ESV: Every Day in the Word

Old Testament: Zechariah 9:1-17 New Testament: Revelation 17:1-18 Psalm: Psalm 145:1-21 Proverb: Proverbs 30:32 Old Testament: Zechariah 9:1-17 Zechariah 9:1-17 Back to top Zechariah 9 Judgment on Israel's Enemies 9   The oracle of the word of the LORD is against the land of Hadrach     and Damascus is its resting place.   For the LORD has an eye on mankind     and on all the tribes of Israel,1   and on Hamath also, which borders on it,     Tyre and Sidon, though they are very wise.   Tyre has built herself a rampart     and heaped up silver like dust,     and fine gold like the mud of the streets.   But behold, the Lord will strip her of her possessions     and strike down her power on the sea,     and she shall be devoured by fire.   Ashkelon shall see it, and be afraid;     Gaza too, and shall writhe in anguish;     Ekron also, because its hopes are confounded.   The king shall perish from Gaza;     Ashkelon shall be uninhabited;   a mixed people2 shall dwell in Ashdod,     and I will cut off the pride of Philistia.   I will take away its blood from its mouth,     and its abominations from between its teeth;   it too shall be a remnant for our God;     it shall be like a clan in Judah,     and Ekron shall be like the Jebusites.   Then I will encamp at my house as a guard,     so that none shall march to and fro;   no oppressor shall again march over them,     for now I see with my own eyes. The Coming King of Zion   Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!     Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!   Behold, your king is coming to you;     righteous and having salvation is he,   humble and mounted on a donkey,     on a colt, the foal of a donkey.   I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim     and the war horse from Jerusalem;   and the battle bow shall be cut off,     and he shall speak peace to the nations;   his rule shall be from sea to sea,     and from the River to the ends of the earth.   As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,     I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.   Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;     today I declare that I will restore to you double.   For I have bent Judah as my bow;     I have made Ephraim its arrow.   I will stir up your sons, O Zion,     against your sons, O Greece,     and wield you like a warrior's sword. The Lord Will Save His People   Then the LORD will appear over them,     and his arrow will go forth like lightning;   the Lord GOD will sound the trumpet     and will march forth in the whirlwinds of the south.   The LORD of hosts will protect them,     and they shall devour, and tread down the sling stones,   and they shall drink and roar as if drunk with wine,     and be full like a bowl,     drenched like the corners of the altar.   On that day the LORD their God will save them,     as the flock of his people;   for like the jewels of a crown     they shall shine on his land.   For how great is his goodness, and how great his beauty!     Grain shall make the

Old Testament: Zechariah 8:1-23 New Testament: Revelation 16:1-21 Psalm: Psalm 144:1-15 Proverb: Proverbs 30:29-31 Old Testament: Zechariah 8:1-23 Zechariah 8:1-23 Back to top Zechariah 8 The Coming Peace and Prosperity of Zion 8 And the word of the LORD of hosts came, saying, “Thus says the LORD of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath. Thus says the LORD: I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the LORD of hosts, the holy mountain. Thus says the LORD of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of great age. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets. Thus says the LORD of hosts: If it is marvelous in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvelous in my sight, declares the LORD of hosts? Thus says the LORD of hosts: Behold, I will save my people from the east country and from the west country, and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.” Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Let your hands be strong, you who in these days have been hearing these words from the mouth of the prophets who were present on the day that the foundation of the house of the LORD of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built. For before those days there was no wage for man or any wage for beast, neither was there any safety from the foe for him who went out or came in, for I set every man against his neighbor. But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as in the former days, declares the LORD of hosts. For there shall be a sowing of peace. The vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give their dew. And I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things. And as you have been a byword of cursing among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing. Fear not, but let your hands be strong.” For thus says the LORD of hosts: “As I purposed to bring disaster to you when your fathers provoked me to wrath, and I did not relent, says the LORD of hosts, so again have I purposed in these days to bring good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah; fear not. These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace; do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the LORD.” And the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying, “Thus says the LORD of hosts: The fast of the fourth month and the fast of the fifth and the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Judah seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace. “Thus says the LORD of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities. The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the LORD and to seek the LORD of hosts; I myself am going.’ Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the LORD. Thus says the LORD of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’” (ESV) New Testament: Revelation 16:1-21 Revelation 16:1-21 Back to top Revelation 16 The Seven Bowls of God's Wrath 16 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.” So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who bore the

