing reaches as far as Eglaim, their lamentation as far as Beer Elim.9 The waters of Dimon[a] are full of blood, but I will bring still more upon Dimon[b]—a lion upon the fugitives of Moab and upon those who remain in the land.Footnotes:[a] Isaiah 15:9 Dimon, a wordplay on Dibon (see verse 2), sounds like the Hebrew for blood.[b] Isaiah 15:9 Dimon, a wordplay on Dibon (see verse 2), sounds like the Hebrew for blood.
Isaiah 14 (NIV) 1 The Lord will have compassion on Jacob; once again he will choose Israel and will settle them in their own land. Foreigners will join them and unite with the descendants of Jacob. 2 Nations will take them and bring them to their own place. And Israel will take possession of the nations and make them male and female servants in the Lord's land. They will make captives of their captors and rule over their oppressors. 3 On the day the Lord gives you relief from your suffering and turmoil and from the harsh labor forced on you, 4 you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury[a] has ended! 5 The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers, 6 which in anger struck down peoples with unceasing blows, and in fury subdued nations with relentless aggression. 7 All the lands are at rest and at peace; they break into singing. 8 Even the junipers and the cedars of Lebanon gloat over you and say, “Now that you have been laid low, no one comes to cut us down.” 9 The realm of the dead below is all astir to meet you at your coming; it rouses the spirits of the departed to greet you— all those who were leaders in the world; it makes them rise from their thrones— all those who were kings over the nations. 10 They will all respond, they will say to you, “You also have become weak, as we are; you have become like us.” 11 All your pomp has been brought down to the grave, along with the noise of your harps; maggots are spread out beneath you and worms cover you. 12 How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! 13 You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.[b] 14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” 15 But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit. 16 Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate: “Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble, 17 the man who made the world a wilderness, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go home?” 18 All the kings of the nations lie in state, each in his own tomb. 19 But you are cast out of your tomb like a rejected branch; you are covered with the slain, with those pierced by the sword, those who descend to the stones of the pit. Like a corpse trampled underfoot, 20 you will not join them in burial, for you have destroyed your land and killed your people. Let the offspring of the wicked never be mentioned again. 21 Prepare a place to slaughter his children for the sins of their ancestors; they are not to rise to inherit the land and cover the earth with their cities. 22 “I will rise up against them,” declares the Lord Almighty. “I will wipe out Babylon's name and survivors, her offspring and descendants,” declares the Lord. 23 “I will turn her into a place for owls and into swampland; I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,” declares the Lord Almighty. 24 The Lord Almighty has sworn, “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen. 25 I will crush the Assyrian in my land; on my mountains I will trample him down. His yoke will be taken from my people, and his burden removed from their shoulders.” 26 This is the plan determined for the whole world; this is the hand stretched out over all nations. 27 For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back? A Prophecy Against the Philistines 28 This prophecy came in the year King Ahaz died: 29 Do not rejoice, all you Philistines, that the rod that struck you is broken; from the root of that snake will spring up a viper, its fruit will be a darting, venomous serpent. 30 The poorest of the poor will find pasture, and the needy will lie down in safety. But your root I will destroy by famine; it will slay your survivors. 31 Wail, you gate! Howl, you city! Melt away, all you Philistines! A cloud of smoke comes from the north, and there is not a straggler in its ranks. 32 What answer shall be given to the envoys of that nation? “The Lord has established Zion, and in her his afflicted people will find refuge.” Footnotes: [a] Isaiah 14:4 Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint and Syriac; the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain. [b] Isaiah 14:13 Or of the north; Zaphon was the most sacred mountain of the Canaanites. Isaiah 15 (NIV) A Prophecy Against Moab 1 A prophecy against Moab: Ar in Moab is ruined, destroyed in a night! Kir in Moab is ruined, destroyed in a night! 2 Dibon goes up to its temple, to its high places to weep; Moab wails over Nebo and Medeba. Every head is shaved and every beard cut off. 3 In the streets they wear sackcloth; on the roofs and in the public squares they all wail, prostrate with weeping. 4 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out, their voices are heard all the way to Jahaz. Therefore the armed men of Moab cry out, and their hearts are faint. 5 My heart cries out over Moab; her fugitives flee as far as Zoar, as far as Eglath Shelishiyah. They go up the hill to Luhith, weeping as they go; on the road to Horonaim they lament their destruction. 6 The waters of Nimrim are dried up and the grass is withered; the vegetation is gone and nothing green is left. 7 So the wealth they have acquired and stored up they carry away over the Ravine of the Poplars. 8 Their outcry echoes along the border of Moab; their wailing reaches as far as Eglaim, their lamentation as far as Beer Elim. 9 The waters of Dimon[a] are full of blood, but I will bring still more upon Dimon[b]— a lion upon the fugitives of Moab and upon those who remain in the land. Footnotes: [a] Isaiah 15:9 Dimon, a wordplay on Dibon (see verse 2), sounds like the Hebrew for blood. [b] Isaiah 15:9 Dimon, a wordplay on Dibon (see verse 2), sounds like the Hebrew for blood.
2 Samuel 13 (NIV)Amnon and Tamar1 In the course of time, Amnon son of David fell in love with Tamar, the beautiful sister of Absalom son of David.2 Amnon became so obsessed with his sister Tamar that he made himself ill. She was a virgin, and it seemed impossible for him to do anything to her.3 Now Amnon had an adviser named Jonadab son of Shimeah, David's brother. Jonadab was a very shrewd man. 4 He asked Amnon, “Why do you, the king's son, look so haggard morning after morning? Won't you tell me?”Amnon said to him, “I'm in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister.”5 “Go to bed and pretend to be ill,” Jonadab said. “When your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘I would like my sister Tamar to come and give me something to eat. Let her prepare the food in my sight so I may watch her and then eat it from her hand.'”6 So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. When the king came to see him, Amnon said to him, “I would like my sister Tamar to come and make some special bread in my sight, so I may eat from her hand.”7 David sent word to Tamar at the palace: “Go to the house of your brother Amnon and prepare some food for him.” 8 So Tamar went to the house of her brother Amnon, who was lying down. She took some dough, kneaded it, made the bread in his sight and baked it. 9 Then she took the pan and served him the bread, but he refused to eat.“Send everyone out of here,” Amnon said. So everyone left him. 10 Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food here into my bedroom so I may eat from your hand.” And Tamar took the bread she had prepared and brought it to her brother Amnon in his bedroom. 11 But when she took it to him to eat, he grabbed her and said, “Come to bed with me, my sister.”12 “No, my brother!” she said to him. “Don't force me! Such a thing should not be done in Israel! Don't do this wicked thing. 13 What about me? Where could I get rid of my disgrace? And what about you? You would be like one of the wicked fools in Israel. Please speak to the king; he will not keep me from being married to you.” 14 But he refused to listen to her, and since he was stronger than she, he raped her.15 Then Amnon hated her with intense hatred. In fact, he hated her more than he had loved her. Amnon said to her, “Get up and get out!”16 “No!” she said to him. “Sending me away would be a greater wrong than what you have already done to me.”But he refused to listen to her. 17 He called his personal servant and said, “Get this woman out of my sight and bolt the door after her.” 18 So his servant put her out and bolted the door after her. She was wearing an ornate[a] robe, for this was the kind of garment the virgin daughters of the king wore. 19 Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the ornate robe she was wearing. She put her hands on her head and went away, weeping aloud as she went.20 Her brother Absalom said to her, “Has that Amnon, your brother, been with you? Be quiet for now, my sister; he is your brother. Don't take this thing to heart.” And Tamar lived in her brother Absalom's house, a desolate woman.21 When King David heard all this, he was furious. 22 And Absalom never said a word to Amnon, either good or bad; he hated Amnon because he had disgraced his sister Tamar.Absalom Kills Amnon23 Two years later, when Absalom's sheepshearers were at Baal Hazor near the border of Ephraim, he invited all the king's sons to come there. 24 Absalom went to the king and said, “Your servant has had shearers come. Will the king and his attendants please join me?”25 “No, my son,” the king replied. “All of us should not go; we would only be a burden to you.” Although Absalom urged him, he still refused to go but gave him his blessing.26 Then Absalom said, “If not, please let my brother Amnon come with us.”The king asked him, “Why should he go with you?” 27 But Absalom urged him, so he sent with him Amnon and the rest of the king's sons.28 Absalom ordered his men, “Listen! When Amnon is in high spirits from drinking wine and I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon down,' then kill him. Don't be afraid. Haven't I given you this order? Be strong and brave.” 29 So Absalom's men did to Amnon what Absalom had ordered. Then all the king's sons got up, mounted their mules and fled.30 While they were on their way, the report came to David: “Absalom has struck down all the king's sons; not one of them is left.” 31 The king stood up, tore his clothes and lay down on the ground; and all his attendants stood by with their clothes torn.32 But Jonadab son of Shimeah, David's brother, said, “My lord should not think that they killed all the princes; only Amnon is dead. This has been Absalom's express intention ever since the day Amnon raped his sister Tamar. 33 My lord the king should not be concerned about the report that all the king's sons are dead. Only Amnon is dead.”34 Meanwhile, Absalom had fled.Now the man standing watch looked up and saw many people on the road west of him, coming down the side of the hill. The watchman went and told the king, “I see men in the direction of Horonaim, on the side of the hill.”[b]35 Jonadab said to the king, “See, the king's sons have come; it has happened just as your servant said.”36 As he finished speaking, the king's sons came in, wailing loudly. The king, too, and all his attendants wept very bitterly.37 Absalom fled and went to Talmai son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur. But King David mourned many days for his son.38 After Absalom fled and went to Geshur, he stayed there three years. 39 And King David longed to go to Absalom, for he was consoled concerning Amnon's death.Footnotes:2 Samuel 13:18 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain; also in verse 19.2 Samuel 13:34 Septuagint; Hebrew does not have this sentence.2 Samuel 14 (NIV)Absalom Returns to Jerusalem1 Joab son of Zeruiah knew that the king's heart longed for Absalom. 2 So Joab sent someone to Tekoa and had a wise woman brought from there. He said to her, “Pretend you are in mourning. Dress in mourning clothes, and don't use any cosmetic lotions. Act like a woman who has spent many days grieving for the dead. 3 Then go to the king and speak these words to him.” And Joab put the words in her mouth.4 When the woman from Tekoa went[a] to the king, she fell with her face to the ground to pay him honor, and she said, “Help me, Your Majesty!”5 The king asked her, “What is troubling you?”She said, “I am a widow; my husband is dead. 6 I your servant had two sons. They got into a fight with each other in the field, and no one was there to separate them. One struck the other and killed him. 7 Now the whole clan has risen up against your servant; they say, ‘Hand over the one who struck his brother down, so that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed; then we will get rid of the heir as well.' They would put out the only burning coal I have left, leaving my husband neither name nor descendant on the face of the earth.”8 The king said to the woman, “Go home, and I will issue an order in your behalf.”9 But the woman from Tekoa said to him, “Let my lord the king pardon me and my family, and let the king and his throne be without guilt.”10 The king replied, “If anyone says anything to you, bring them to me, and they will not bother you again.”11 She said, “Then let the king invoke the Lord his God to prevent the avenger of blood from adding to the destruction, so that my son will not be destroyed.”“As surely as the Lord lives,” he said, “not one hair of your son's head will fall to the ground.”12 Then the woman said, “Let your servant speak a word to my lord the king.”“Speak,” he replied.13 The woman said, “Why then have you devised a thing like this against the people of God? When the king says this, does he not convict himself, for the king has not brought back his banished son? 14 Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But that is not what God desires; rather, he devises ways so that a banished person does not remain banished from him.15 “And now I have come to say this to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. Your servant thought, ‘I will speak to the king; perhaps he will grant his servant's request. 16 Perhaps the king will agree to deliver his servant from the hand of the man who is trying to cut off both me and my son from God's inheritance.'17 “And now your servant says, ‘May the word of my lord the king secure my inheritance, for my lord the king is like an angel of God in discerning good and evil. May the Lord your God be with you.'”18 Then the king said to the woman, “Don't keep from me the answer to what I am going to ask you.”“Let my lord the king speak,” the woman said.19 The king asked, “Isn't the hand of Joab with you in all this?”The woman answered, “As surely as you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the left from anything my lord the king says. Yes, it was your servant Joab who instructed me to do this and who put all these words into the mouth of your servant. 20 Your servant Joab did this to change the present situation. My lord has wisdom like that of an angel of God—he knows everything that happens in the land.”21 The king said to Joab, “Very well, I will do it. Go, bring back the young man Absalom.”22 Joab fell with his face to the ground to pay him honor, and he blessed the king. Joab said, “Today your servant knows that he has found favor in your eyes, my lord the king, because the king has granted his servant's request.”23 Then Joab went to Geshur and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem. 24 But the king said, “He must go to his own house; he must not see my face.” So Absalom went to his own house and did not see the face of the king.25 In all Israel there was not a man so highly praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. From the top of his head to the sole of his foot there was no blemish in him. 26 Whenever he cut the hair of his head—he used to cut his hair once a year because it became too heavy for him—he would weigh it, and its weight was two hundred shekels[b] by the royal standard.27 Three sons and a daughter were born to Absalom. His daughter's name was Tamar, and she became a beautiful woman.28 Absalom lived two years in Jerusalem without seeing the king's face. 29 Then Absalom sent for Joab in order to send him to the king, but Joab refused to come to him. So he sent a second time, but he refused to come. 30 Then he said to his servants, “Look, Joab's field is next to mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire.” So Absalom's servants set the field on fire.31 Then Joab did go to Absalom's house, and he said to him, “Why have your servants set my field on fire?”32 Absalom said to Joab, “Look, I sent word to you and said, ‘Come here so I can send you to the king to ask, “Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me if I were still there!”' Now then, I want to see the king's face, and if I am guilty of anything, let him put me to death.”33 So Joab went to the king and told him this. Then the king summoned Absalom, and he came in and bowed down with his face to the ground before the king. And the king kissed Absalom.Footnotes:2 Samuel 14:4 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts spoke2 Samuel 14:26 That is, about 5 pounds or about 2.3 kilograms
2 Samuel 13 (NIV)Amnon and Tamar1 In the course of time, Amnon son of David fell in love with Tamar, the beautiful sister of Absalom son of David.2 Amnon became so obsessed with his sister Tamar that he made himself ill. She was a virgin, and it seemed impossible for him to do anything to her.3 Now Amnon had an adviser named Jonadab son of Shimeah, David's brother. Jonadab was a very shrewd man. 4 He asked Amnon, “Why do you, the king's son, look so haggard morning after morning? Won't you tell me?”Amnon said to him, “I'm in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister.”5 “Go to bed and pretend to be ill,” Jonadab said. “When your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘I would like my sister Tamar to come and give me something to eat. Let her prepare the food in my sight so I may watch her and then eat it from her hand.'”6 So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. When the king came to see him, Amnon said to him, “I would like my sister Tamar to come and make some special bread in my sight, so I may eat from her hand.”7 David sent word to Tamar at the palace: “Go to the house of your brother Amnon and prepare some food for him.” 8 So Tamar went to the house of her brother Amnon, who was lying down. She took some dough, kneaded it, made the bread in his sight and baked it. 9 Then she took the pan and served him the bread, but he refused to eat.“Send everyone out of here,” Amnon said. So everyone left him. 10 Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food here into my bedroom so I may eat from your hand.” And Tamar took the bread she had prepared and brought it to her brother Amnon in his bedroom. 