Old Testament: Zechariah 6:1-7:14 New Testament: Revelation 15:1-8 Psalm: Psalm 143:1-12 Proverb: Proverbs 30:24-28 Old Testament: Zechariah 6:1-7:14 Zechariah 6:1-7:14 Back to top Zechariah 6-7 A Vision of Four Chariots 6 Again I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, four chariots came out from between two mountains. And the mountains were mountains of bronze. The first chariot had red horses, the second black horses, the third white horses, and the fourth chariot dappled horses—all of them strong.1 Then I answered and said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” And the angel answered and said to me, “These are going out to the four winds of heaven, after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth. The chariot with the black horses goes toward the north country, the white ones go after them, and the dappled ones go toward the south country.” When the strong horses came out, they were impatient to go and patrol the earth. And he said, “Go, patrol the earth.” So they patrolled the earth. Then he cried to me, “Behold, those who go toward the north country have set my Spirit at rest in the north country.” The Crown and the Temple And the word of the LORD came to me: “Take from the exiles Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon, and go the same day to the house of Josiah, the son of Zephaniah. Take from them silver and gold, and make a crown, and set it on the head of Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. And say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD. It is he who shall build the temple of the LORD and shall bear royal honor, and shall sit and rule on his throne. And there shall be a priest on his throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”’ And the crown shall be in the temple of the LORD as a reminder to Helem,2 Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen the son of Zephaniah. “And those who are far off shall come and help to build the temple of the LORD. And you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. And this shall come to pass, if you will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God.” A Call for Justice and Mercy 7 In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Chislev. Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech and their men to entreat the favor of the LORD, saying to the priests of the house of the LORD of hosts and the prophets, “Should I weep and abstain in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?” Then the word of the LORD of hosts came to me: “Say to all the people of the land and the priests, When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh, for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted? And when you eat and when you drink, do you not eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves? Were not these the words that the LORD proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous, with her cities around her, and the South and the lowland were inhabited?” And the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying, “Thus says the LORD of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.” But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear.3 They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the LORD of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the LORD of hosts. “As I4 called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear,” says the LORD of hosts, “and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known. Thus the land they left was desolate, so th

Old Testament: Zechariah 4:1-5:11 New Testament: Revelation 14:1-20 Psalm: Psalm 142:1-7 Proverb: Proverbs 30:21-23 Old Testament: Zechariah 4:1-5:11 Zechariah 4:1-5:11 Back to top Zechariah 4-5 A Vision of a Golden Lampstand 4 And the angel who talked with me came again and woke me, like a man who is awakened out of his sleep. And he said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it. And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” Then he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts. Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’” Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. “These seven are the eyes of the LORD, which range through the whole earth.” Then I said to him, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?” And a second time I answered and said to him, “What are these two branches of the olive trees, which are beside the two golden pipes from which the golden oil1 is poured out?” He said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” Then he said, “These are the two anointed ones2 who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.” A Vision of a Flying Scroll 5 Again I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, a flying scroll! And he said to me, “What do you see?” I answered, “I see a flying scroll. Its length is twenty cubits, and its width ten cubits.”3 Then he said to me, “This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole land. For everyone who steals shall be cleaned out according to what is on one side, and everyone who swears falsely4 shall be cleaned out according to what is on the other side. I will send it out, declares the LORD of hosts, and it shall enter the house of the thief, and the house of him who swears falsely by my name. And it shall remain in his house and consume it, both timber and stones.” A Vision of a Woman in a Basket Then the angel who talked with me came forward and said to me, “Lift your eyes and see what this is that is going out.” And I said, “What is it?” He said, “This is the basket5 that is going out.” And he said, “This is their iniquity6 in all the land.” And behold, the leaden cover was lifted, and there was a woman sitting in the basket! And he said, “This is Wickedness.” And he thrust her back into the basket, and thrust down the leaden weight on its opening. Then I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, two women coming forward! The wind was in their wings. They had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between earth and heaven. Then I said to the angel who talked with me, “Where are they taking the basket?” He said to me, “To the land of Shinar, to build a house for it. And when this is prepared, they will set the basket down there on its base.” Footnotes [1] 4:12 Hebrew lacks oil [2] 4:14 Hebrew two sons of new oil [3] 5:2 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters [4] 5:3 Hebrew lacks falsely (supplied from verse 4) [5] 5:6 Hebrew ephah; also verses 7–11. An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters [6] 5:6 One Hebrew manuscript, Septuagint, Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts eye (ESV) New Testament: Revelation 14:1-20 Revelation 14:1-20 Back to top Revelation 14 The