11 But when she took it to him to eat, he grabbed her and said, “Come to bed with me, my sister.”12 “No, my brother!” she said to him. “Don't force me! Such a thing should not be done in Israel! Don't do this wicked thing. 13 What about me? Where could I get rid of my disgrace? And what about you? You would be like one of the wicked fools in Israel. Please speak to the king; he will not keep me from being married to you.” 14 But he refused to listen to her, and since he was stronger than she, he raped her.15 Then Amnon hated her with intense hatred. In fact, he hated her more than he had loved her. Amnon said to her, “Get up and get out!”16 “No!” she said to him. “Sending me away would be a greater wrong than what you have already done to me.”But he refused to listen to her. 17 He called his personal servant and said, “Get this woman out of my sight and bolt the door after her.” 18 So his servant put her out and bolted the door after her. She was wearing an ornate[a] robe, for this was the kind of garment the virgin daughters of the king wore. 19 Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the ornate robe she was wearing. She put her hands on her head and went away, weeping aloud as she went.20 Her brother Absalom said to her, “Has that Amnon, your brother, been with you? Be quiet for now, my sister; he is your brother. Don't take this thing to heart.” And Tamar lived in her brother Absalom's house, a desolate woman.21 When King David heard all this, he was furious. 22 And Absalom never said a word to Amnon, either good or bad; he hated Amnon because he had disgraced his sister Tamar.Absalom Kills Amnon23 Two years later, when Absalom's sheepshearers were at Baal Hazor near the border of Ephraim, he invited all the king's sons to come there. 24 Absalom went to the king and said, “Your servant has had shearers come. Will the king and his attendants please join me?”25 “No, my son,” the king replied. “All of us should not go; we would only be a burden to you.” Although Absalom urged him, he still refused to go but gave him his blessing.26 Then Absalom said, “If not, please let my brother Amnon come with us.”The king asked him, “Why should he go with you?” 27 But Absalom urged him, so he sent with him Amnon and the rest of the king's sons.28 Absalom ordered his men, “Listen! When Amnon is in high spirits from drinking wine and I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon down,' then kill him. Don't be afraid. Haven't I given you this order? Be strong and brave.” 29 So Absalom's men did to Amnon what Absalom had ordered. Then all the king's sons got up, mounted their mules and fled.30 While they were on their way, the report came to David: “Absalom has struck down all the king's sons; not one of them is left.” 31 The king stood up, tore his clothes and lay down on the ground; and all his attendants stood by with their clothes torn.32 But Jonadab son of Shimeah, David's brother, said, “My lord should not think that they killed all the princes; only Amnon is dead. This has been Absalom's express intention ever since the day Amnon raped his sister Tamar. 33 My lord the king should not be concerned about the report that all the king's sons are dead. Only Amnon is dead.”34 Meanwhile, Absalom had fled.Now the man standing watch looked up and saw many people on the road west of him, coming down the side of the hill. The watchman went and told the king, “I see men in the direction of Horonaim, on the side of the hill.”[b]35 Jonadab said to the king, “See, the king's sons have come; it has happened just as your servant said.”36 As he finished speaking, the king's sons came in, wailing loudly. The king, too, and all his attendants wept very bitterly.37 Absalom fled and went to Talmai son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur. But King David mourned many days for his son.38 After Absalom fled and went to Geshur, he stayed there three years. 39 And King David longed to go to Absalom, for he was consoled concerning Amnon's death.Footnotes:2 Samuel 13:18 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain; also in verse 19.2 Samuel 13:34 Septuagint; Hebrew does not have this sentence.2 Samuel 14 (NIV)Absalom Returns to Jerusalem1 Joab son of Zeruiah knew that the king's heart longed for Absalom. 2 So Joab sent someone to Tekoa and had a wise woman brought from there. He said to her, “Pretend you are in mourning. Dress in mourning clothes, and don't use any cosmetic lotions. Act like a woman who has spent many days grieving for the dead. 3 Then go to the king and speak these words to him.” And Joab put the words in her mouth.4 When the woman from Tekoa went[a] to the king, she fell with her face to the ground to pay him honor, and she said, “Help me, Your Majesty!”5 The king asked her, “What is troubling you?”She said, “I am a widow; my husband is dead. 6 I your servant had two sons. They got into a fight with each other in the field, and no one was there to separate them. One struck the other and killed him. 7 Now the whole clan has risen up against your servant; they say, ‘Hand over the one who struck his brother down, so that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed; then we will get rid of the heir as well.' They would put out the only burning coal I have left, leaving my husband neither name nor descendant on the face of the earth.”8 The king said to the woman, “Go home, and I will issue an order in your behalf.”9 But the woman from Tekoa said to him, “Let my lord the king pardon me and my family, and let the king and his throne be without guilt.”10 The king replied, “If anyone says anything to you, bring them to me, and they will not bother you again.”11 She said, “Then let the king invoke the Lord his God to prevent the avenger of blood from adding to the destruction, so that my son will not be destroyed.”“As surely as the Lord lives,” he said, “not one hair of your son's head will fall to the ground.”12 Then the woman said, “Let your servant speak a word to my lord the king.”“Speak,” he replied.13 The woman said, “Why then have you devised a thing like this against the people of God? When the king says this, does he not convict himself, for the king has not brought back his banished son? 14 Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But that is not what God desires; rather, he devises ways so that a banished person does not remain banished from him.15 “And now I have come to say this to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. Your servant thought, ‘I will speak to the king; perhaps he will grant his servant's request. 16 Perhaps the king will agree to deliver his servant from the hand of the man who is trying to cut off both me and my son from God's inheritance.'17 “And now your servant says, ‘May the word of my lord the king secure my inheritance, for my lord the king is like an angel of God in discerning good and evil. May the Lord your God be with you.'”18 Then the king said to the woman, “Don't keep from me the answer to what I am going to ask you.”“Let my lord the king speak,” the woman said.19 The king asked, “Isn't the hand of Joab with you in all this?”The woman answered, “As surely as you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the left from anything my lord the king says. Yes, it was your servant Joab who instructed me to do this and who put all these words into the mouth of your servant. 20 Your servant Joab did this to change the present situation. My lord has wisdom like that of an angel of God—he knows everything that happens in the land.”21 The king said to Joab, “Very well, I will do it. Go, bring back the young man Absalom.”22 Joab fell with his face to the ground to pay him honor, and he blessed the king. Joab said, “Today your servant knows that he has found favor in your eyes, my lord the king, because the king has granted his servant's request.”23 Then Joab went to Geshur and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem. 24 But the king said, “He must go to his own house; he must not see my face.” So Absalom went to his own house and did not see the face of the king.25 In all Israel there was not a man so highly praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. From the top of his head to the sole of his foot there was no blemish in him. 26 Whenever he cut the hair of his head—he used to cut his hair once a year because it became too heavy for him—he would weigh it, and its weight was two hundred shekels[b] by the royal standard.27 Three sons and a daughter were born to Absalom. His daughter's name was Tamar, and she became a beautiful woman.28 Absalom lived two years in Jerusalem without seeing the king's face. 29 Then Absalom sent for Joab in order to send him to the king, but Joab refused to come to him. So he sent a second time, but he refused to come. 30 Then he said to his servants, “Look, Joab's field is next to mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire.” So Absalom's servants set the field on fire.31 Then Joab did go to Absalom's house, and he said to him, “Why have your servants set my field on fire?”32 Absalom said to Joab, “Look, I sent word to you and said, ‘Come here so I can send you to the king to ask, “Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me if I were still there!”' Now then, I want to see the king's face, and if I am guilty of anything, let him put me to death.”33 So Joab went to the king and told him this. Then the king summoned Absalom, and he came in and bowed down with his face to the ground before the king. And the king kissed Absalom.Footnotes:2 Samuel 14:4 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts spoke2 Samuel 14:26 That is, about 5 pounds or about 2.3 kilograms
2 Samuel 13 (NIV) Amnon and Tamar 1 In the course of time, Amnon son of David fell in love with Tamar, the beautiful sister of Absalom son of David. 2 Amnon became so obsessed with his sister Tamar that he made himself ill. She was a virgin, and it seemed impossible for him to do anything to her. 3 Now Amnon had an adviser named Jonadab son of Shimeah, David's brother. Jonadab was a very shrewd man. 4 He asked Amnon, “Why do you, the king's son, look so haggard morning after morning? Won't you tell me?” Amnon said to him, “I'm in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister.” 5 “Go to bed and pretend to be ill,” Jonadab said. “When your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘I would like my sister Tamar to come and give me something to eat. Let her prepare the food in my sight so I may watch her and then eat it from her hand.'” 6 So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. When the king came to see him, Amnon said to him, “I would like my sister Tamar to come and make some special bread in my sight, so I may eat from her hand.” 7 David sent word to Tamar at the palace: “Go to the house of your brother Amnon and prepare some food for him.” 8 So Tamar went to the house of her brother Amnon, who was lying down. She took some dough, kneaded it, made the bread in his sight and baked it. 9 Then she took the pan and served him the bread, but he refused to eat. “Send everyone out of here,” Amnon said. So everyone left him. 10 Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food here into my bedroom so I may eat from your hand.” And Tamar took the bread she had prepared and brought it to her brother Amnon in his bedroom. 11 But when she took it to him to eat, he grabbed her and said, “Come to bed with me, my sister.” 12 “No, my brother!” she said to him. “Don't force me! Such a thing should not be done in Israel! Don't do this wicked thing. 13 What about me? Where could I get rid of my disgrace? And what about you? You would be like one of the wicked fools in Israel. Please speak to the king; he will not keep me from being married to you.” 14 But he refused to listen to her, and since he was stronger than she, he raped her. 15 Then Amnon hated her with intense hatred. In fact, he hated her more than he had loved her. Amnon said to her, “Get up and get out!” 16 “No!” she said to him. “Sending me away would be a greater wrong than what you have already done to me.” But he refused to listen to her. 17 He called his personal servant and said, “Get this woman out of my sight and bolt the door after her.” 18 So his servant put her out and bolted the door after her. She was wearing an ornate[a] robe, for this was the kind of garment the virgin daughters of the king wore. 19 Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the ornate robe she was wearing. She put her hands on her head and went away, weeping aloud as she went. 20 Her brother Absalom said to her, “Has that Amnon, your brother, been with you? Be quiet for now, my sister; he is your brother. Don't take this thing to heart.” And Tamar lived in her brother Absalom's house, a desolate woman. 21 When King David heard all this, he was furious. 22 And Absalom never said a word to Amnon, either good or bad; he hated Amnon because he had disgraced his sister Tamar. Absalom Kills Amnon 23 Two years later, when Absalom's sheepshearers were at Baal Hazor near the border of Ephraim, he invited all the king's sons to come there. 24 Absalom went to the king and said, “Your servant has had shearers come. Will the king and his attendants please join me?” 25 “No, my son,” the king replied. “All of us should not go; we would only be a burden to you.” Although Absalom urged him, he still refused to go but gave him his blessing. 26 Then Absalom said, “If not, please let my brother Amnon come with us.” The king asked him, “Why should he go with you?” 27 But Absalom urged him, so he sent with him Amnon and the rest of the king's sons. 28 Absalom ordered his men, “Listen! When Amnon is in high spirits from drinking wine and I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon down,' then kill him. Don't be afraid. Haven't I given you this order? Be strong and brave.” 29 So Absalom's men did to Amnon what Absalom had ordered. Then all the king's sons got up, mounted their mules and fled. 30 While they were on their way, the report came to David: “Absalom has struck down all the king's sons; not one of them is left.” 31 The king stood up, tore his clothes and lay down on the ground; and all his attendants stood by with their clothes torn. 32 But Jonadab son of Shimeah, David's brother, said, “My lord should not think that they killed all the princes; only Amnon is dead. This has been Absalom's express intention ever since the day Amnon raped his sister Tamar. 33 My lord the king should not be concerned about the report that all the king's sons are dead. Only Amnon is dead.” 34 Meanwhile, Absalom had fled. Now the man standing watch looked up and saw many people on the road west of him, coming down the side of the hill. The watchman went and told the king, “I see men in the direction of Horonaim, on the side of the hill.”[b] 35 Jonadab said to the king, “See, the king's sons have come; it has happened just as your servant said.” 36 As he finished speaking, the king's sons came in, wailing loudly. The king, too, and all his attendants wept very bitterly. 37 Absalom fled and went to Talmai son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur. But King David mourned many days for his son. 38 After Absalom fled and went to Geshur, he stayed there three years. 39 And King David longed to go to Absalom, for he was consoled concerning Amnon's death. Footnotes: 2 Samuel 13:18 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain; also in verse 19. 2 Samuel 13:34 Septuagint; Hebrew does not have this sentence. 2 Samuel 14 (NIV) Absalom Returns to Jerusalem 1 Joab son of Zeruiah knew that the king's heart longed for Absalom. 2 So Joab sent someone to Tekoa and had a wise woman brought from there. He said to her, “Pretend you are in mourning. Dress in mourning clothes, and don't use any cosmetic lotions. Act like a woman who has spent many days grieving for the dead. 3 Then go to the king and speak these words to him.” And Joab put the words in her mouth. 4 When the woman from Tekoa went[a] to the king, she fell with her face to the ground to pay him honor, and she said, “Help me, Your Majesty!” 5 The king asked her, “What is troubling you?” She said, “I am a widow; my husband is dead. 6 I your servant had two sons. They got into a fight with each other in the field, and no one was there to separate them. One struck the other and killed him. 7 Now the whole clan has risen up against your servant; they say, ‘Hand over the one who struck his brother down, so that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed; then we will get rid of the heir as well.' They would put out the only burning coal I have left, leaving my husband neither name nor descendant on the face of the earth.” 8 The king said to the woman, “Go home, and I will issue an order in your behalf.” 9 But the woman from Tekoa said to him, “Let my lord the king pardon me and my family, and let the king and his throne be without guilt.” 10 The king replied, “If anyone says anything to you, bring them to me, and they will not bother you again.” 11 She said, “Then let the king invoke the Lord his God to prevent the avenger of blood from adding to the destruction, so that my son will not be destroyed.” “As surely as the Lord lives,” he said, “not one hair of your son's head will fall to the ground.” 12 Then the woman said, “Let your servant speak a word to my lord the king.” “Speak,” he replied. 13 The woman said, “Why then have you devised a thing like this against the people of God? When the king says this, does he not convict himself, for the king has not brought back his banished son? 14 Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But that is not what God desires; rather, he devises ways so that a banished person does not remain banished from him. 15 “And now I have come to say this to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. Your servant thought, ‘I will speak to the king; perhaps he will grant his servant's request. 16 Perhaps the king will agree to deliver his servant from the hand of the man who is trying to cut off both me and my son from God's inheritance.' 17 “And now your servant says, ‘May the word of my lord the king secure my inheritance, for my lord the king is like an angel of God in discerning good and evil. May the Lord your God be with you.'” 18 Then the king said to the woman, “Don't keep from me the answer to what I am going to ask you.” “Let my lord the king speak,” the woman said. 19 The king asked, “Isn't the hand of Joab with you in all this?” The woman answered, “As surely as you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the left from anything my lord the king says. Yes, it was your servant Joab who instructed me to do this and who put all these words into the mouth of your servant. 20 Your servant Joab did this to change the present situation. My lord has wisdom like that of an angel of God—he knows everything that happens in the land.” 21 The king said to Joab, “Very well, I will do it. Go, bring back the young man Absalom.” 22 Joab fell with his face to the ground to pay him honor, and he blessed the king. Joab said, “Today your servant knows that he has found favor in your eyes, my lord the king, because the king has granted his servant's request.” 