Old Testament: Zechariah 2:1-3:10 New Testament: Revelation 13:1-18 Psalm: Psalm 141:1-10 Proverb: Proverbs 30:18-20 Old Testament: Zechariah 2:1-3:10 Zechariah 2:1-3:10 Back to top Zechariah 2-3 A Vision of a Man with a Measuring Line 2  And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand! Then I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length.” And behold, the angel who talked with me came forward, and another angel came forward to meet him and said to him, “Run, say to that young man, ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls, because of the multitude of people and livestock in it. And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the LORD, and I will be the glory in her midst.’” Up! Up! Flee from the land of the north, declares the LORD. For I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heavens, declares the LORD. Up! Escape to Zion, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon. For thus said the LORD of hosts, after his glory sent me1 to the nations who plundered you, for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye: “Behold, I will shake my hand over them, and they shall become plunder for those who served them. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me. Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares the LORD. And many nations shall join themselves to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. And the LORD will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem.” Be silent, all flesh, before the LORD, for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling. A Vision of Joshua the High Priest 3 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan2 standing at his right hand to accuse him. And the LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, O Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand3 plucked from the fire?” Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.” And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD was standing by. And the angel of the LORD solemnly assured Joshua, “Thus says the LORD of hosts: If you will walk in my ways and keep my charge, then you shall rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access among those who are standing here. Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring my servant the Branch. For behold, on the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with seven eyes,4 I will engrave its inscription, declares the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day. In that day, declares the LORD of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and under his fig tree.” Footnotes [1] 2:8 Or he sent me after glory [2] 3:1 Hebrew the Accuser or the Adversary [3] 3:2 That is, a burning stick [4] 3:9 Or facets (ESV) New Testament: Revelation 13:1-18 Revelation 13:1-18 Back to top Revelation 13 The First Beast 13 And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the

Old Testament: Haggai 1:1-2:23 New Testament: Revelation 11:1-19 Psalm: Psalm 139:1-24 Proverb: Proverbs 30:15-16 Old Testament: Haggai 1:1-2:23 Haggai 1:1-2:23 Back to top Haggai 1-2 The Command to Rebuild the Temple 1 In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest: “Thus says the LORD of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the LORD.” Then the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? Now, therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways. You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes. “Thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways. Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the LORD. You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? declares the LORD of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house. Therefore the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. And I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and on all their labors.” The People Obey the Lord Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him. And the people feared the LORD. Then Haggai, the messenger of the LORD, spoke to the people with the LORD's message, “I am with you, declares the LORD.” And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. And they came and worked on the house of the LORD of hosts, their God, on the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king. The Coming Glory of the Temple 2 In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, “Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say, ‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes? Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the LORD. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the LORD. Work, for I am with you, declares the LORD of hosts, according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not. For thus says the LORD of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the LORD of hosts. The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the LORD of hosts.’” Blessings for a Defiled People On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, “Thus says the LORD of hosts: Ask the priests a

Old Testament: Zephaniah 1:1-3:20 New Testament: Revelation 10:1-11 Psalm: Psalm 138:1-8 Proverb: Proverbs 30:11-14 Old Testament: Zephaniah 1:1-3:20 Zephaniah 1:1-3:20 Back to top Zephaniah 1-3 1 The word of the LORD that came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah. The Coming Judgment on Judah   “I will utterly sweep away everything     from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD.   “I will sweep away man and beast;     I will sweep away the birds of the heavens     and the fish of the sea,   and the rubble1 with the wicked.     I will cut off mankind     from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD.   “I will stretch out my hand against Judah     and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem;   and I will cut off from this place the remnant of Baal     and the name of the idolatrous priests along with the priests,   those who bow down on the roofs     to the host of the heavens,   those who bow down and swear to the LORD     and yet swear by Milcom,   those who have turned back from following the LORD,     who do not seek the LORD or inquire of him.” The Day of the Lord Is Near   Be silent before the Lord GOD!     For the day of the LORD is near;   the LORD has prepared a sacrifice     and consecrated his guests.   And on the day of the LORD's sacrifice—   “I will punish the officials and the king's sons     and all who array themselves in foreign attire.   On that day I will punish     everyone who leaps over the threshold,   and those who fill their master's2 house     with violence and fraud.   “On that day,” declares the LORD,     “a cry will be heard from the Fish Gate,   a wail from the Second Quarter,     a loud crash from the hills.   Wail, O inhabitants of the Mortar!     For all the traders3 are no more;     all who weigh out silver are cut off.   At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps,     and I will punish the men   who are complacent,4     those who say in their hearts,   ‘The LORD will not do good,     nor will he do ill.’   Their goods shall be plundered,     and their houses laid waste.   Though they build houses,     they shall not inhabit them;   though they plant vineyards,     they shall not drink wine from them.”   The great day of the LORD is near,     near and hastening fast;   the sound of the day of the LORD is bitter;     the mighty man cries aloud there.   A day of wrath is that day,     a day of distress and anguish,   a day of ruin and devastation,     a day of darkness and gloom,   a day of clouds and thick darkness,     a day of trumpet blast and battle cry   against the fortified cities     and against the lofty battlements.   I will bring distress on mankind,     so that they shall walk like the blind,     because they have sinned against the LORD;   their blood shall be poured out like dust,     and their flesh like dung.   Neither their silver nor their gold     shall be able t

Old Testament: Habakkuk 1:1-3:19 New Testament: Revelation 9:1-21 Psalm: Psalm 137:1-9 Proverb: Proverbs 30:10 Old Testament: Habakkuk 1:1-3:19 Habakkuk 1:1-3:19 Back to top Habakkuk 1-3 1 The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw. Habakkuk's Complaint   O LORD, how long shall I cry for help,     and you will not hear?   Or cry to you “Violence!”     and you will not save?   Why do you make me see iniquity,     and why do you idly look at wrong?   Destruction and violence are before me;     strife and contention arise.   So the law is paralyzed,     and justice never goes forth.   For the wicked surround the righteous;     so justice goes forth perverted. The Lord's Answer   “Look among the nations, and see;     wonder and be astounded.   For I am doing a work in your days     that you would not believe if told.   For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans,     that bitter and hasty nation,   who march through the breadth of the earth,     to seize dwellings not their own.   They are dreaded and fearsome;     their justice and dignity go forth from themselves.   Their horses are swifter than leopards,     more fierce than the evening wolves;     their horsemen press proudly on.   Their horsemen come from afar;     they fly like an eagle swift to devour.   They all come for violence,     all their faces forward.     They gather captives like sand.   At kings they scoff,     and at rulers they laugh.   They laugh at every fortress,     for they pile up earth and take it.   Then they sweep by like the wind and go on,     guilty men, whose own might is their god!” Habakkuk's Second Complaint   Are you not from everlasting,     O LORD my God, my Holy One?     We shall not die.   O LORD, you have ordained them as a judgment,     and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof.   You who are of purer eyes than to see evil     and cannot look at wrong,   why do you idly look at traitors     and remain silent when the wicked swallows up     the man more righteous than he?   You make mankind like the fish of the sea,     like crawling things that have no ruler.   He1 brings all of them up with a hook;     he drags them out with his net;   he gathers them in his dragnet;     so he rejoices and is glad.   Therefore he sacrifices to his net     and makes offerings to his dragnet;   for by them he lives in luxury,2     and his food is rich.   Is he then to keep on emptying his net     and mercilessly killing nations forever? 2   I will take my stand at my watchpost     and station myself on the tower,   and look out to see what he will say to me,     and what I will answer concerning my complaint. The Righteous Shall Live by His Faith And the LORD answered me:   “Write the vision;     make it plain on tablets,     so he may run who reads it.   For still the vision awaits its appointed time;     it hastens to the end—it will not lie.   If it seems slow, wait for it;     it will surely come;