23 Then Joab went to Geshur and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem. 24 But the king said, “He must go to his own house; he must not see my face.” So Absalom went to his own house and did not see the face of the king. 25 In all Israel there was not a man so highly praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. From the top of his head to the sole of his foot there was no blemish in him. 26 Whenever he cut the hair of his head—he used to cut his hair once a year because it became too heavy for him—he would weigh it, and its weight was two hundred shekels[b] by the royal standard. 27 Three sons and a daughter were born to Absalom. His daughter's name was Tamar, and she became a beautiful woman. 28 Absalom lived two years in Jerusalem without seeing the king's face. 29 Then Absalom sent for Joab in order to send him to the king, but Joab refused to come to him. So he sent a second time, but he refused to come. 30 Then he said to his servants, “Look, Joab's field is next to mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire.” So Absalom's servants set the field on fire. 31 Then Joab did go to Absalom's house, and he said to him, “Why have your servants set my field on fire?” 32 Absalom said to Joab, “Look, I sent word to you and said, ‘Come here so I can send you to the king to ask, “Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me if I were still there!”' Now then, I want to see the king's face, and if I am guilty of anything, let him put me to death.” 33 So Joab went to the king and told him this. Then the king summoned Absalom, and he came in and bowed down with his face to the ground before the king. And the king kissed Absalom. Footnotes: 2 Samuel 14:4 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts spoke 2 Samuel 14:26 That is, about 5 pounds or about 2.3 kilograms
Introduction As we come to Isaiah 15 and 16, I acknowledge here before you the challenge of expositional preaching. It is quite possible that there’s no congregation on the face of the earth that has had Isaiah 16:4 projected up on the walls as we did this morning, talking about fugitives from Moab and finding refuge in Christ. That’s the challenge of exposition and the joy as well. “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.” (2 Tim 3:16) Amen. Jesus said, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Mt 4:4) Now, my brother and good friend, Andy Winn, had John 3:16 last Sunday. I get Isaiah 15 and 16. He did a wonderful job and I was greatly encouraged. But frankly, the more I studied these two chapters that we’re looking at today, the more relevancy I saw in my own personal life. I don’t know that this is something where you’re necessarily going to take a verse from it and memorize it, or something like that. Yet, it is the word of the Lord to us today. And I pray that God will enable me to preach it with power and with conviction so that our lives might be transformed. I’ll never forget the summer of 1987, when I had the privilege of ministering to refugees who had fled from the invading Russians in Afghanistan. They were across the border in Pakistan, and we went to the city of Peshawar and we ministered to them. They were the most miserable and destitute people I’d ever seen in my life. And it’s still the case. I’ve seen some poverty in Asia, in India, in Haiti, but I’ve never seen the kind of misery and pain that I saw etched on the faces of these people that had run for their lives from Russian helicopter gunships. Many of them had seen relatives and friends killed before their very eyes. Their prospects were limited. They were not incredibly welcome in Pakistan. They were safe, at least for the time being, but their prospects economically were dim. Very few people were ministering to them. They had a hard time eating and caring for themselves. And again, the future looked dim. What a joy and privilege it is to go into a situation like that and minister the gospel of Jesus Christ! Amen! To be able to bring hope where, other than the ministry of the Gospel, there would be no hope. But the 20th century really was a century of refugees. Look at World War I. Look at World War II. Look at grainy old black and white photos from World War I and footage of German dive bombers, strafing columns of refugees that are fleeing from Belgium, or fleeing from Poland, or fleeing from Russia or Ukraine. You can see a picture in your mind of what it is to be a refugee. It’s a terrifying situation to be in, to lose everything that you have except what you can carry with you. I remember a picture of an elderly French woman. She’s got a mink stole on and she’s got an evening gown and a valuable painting. She’s got it in a baby buggy and she’s pushing it down a muddy road. It’s all she has left of a former way of life. Everything that she has, she’s carrying with her. You get the sense that it won’t be much longer and she won’t even be pushing that baby buggy. She’ll be stripped of everything. So it is to be a refugee. The more I meditated on Isaiah 15 and 16, the more I saw the relevance to our lives. I don’t know that any of us will ever be refugees. I do know that the United Nations High Commission on Refugees said there were sixty-five million displaced persons in 2007. So there’s a lot of refugees around the world. There’s an opportunity for us as a church of Jesus Christ to minister. We had an opportunity to minister to some refugees who came to us from Vietnam. What a great privilege that was! We may well have a practical ministry to refugees. It could be that, if we are in fact the final generation, and some of the events that are recorded in the Book of Revelation take place, then we will actually know what it means to flee for our lives and to dwell in caves, and to look for a place of refuge from an encroaching terror that’s coming to hunt us down. We may know that. If the Lord tarries, we may never know that. But there are people, even brothers and sisters in Christ, in the Sudan and other places in the world, that are actually going through this right now. So at the physical level, I think there’s a relevance to this text. But I also see a spiritual connection. I don’t think it’s hard to find because what happens in this text is a judgment on Moab. Some unnamed invader comes into their country and the people of Moab have to run for their lives. Their military strength is gone. They have nothing left. Their religious strength is gone and they run for their lives. They actually turn, at that point, to their former enemies in Judah, the Jews. They want to see if it’s possible that they might take them in. As a matter of fact, Isaiah the prophet says that it’s the only refuge they’re going to have. I’m going to talk about who the invader could be. We don’t really know who it is. But if in fact the invader was Assyria, and if they came in during a certain time, it could be that, literally, physically, the only refuge there could be would be in Zion, in Jerusalem, with godly King Hezekiah. This, in the end, becomes a picture of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus, the descendant of David, the King, the Davidic King, mentioned in the middle of Isaiah 16, is in fact the only refuge there is from the coming judgment. So there is a beautiful spiritual picture of the gospel as well. The Bible does this over and over. Oh, how the Lord wants us to flee to Christ! How many different ways does it give us incentive so that we would run for our lives, run to the only refuge there is, the refuge of Jesus Christ? There are pictures again and again in the Old Testament of a place of refuge. If you go there, you are going to be safe from the coming judgment and the coming wrath. But, if you go outside of it, you’re going to be killed. You’re going to perish. Noah’s ark is a picture of that. If you’re on the ark, you’re safe. If you’re outside the ark, you are lost. Also, during the time of Passover when the Jews painted the blood of the sacrificial lamb over the door posts, the angel of death passed over. If he saw the blood on the house, everyone inside the house was safe. But if you were outside the house, your blood was on your own head. That meant you were going to die. So there’s a place of refuge, a place of security and safety, and outside there is none. Or again, we have Rahab’s house nestled in the walls of Jericho. The promise of a scarlet cord hanging down was that she and all of her relatives would be safe if they stayed in the house. But if they went outside the house, their blood would be on their own heads. They would die. It is also a picture of a place of refuge, which you have to be inside. That’s where the refuge is. Outside there is none. In the Law of Moses, there is a provision for cities of refuge where, if you accidentally kill somebody, you can run for your life. If you get there before the avenger of blood comes, you’ll be safe. They’ll protect you and keep you safe until the death of the high priest. It was a picture, again, of a place of refuge. Don’t you see how all of these are pictures of Jesus Christ? Don’t you see Christ in all of this? Don’t you see the need to run for your life? Don’t you see that there is a judgment coming, worse than the flood of Noah? It’s an eternal judgment, an eternal fire. What we stand to lose is not just our mortal lives, but our souls. We are encouraged again and again and again to run for our lives to the place of refuge, and that is Jesus Christ. So there you have it. There’s the sermon in a nutshell. What we have is a current event that’s not so current. Moabite Refugees Fleeing in Terror