Old Testament: Nahum 1:1-3:19 New Testament: Revelation 8:1-13 Psalm: Psalm 136:1-26 Proverb: Proverbs 30:7-9 Old Testament: Nahum 1:1-3:19 Nahum 1:1-3:19 Back to top Nahum 1-3 1 An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum of Elkosh. God's Wrath Against Nineveh   The LORD is a jealous and avenging God;     the LORD is avenging and wrathful;   the LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries     and keeps wrath for his enemies.   The LORD is slow to anger and great in power,     and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty.   His way is in whirlwind and storm,     and the clouds are the dust of his feet.   He rebukes the sea and makes it dry;     he dries up all the rivers;   Bashan and Carmel wither;     the bloom of Lebanon withers.   The mountains quake before him;     the hills melt;   the earth heaves before him,     the world and all who dwell in it.   Who can stand before his indignation?     Who can endure the heat of his anger?   His wrath is poured out like fire,     and the rocks are broken into pieces by him.   The LORD is good,     a stronghold in the day of trouble;   he knows those who take refuge in him.     But with an overflowing flood   he will make a complete end of the adversaries,1     and will pursue his enemies into darkness.   What do you plot against the LORD?     He will make a complete end;     trouble will not rise up a second time.   For they are like entangled thorns,     like drunkards as they drink;     they are consumed like stubble fully dried.   From you came one     who plotted evil against the LORD,     a worthless counselor.   Thus says the LORD,   “Though they are at full strength and many,     they will be cut down and pass away.   Though I have afflicted you,     I will afflict you no more.   And now I will break his yoke from off you     and will burst your bonds apart.”   The LORD has given commandment about you:     “No more shall your name be perpetuated;   from the house of your gods I will cut off     the carved image and the metal image.   I will make your grave, for you are vile.”   2 Behold, upon the mountains, the feet of him     who brings good news,     who publishes peace!   Keep your feasts, O Judah;     fulfill your vows,   for never again shall the worthless pass through you;     he is utterly cut off. The Destruction of Nineveh 2   The scatterer has come up against you.     Man the ramparts;     watch the road;   dress for battle;3     collect all your strength.   For the LORD is restoring the majesty of Jacob     as the majesty of Israel,   for plunderers have plundered them     and ruined their branches.   The shield of his mighty men is red;     his soldiers are clothed in scarlet.   The chariots come with flashing metal     on the day he musters them;     the cypress spears are brandished.   The chariots race madly through the streets;     they rush to and fro through the squares;  &nbs

Old Testament: Micah 5:1-7:20 New Testament: Revelation 7:1-17 Psalm: Psalm 135:1-21 Proverb: Proverbs 30:5-6 Old Testament: Micah 5:1-7:20 Micah 5:1-7:20 Back to top Micah 5-7 The Ruler to Be Born in Bethlehem 5   1 Now muster your troops, O daughter2 of troops;     siege is laid against us;   with a rod they strike the judge of Israel     on the cheek.   3 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,     who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,   from you shall come forth for me     one who is to be ruler in Israel,   whose coming forth is from of old,     from ancient days.   Therefore he shall give them up until the time     when she who is in labor has given birth;   then the rest of his brothers shall return     to the people of Israel.   And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD,     in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.   And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great     to the ends of the earth.   And he shall be their peace.   When the Assyrian comes into our land     and treads in our palaces,   then we will raise against him seven shepherds     and eight princes of men;   they shall shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword,     and the land of Nimrod at its entrances;   and he shall deliver us from the Assyrian     when he comes into our land     and treads within our border. A Remnant Shall Be Delivered   Then the remnant of Jacob shall be     in the midst of many peoples   like dew from the LORD,     like showers on the grass,   which delay not for a man     nor wait for the children of man.   And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations,     in the midst of many peoples,   like a lion among the beasts of the forest,     like a young lion among the flocks of sheep,   which, when it goes through, treads down     and tears in pieces, and there is none to deliver.   Your hand shall be lifted up over your adversaries,     and all your enemies shall be cut off.   And in that day, declares the LORD,     I will cut off your horses from among you     and will destroy your chariots;   and I will cut off the cities of your land     and throw down all your strongholds;   and I will cut off sorceries from your hand,     and you shall have no more tellers of fortunes;   and I will cut off your carved images     and your pillars from among you,   and you shall bow down no more     to the work of your hands;   and I will root out your Asherah images from among you     and destroy your cities.   And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance     on the nations that did not obey. The Indictment of the Lord 6   Hear what the LORD says:   Arise, plead your case before the mountains,     and let the hills hear your voice.   Hear, you mountains, the indictment of the LORD,     and you enduring foundations of the earth,   for the LORD has an indictment against his people,     and he will contend with Israel.   “O my people, what have I done to you?     How have I wearied you? Answer me!   

Old Testament: Micah 1:1-4:13 New Testament: Revelation 6:1-17 Psalm: Psalm 134:1-3 Proverb: Proverbs 30:1-4 Old Testament: Micah 1:1-4:13 Micah 1:1-4:13 Back to top Micah 1-4 1 The word of the LORD that came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. The Coming Destruction   Hear, you peoples, all of you;1     pay attention, O earth, and all that is in it,   and let the Lord GOD be a witness against you,     the Lord from his holy temple.   For behold, the LORD is coming out of his place,     and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth.   And the mountains will melt under him,     and the valleys will split open,   like wax before the fire,     like waters poured down a steep place.   All this is for the transgression of Jacob     and for the sins of the house of Israel.   What is the transgression of Jacob?     Is it not Samaria?   And what is the high place of Judah?     Is it not Jerusalem?   Therefore I will make Samaria a heap in the open country,     a place for planting vineyards,   and I will pour down her stones into the valley     and uncover her foundations.   All her carved images shall be beaten to pieces,     all her wages shall be burned with fire,     and all her idols I will lay waste,   for from the fee of a prostitute she gathered them,     and to the fee of a prostitute they shall return.   For this I will lament and wail;     I will go stripped and naked;   I will make lamentation like the jackals,     and mourning like the ostriches.   For her wound is incurable,     and it has come to Judah;   it has reached to the gate of my people,     to Jerusalem.   Tell it not in Gath;     weep not at all;   in Beth-le-aphrah     roll yourselves in the dust.   Pass on your way,     inhabitants of Shaphir,     in nakedness and shame;   the inhabitants of Zaanan     do not come out;   the lamentation of Beth-ezel     shall take away from you its standing place.   For the inhabitants of Maroth     wait anxiously for good,   because disaster has come down from the LORD     to the gate of Jerusalem.   Harness the steeds to the chariots,     inhabitants of Lachish;   it was the beginning of sin     to the daughter of Zion,   for in you were found     the transgressions of Israel.   Therefore you shall give parting gifts2     to Moresheth-gath;   the houses of Achzib shall be a deceitful thing     to the kings of Israel.   I will again bring a conqueror to you,     inhabitants of Mareshah;   the glory of Israel     shall come to Adullam.   Make yourselves bald and cut off your hair,     for the children of your delight;   make yourselves as bald as the eagle,     for they shall go from you into exile. Woe to the Oppressors 2   Woe to those who devise wickedness     and work evil on their beds!   When the morning dawns, they perform it,     because it is in the power of