Prophecies Against the Nations We have, in this section of Isaiah, the oracles against the nations. Isaiah the prophet is giving an oracle, or a saying, a prophecy concerning Moab. From Isaiah 13 through 23, one nation after another is addressed through the prophetic voice. Isaiah the prophet is speaking here to the little country of Moab. We’ve had oracles against great nations like Assyria and Babylon. Last time, we looked at an oracle against the Philistines, a smaller nation. Here, the Moabites were even smaller. The Sovereign God who rules over all the earth is orchestrating the events of all the earth. He speaks an oracle through his prophet to the people of Moab, the Moabites. Who are the Moabites? Now, who were the Moabites? They were descended from Lot, Abraham’s nephew. When, in another picture of refuge, Lot fled from Sodom and Gomorrah to the little town of Zoar, he was able to survive the fire and brimstone. This is a picture, again, of refuge, fleeing for your life. But then, thinking that it was the end of the world, they took up refuge in a cave. Lot was there with his two daughters. And the daughters, thinking that they wouldn’t know any more people on the face of the earth, perhaps with the memory of the flood still very fresh in their minds, induced their father through wine to lay with them. Each of them had a son by their own father and from this came two peoples, the Moabites and the Ammonites. The Moabites took up residence on a tiny piece of land east of the Dead Sea, stretching from the Arnon River, which dumps into the Dead Sea, to the Zered River, on the border with Edom. It’s a small piece of land, thirty miles by thirty miles. It’s really small. The Moabites were not a mighty and significant people. They were usually enemies of Israel, usually in opposition to the people of God. They would fight against them. For example, during the Exodus, they would not allow the Israelites to pass through their territory, they had to go around. They hired Balaam to curse Israel, and you remember what happened with that. The Moabite women seduced the Israelite men to worship Baal of Peor through sexual immorality. It was the Moabite women that did that. As a result of all of these things, the Law of Moses forbad any of them to enter the assembly of the Lord down to the tenth generation. They were forbidden to enter. During the time of the Judges, God gave Israel over to a Moabite king, Eglon, the fat man. Eglon was murdered by one of the judges, Ehud, a left-handed man. These were the Moabites. They were the enemies of the people of God. It was Moabite wives that seduced King Solomon to worship foreign gods, to worship Chemosh, their detestable god. They occasionally organized armies to fight against the Jews, and they usually lost. They were the enemies of God’s people. By the end of Kings and Chronicles, Moabite raiders were still plundering Israel. Yet, for all of that, it was a godly Moabite woman, Ruth, who said to Naomi, “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God will be my God… May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.” (Ru 1:16-17) From Ruth came David, and through David, ultimately, came our savior Jesus Christ. Therefore, we see the grace of God in dealing with pagan people. We also see God’s saving intentions to the Gentiles and to every tribe and language and people and nation, everyone on the face of the earth. Why are They Fleeing? These are the people, the Moabites, who are running for their lives in these two chapters. It’s the Moabites who are running now. Why are they fleeing? Look at Isaiah 15:1, “Ar in Moab is ruined, destroyed in a night! Kir in Moab is ruined, destroyed in a night!” By the way, if you see Keith Pendergraff, thank him for that reading. There’s something like twenty proper nouns in that. He did a phenomenal job. I don’t know that I’m going to do as well. I was adjusting my pronunciation as I listened to him read the scripture. So thank you, Keith. We thought about that at our staff meeting, “Now, who’s going to do this reading? Please urge them to practice ahead of time.” But what is going on in Isaiah 15:1? Well, these are two cities in Moab, Ar and Kir, and both of them are destroyed in a night. They’re gone. These are their strongholds, their high places, their walled fortresses. They are nothing to the unnamed invader. In a single night, they are gone, both of them have fallen. Furthermore, their religion has proven to be empty. They turn to their high places. Verse 2 says, “Dibon goes up to its temple, to its high places to weep.” If you look all the way over to Chapter 16:12, it says, “When Moab appears at her high place, she only wears herself out; when she goes to her shrine to pray, it is to no avail.” Chemosh cannot help them. You know why? Because Chemosh does not exist. He’s an idol of their own imagination and Chemosh cannot save them. So they are running for their lives. They are fugitives. Look at Isaiah 15:5, “Her fugitives flee as far as Zoar, as far as Eglath Shelishiyah. They go up the way to Luhith, weeping as they go; on the road to Horonaim they lament their destruction.” You see a picture of a train of refugees, crying, running, leaving possessions behind, stuff strewn along the roads. That’s what’s going on. The Moabites are running for their lives. Like all refugees, they try to carry whatever they can of their possessions. Verse 7 says, “So the wealth they have acquired and stored up they carry away over the Ravine of the Poplars.” They’re going to carry their gold and silver with them. Well, how long is that going to last? It’s heavy. There comes a point where they will leave it behind. The army that’s going to come after them will pick it up and plunder them. So that’s what is happening. These are refugees leaving behind their old way of life, and the slaughter is terrible. Look at Isaiah 15:9, “Dimon’s waters are full of blood, but I will bring still more upon Dimon – a lion upon the fugitives of Moab and upon those who remain in the land.” Whether it’s a literal lion or it’s just more military conquest coming on this straggling line of refugees, it doesn’t matter. The fact of the matter is, it’s just a miserable, horrible time for these Moabites. The rivers are filled with blood. You see the image of their women in 16:2, “like fluttering birds, pushed from the nest, so are the women of Moab at the fords of Arnon.” As they’re trying to cross this river, they are panicking and weak and defenseless, a picture of the refugee. Turning to Judah for Help At this point, they turn to Judah for help. This is the only place they can turn. Frankly, this is what Isaiah wants them to do. If you look at Isaiah 16:1, it says, “send lambs as tribute to the ruler of the land, from Sela, across the desert.” Where? “to the daughter of Zion.” Reach out to the Jews. Why? Because salvation is from the Jews, your ancient enemies. Reach out to the daughter of Zion. That’s the advice that Isaiah’s giving. It’s really that God is giving it. Reach out to the Jews in your moment of distress. Historical Details Now, I have no idea, historically, what this is referring to. Nobody really knows. I have a sense of what’s going on, but nobody really knows. Of course, the big bully of the time was Assyria. It could be that in 715 BC, the Assyrians were coming down and dealing with some Arabian raiders that were making commerce difficult. As they did, they passed through little Moab. And what do the Assyrians do when they pass through somebody’s land? They do this kind of thing, this kind of conquest, this kind of bloodshed, this kind of plundering and pillaging. It could be that’s exactly what was going. The end for Moab is quite near. The End is Near Look at the end of our reading for today. Isaiah 16:13-14 says, “This is the word the Lord has already spoken concerning Moab. But now the Lord says: ‘Within three years, as a servant bound by contract would count them, Moab’s splendor and all her many people will be despised, and her survivors will be very few and feeble.” It’s a time table, three years as for a servant bound by a contract, meaning counting the hours. It’s going to be very accurate. Within that time, three years, Moab will be finished. That’s what’s going on. Look at Isaiah’s reaction, weeping for the refugees. Weeping for the Refugees God Does Not Willingly Afflict People I find it fascinating, the emotional response of Isaiah to these, who are supposedly his enemies. I tell you that God does not willingly afflict anyone. He doesn’t willingly bring suffering on anybody. So says Lamentations 3:32-33, “Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men.” The consistent teaching of scripture is that it is, in fact, God that brings these disasters. There’s not a subset of disaster that didn’t come from God and had nothing to do with God. He does everything. He’s King of the Universe, but He doesn’t delight in bringing suffering. That’s not what He’s doing. It’s called in Isaiah 28:21, “His strange work” and “His alien task.” It’s not his home base. He does it for a reason, for a purpose. I believe He afflicts the nations to get them up out of their self-satisfied, self-worshipping rut, and to cause them to seek a Savior, who they would never seek if God didn’t afflict them. As King Hezekiah says as he is recovering from his illness, “Surely it was good for me to have been afflicted.” It’s a good thing, then, to be afflicted if, in the end, it means salvation for your soul. And I think that’s what’s going on here. God brings these kinds of afflictions because there is no way