Old Testament: Jonah 1:1-4:11 New Testament: Revelation 5:1-14 Psalm: Psalm 133:1-3 Proverb: Proverbs 29:26-27 Old Testament: Jonah 1:1-4:11 Jonah 1:1-4:11 Back to top Jonah 1-4 Jonah Flees the Presence of the Lord 1 Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil1 has come up before me.” But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD. But the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.” Jonah Is Thrown into the Sea And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them. Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.” Nevertheless, the men rowed hard2 to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. Therefore they called out to the LORD, “O LORD, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O LORD, have done as it pleased you.” So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows. A Great Fish Swallows Jonah And the LORD appointed3 a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Jonah's Prayer 2 Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly of the fish, saying,   “I called out to the LORD, out of my distress,     and he answered me;   out of the belly of Sheol I cried,     and you heard my voice.   For you cast me into the deep,     into the heart of the seas,     and the flood surrounded me;   all your waves and your billows     passed over me.   Then I said, ‘I am driven away     from your sight;   yet I shall again look     upon your holy temple.’   The waters closed in over me to take my life;     the deep surrounded me;   weeds were wrapped about my head     at the roots of the mountains.   I went down to the land     whose bars closed upon me forever;   yet you brought up my life from the pit,     O LORD my God.   When my life was fainting away,     I remembered the LORD,   and my prayer came to you,  

Old Testament: Amos 7:1-9:15 New Testament: Revelation 3:7-22 Psalm: Psalm 131:1-3 Proverb: Proverbs 29:23 Old Testament: Amos 7:1-9:15 Amos 7:1-9:15 Back to top Amos 7-9 Warning Visions 7 This is what the Lord GOD showed me: behold, he was forming locusts when the latter growth was just beginning to sprout, and behold, it was the latter growth after the king's mowings. When they had finished eating the grass of the land, I said,   “O Lord GOD, please forgive!     How can Jacob stand?     He is so small!”   The LORD relented concerning this:     “It shall not be,” said the LORD. This is what the Lord GOD showed me: behold, the Lord GOD was calling for a judgment by fire, and it devoured the great deep and was eating up the land. Then I said,   “O Lord GOD, please cease!     How can Jacob stand?     He is so small!”   The LORD relented concerning this:     “This also shall not be,” said the Lord GOD. This is what he showed me: behold, the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. And the LORD said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said,   “Behold, I am setting a plumb line     in the midst of my people Israel;     I will never again pass by them;   the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate,     and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste,     and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.” Amos Accused Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to bear all his words. For thus Amos has said,   “‘Jeroboam shall die by the sword,     and Israel must go into exile     away from his land.’” And Amaziah said to Amos, “O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there, but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.” Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, “I was1 no prophet, nor a prophet's son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs. But the LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ Now therefore hear the word of the LORD.   “You say, ‘Do not prophesy against Israel,     and do not preach against the house of Isaac.’ Therefore thus says the LORD:   “‘Your wife shall be a prostitute in the city,     and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword,     and your land shall be divided up with a measuring line;   you yourself shall die in an unclean land,     and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land.’” The Coming Day of Bitter Mourning 8 This is what the Lord GOD showed me: behold, a basket of summer fruit. And he said, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then the LORD said to me,   “The end2 has come upon my people Israel;     I will never again pass by them.   The songs of the temple3 shall become wailings4 in that day,”       declares the Lord GOD.   “So many dead bodies!”   “They are thrown everywhere!”   “Silence!”   Hear this, you who trample on the needy     and bring the poor of the land to an end,   saying, “When will the new moon be over,     that we may sell grain?   And the Sabbath,     that we may offer wheat for sale,   that we may make the ephah small and the shek