the Moabites will seek a Savior from the descendants of David, unless they are desperate and running for their lives. Isaiah Weeps for the Nations God brings this kind of affliction into lives, but you see the emotion, you see the compassion of God through His spokesman Isaiah. You see Him weeping for them, and it’s really quite surprising. Look at Isaiah 15:5. He says “My heart cries out over Moab; her fugitives flee as far as Zoar, as far as Eglath Shelishiyah. They go up the way to Luhith, weeping as they go; on the road to Horonaim they lament their destruction.” He’s weeping for them. He has compassion for them. In chapter 16:9-11, it says, “So I weep, as Jazer weeps… the shouts of joy… are stilled. Joy and gladness are taken away from the orchards; no one sings or shouts in the vineyards; no one treads out the wine at the presses, for I have put an end to the shouting. My heart laments for Moab like a harp, my inmost being for Kir Hareseth.” This is Isaiah. Isaiah is speaking. He is a man. He is reacting to his own prophecies. He’s reacting emotionally to what he is writing. But in so doing, he is God’s mouthpiece, and it is really God’s own reaction to what the Moabites are going through. That’s quite remarkable. You have to look carefully, but look at verse 10, and then on into verse 11 of Chapter 16. It says, “Joy and gladness are taken away from the orchards; no one sings or shouts in the vineyards; no one treads out wine at the presses.” Why? “For I have put an end to the shouting.” Do you see that? The word “I?” Isaiah didn’t do that. It’s not Isaiah’s work that put an end to anything. He’s an announcer. He’s a messenger. This is God speaking. Therefore, the very next verse is God speaking as well. “My heart laments for Moab.” This is the nature of our God. He brings the affliction, but He weeps at the effects. Surely, God’s ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts. They are so infinitely high above us, what God is doing in the world. But I believe He does it out of compassion. I believe He does it so that people will turn from their sins and cry out to a Jewish Savior, cry out to Christ and be saved. That’s why He does it. And unless some harsh treatment comes in most of our lives, if not all, we will never do it. We will never do it. Christ Wept for His Enemies Christ wept for His enemies, didn’t He? Didn’t Christ stand over Jerusalem and weep for the coming judgment that would come on that city? Didn’t He say, concerning the men that were murdering Him, “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Lk 23:34) Do you see His heart there? The Apostle Paul Wept for His Enemies Do you see the Apostle Paul, in Romans 9, testifying that he has a great sorrow and unceasing anguish over the Jews who are making his life utterly miserable and who would love to kill him as well? He testifies solemnly that he would trade his salvation for theirs, if he could. Amazing compassion! Do We? What about us? What about me? Every time I come to the issue of my level of compassion for the lost, I’m brought up short and convicted. I realize that I have to cry out against the stoniness of my own heart and I realize that I just don’t care enough about fugitives, refugees. I don’t care enough about the lost, the idolaters around me. I don’t care enough. And I have to fan a little ember into a flame, by a biblical meditation on what hell is actually going to be like. I have to do it. The scholarly pastor Andrew Bonar, in Scotland, lay on his bed Saturday nights. Down in the street, below his window, he could hear revelers tramping back and forth, going to the bars and the shows, an empty searching for something. He used to get out of his bed and weep over their souls and cry out, “Oh, they perish, they perish!” He would weep for them. Oswald J Smith, who brought the Gospel to over 50 countries, this is what he said, “Can we travail for a drowning child, but not for a perishing soul? It is not hard to weep when we realize that our little one is sinking below the surface for the last time. Anguish is spontaneous then. Nor is it hard to agonize when we see the little casket containing all that we love on earth borne out of the home. Ah, no; tears are natural at such a time! But oh, to realize and to know that souls, precious, never-dying souls are perishing all around us, going out into the blackness of darkness and despair, eternally lost, and yet to feel no anguish, shed no tears, know no travail! How cold are our hearts! How little do we know of the compassion of Jesus!” I take solace from the fact that you can even see that Oswald J Smith, who brought the gospel to over 50 countries, saw that weakness in his own heart. It’s not natural for us, but we ought to weep over the kind of judgments that come on the lost. We ought to travail for their souls. We see the sorrow of Isaiah and, really, the sorrow of God over the affliction necessary to save them. The Great Advantage of Refugees Advantage? How Can It Be? We also see the great advantage for these refugees. Now, you might say what advantage can there be in being a refugee? Well, on an earthly basis, at a purely secular level, I can’t possibly see any advantage. As I said, these were the most miserable people I’d ever seen on the face of the earth. I don’t mean that in terms of their emotional state. I just mean in terms of their circumstances. As I look at the hierarchy of suffering, the only think that I think is worse than running for your life before an invading army is being captured and held by a malicious tyrant who loves to torture you, with no escape or death. I think that’s probably the worst earthly circumstance you could be in. Of course, none of this compares to hell, because there is always some escape from any misery here on earth. But there is no escape from hell. Still, I think being a refugee is a horrible situation. Yet there is an advantage if, in the end, you come to your senses and come to faith in Christ, if you realize you’re really running for your life. And by that, I mean your eternal life. If you realize that your ordinary way of life was only going to lead you to hell, and something caused you to get out of that rut that was drawing you right down into hell, to get up out of that and say, “Where am I going?” If you then come to your senses and say, “I need a savior,” then it’s worthwhile. Foundations Removed There’s some advantage, then, in being a refugee. Foundations are removed. All the things you counted on and relied on are taken away. You have to think about everything anew and afresh. Everything’s been tossed up for grabs. Pride Removed Pride has been removed. Oh, that’s important. Look at Isaiah 16:6. It’s mentioned right there, “We have heard of Moab’s pride – her overweening pride and conceit, her pride and her insolence – but her boasts are empty.” Oh, they’re empty now! Now whoever it is has come in, the Assyrians, let’s say. Oh, there’s nothing left to be proud of now! Now they’re beggars looking for some place of refuge. Actually, that’s good, because Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 5:3) It’s good to get to the point where you realize you have nothing in your hands to give to the king. You’re just begging for a place of refuge. That’s a good thing. Pride has been destroyed. It’s amazing how proud we are, isn’t it? But what do we have to be proud of, really? We’re just created beings. Everything we have we receive from God. What do we have to boast about? Yet it’s in there, that worm of pride. It’s so ugly when you see it in someone else, isn’t it? It’s so ugly when you see it in another person, but it’s ugly if you can see it in yourself too. I was reading a quote by the French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. I can scarcely read this without feeling a curdling effect in my stomach. He said openly what most people would never parade. Pride is just oozing from this paragraph. Listen to what he said: “What could your miseries have in common with mine? My situation is unique, unheard of since the beginning of time. The person who can love me as I can love is still yet to be born. No one has ever had more talent for loving. I was born to be the best friend that ever existed. Show me a better man than me, a heart more loving, more tender, more sensitive. Posterity will honor me because it is my due. I rejoice in myself. My consolation lies in my self-esteem. If there were a single enlightened government in Europe, it would have erected statues to me.” Wow! Listen, bro. Let’s sit down and have a conversation. Let’s get the scripture and find out what the truth really is. What’s so sad is that we’re like this, though we don’t admit it. We’re not going to bring it this far, but we think, “Has anybody ever suffered like me? Nobody loves like I love. If I really got what I deserved, they’d be erecting a statue.” I don’t know if we carry it that far, but the pride, it’s really laughable. It’s actually good to laugh at yourself. But, you know, to actually get cured from it, sometimes it takes this level of affliction. To run for your life strips you of pride. What do you have left? Where then is your resume? Where then are your possessions? Where then is your glorious future? You’re running for your life, and that’s what it’s done. So there’s a great advantage to being a refugee. The Only Safe Refuge: Christ An Invitation for Refuge It’s good if you know the refuge. Amen? If you know where to run to, now that’s a benefit. And I say to you, the only safe refuge is Jesus Christ. He’s mentioned in the text, though indirectly. With their pride stripped, the Moabite refugees have nowhere to turn but to Judah. As we already mentioned in Chapter 16:1, they’re urged to “send lambs as tribute to the… mount of the Daughter of Zion.” That’s Jerusalem. They begged for help from the Jews. Verses 2-4 of Chapter 16 say, “Like fluttering birds pushed from the nest, so are the women of Moab at the fords of the Arnon. ‘Give us counsel, render a decision. Make your shadow like night – at high noon. Hide the fugitives, do not betray the refugees. Let the Moabite fugitives stay with you; be their shelter from the destroyer.’ The oppressor will come to an and, and destruction will cease; the aggressor will vanish from the land.” A Stunning Prophecy: A Ruler from the House of David Here we have a stunning and beautiful prophecy: a ruler from the house of David. Look at verse 16:5, “In love a throne will be established; in faithfulness a man will sit on it – one from the house of David – one who in judging seeks justice and speeds the cause of righteousness.” Oh, how sweet is that promise of Jesus Christ! This isn’t any one of the Davidic kings. Yes, Hezekiah was a godly man, but he was no final refuge. He’s a picture of A refuge, but he’s not The final refuge. Oh no. The final refuge is Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. He’s the refuge. Therefore, Isaiah predicts the establishment of a Davidic throne that will reign in righteousness. This Davidic king will bring justice to the nations. It is Jesus Christ then at last, who is every refugee’s place of safety. The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run to it and find refuge. Jesus is the name of the Lord. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. You run to Him and you find refuge. What refuge is there? The foot of the cross, where Jesus shed His blood for sin. The real danger is not the Assyrian army or any army. The real danger is the wrath of God. “’Do not fear those who kill the body and after that can do nothing to you. I’ll tell you the one to fear,’ said Jesus, ‘fear the one who has the power to destroy both soul and body in hell.’” We need a refuge from hell. We need a refuge from the judgment of an all-seeing God. We need a refuge from judgment and wrath. That’s what we need. Jesus Christ is the place of refuge, amen? We can flee to Him and find safety. There is no other, there’s no other place. God didn’t ordain that Noah and five other people each build an ark. There was one ark, there was one place of refuge. And so it is with Christ. In the Old Covenant, the Moabites were excluded to the tenth generation. Oh, but praise God for the New covenant, Amen? In the New Covenant, anyone who repents and believes is welcome. “All that the Father gives me will come to me,” said Jesus, “and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” (Jn 6:37) There is your welcome. There is your place of refuge. Jesus Christ is saying, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Mt 11:28) So He is the place of refuge mentioned right here in Isaiah 16:5. Someday the Whole World Will Become Refugees What’s the connection to our lives? Are we ever going to be refugees? Well, I can’t say. I cannot say. I do know, though, there will come a time when every nation on earth will run for their lives. If you’re alive at that time, you’ll run too. You will run too. That’s all you can do. This is what the Lord says in Isaiah 13:13-14, “Therefore I will make the heavens tremble; and the earth will shake from its place at the wrath of the Lord Almighty, in the day of his burning anger. Like a hunted gazelle, like sheep without a shepherd, each will return to his own people, each will flee to his native land.” Haggai 2:6-7 says, “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations.’” Isaiah 30:27-28 says, “See, the name of the Lord comes from afar, with burning anger and dense clouds of smoke; his lips are full of wrath, and his tongue is a consuming fire. His breath is like a rushing torrent, rising up to the neck. He shakes the nations in the sieve of destruction.” Hebrews 12:26-27 says, “At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, ‘Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.’ The words “once more” indicate the removal of what can be shaken – that is, created things – so that what cannot be shaken may remain.” God himself is going to shake the nations in a sieve of destruction. All the nations that live at that time will run for their lives. So you will be a fugitive if you live in the final generation. It is your future and mine if the Lord tarries. It is a terrifying thing. The prediction is plain in Revelation 6:12-17, “I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?’” Run for your lives! It’s going to be literal at that point. But the real danger is nothing on earth, friend. No, the real danger is Judgment Day. That’s the real danger. When you stand before Him who knows everything you ever said, everything you ever did, who knows the inclinations of your heart, who remembers everything perfectly, that’s the danger. As John the Baptist said to his Jewish enemies, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?” Has anybody warned you to do that, to be a refugee from the coming wrath? Have you learned to do that? To flee from the wrath to come? Christ is the Only Refuge for Spiritual Refugees Jesus Christ is the only refuge from that wrath to come. It says in 1 Thessalonians 1:10, “Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.” Amen? He is a safe refuge from the coming wrath. It says in 1 Thessalonians 5:9, “God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” So run for your lives! In the beginning of Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian realizes that he actually lived in a place called the City of Destruction. He started to be worried about the future. Wouldn’t you if you lived in a place called the City of Destruction? He’s reading about it in the book, in the Scriptures, and he has a terrible burden on his back, a sense of guilt for his own sins that are going to press him down to hell. He talks to his wife, but she doesn’t believe. She thinks he’s crazy. The children don’t believe, they think he’s crazy. His neighbors think he’s crazy. Then Evangelist tells him to go to a wicket gate and to a flashing light, and he begins to run there. He’s running, and he’s got his fingers in his ears so he doesn’t listen to the cries of his unbelieving family and his mocking neighbors. He runs and runs for the distant salvation, running for that gate, so that his soul can be saved. Run for your lives. Do you live in the City of Destruction? Yes, you do. So do I. So we’re called on to run this race with endurance, to keep running until we’re done, to run for our lives spiritually. Applications Nothing Here is Eternal… So Flee Every Day to Christ What application do we take from this? First, nothing you see around you is eternal. Don’t be deceived. Did you say, “What? We heard a strange sermon today on being a refugee for Christ. I don’t think that’s going to happen to me.” Well, be careful, friend. Be careful, because someday you’re going to lose it all anyway. You are. And it’s good to know it. I don’t know the specific political and military situations, or earthquake, or hurricane that will cause you to be a displaced person. I don’t know whether that will ever happen to you. But I do know this, you ought to live with that kind of mentality. Live as an alien and a stranger on earth, looking ahead to a city with foundations whose builder and maker is God. Run for that place, the celestial city. Nothing will ever remove that. It cannot be shaken. Run for that. Live a Holy Life Worthy of Our Future Home… Personal Holiness Hold on to your possessions loosely. Live a holy life worthy of that final day, since is says in 2 Peter 3:11-13, “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.” So live a holy and godly life. 1 Peter 2:11 says, “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in this world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.” Cry Out Over Our Hardness of Heart Thirdly, I would urge you to cry out over your own hardness of heart, as I do over mine. Cry out that you don’t care about the plight of the lost. Be like God. Be like Paul. Be like Andrew Bonar and Oswald J Smith. Be like these men and women who learned to weep over the condition of lost friends and relatives and co-workers. If you don’t care much, know that God knows you don’t care. He knows, however, if you’re a believer, that you want to care. You want to be healed from your hardness of heart. You want to care about the poor and the needy. Go to Him and ask Him for it. Be a spiritual beggar for that, too. Say, “Lord, change my heart. Give me tears to cry over lost people.” And stay there until He does. Meditate in depth on passages about hell. That might help you. Consider Ministry to Refugees Finally, consider in a practical way a ministry to refugees. We’ve already had some in this church that have sacrificially given to refugees from Vietnam. It’s been a sweet experience for them and for the church. You can give money to Persecution Project, which ministers to Christian refugees in the Sudan, especially in Darfur. You can minister to refugees that are non-Christians, as we did in Pakistan. Those were Muslim refugees. Perhaps God might call you to that kind of a practical ministry. In any case, whatever God calls you to do, live your life as a refugee here on Earth until God takes you to heaven. Close with me in prayer.
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