Old Testament: Amos 4:1-6:14 New Testament: Revelation 2:18-3:6 Psalm: Psalm 130:1-8 Proverb: Proverbs 29:21-22 Old Testament: Amos 4:1-6:14 Amos 4:1-6:14 Back to top Amos 4-6 4   “Hear this word, you cows of Bashan,     who are on the mountain of Samaria,   who oppress the poor, who crush the needy,     who say to your husbands, ‘Bring, that we may drink!’   The Lord GOD has sworn by his holiness     that, behold, the days are coming upon you,   when they shall take you away with hooks,     even the last of you with fishhooks.   And you shall go out through the breaches,     each one straight ahead;     and you shall be cast out into Harmon,”       declares the LORD.   “Come to Bethel, and transgress;     to Gilgal, and multiply transgression;   bring your sacrifices every morning,     your tithes every three days;   offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of that which is leavened,     and proclaim freewill offerings, publish them;     for so you love to do, O people of Israel!”       declares the Lord GOD. Israel Has Not Returned to the Lord   “I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities,     and lack of bread in all your places,   yet you did not return to me,”       declares the LORD.   “I also withheld the rain from you     when there were yet three months to the harvest;   I would send rain on one city,     and send no rain on another city;   one field would have rain,     and the field on which it did not rain would wither;   so two or three cities would wander to another city     to drink water, and would not be satisfied;   yet you did not return to me,”       declares the LORD.   “I struck you with blight and mildew;     your many gardens and your vineyards,     your fig trees and your olive trees the locust devoured;   yet you did not return to me,”       declares the LORD.   “I sent among you a pestilence after the manner of Egypt;     I killed your young men with the sword,   and carried away your horses,1     and I made the stench of your camp go up into your nostrils;   yet you did not return to me,”       declares the LORD.   “I overthrew some of you,     as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,     and you were as a brand2 plucked out of the burning;   yet you did not return to me,”       declares the LORD.   “Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel;     because I will do this to you,     prepare to meet your God, O Israel!”   For behold, he who forms the mountains and creates the wind,     and declares to man what is his thought,   who makes the morning darkness,     and treads on the heights of the earth—     the LORD, the God of hosts, is his name! Seek the Lord and Live 5 Hear this word that I take up over you in lamentation, O house of Israel:   “Fallen, no more to rise,     is the virgin Israel;   forsaken on her land,     with none to raise her up.” For thus says the Lord GOD:   “The city that went out a thousand     shall have a hundred le

Old Testament: Amos 1:1-3:15 New Testament: Revelation 2:1-17 Psalm: Psalm 129:1-8 Proverb: Proverbs 29:19-20 Old Testament: Amos 1:1-3:15 Amos 1:1-3:15 Back to top Amos 1-3 1 The words of Amos, who was among the shepherds1 of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years2 before the earthquake. Judgment on Israel's Neighbors And he said:   “The LORD roars from Zion     and utters his voice from Jerusalem;   the pastures of the shepherds mourn,     and the top of Carmel withers.” Thus says the LORD:   “For three transgressions of Damascus,     and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,3   because they have threshed Gilead     with threshing sledges of iron.   So I will send a fire upon the house of Hazael,     and it shall devour the strongholds of Ben-hadad.   I will break the gate-bar of Damascus,     and cut off the inhabitants from the Valley of Aven,4   and him who holds the scepter from Beth-eden;     and the people of Syria shall go into exile to Kir,”       says the LORD. Thus says the LORD:   “For three transgressions of Gaza,     and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,   because they carried into exile a whole people     to deliver them up to Edom.   So I will send a fire upon the wall of Gaza,     and it shall devour her strongholds.   I will cut off the inhabitants from Ashdod,     and him who holds the scepter from Ashkelon;   I will turn my hand against Ekron,     and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish,”       says the Lord GOD. Thus says the LORD:   “For three transgressions of Tyre,     and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,   because they delivered up a whole people to Edom,     and did not remember the covenant of brotherhood.   So I will send a fire upon the wall of Tyre,     and it shall devour her strongholds.” Thus says the LORD:   “For three transgressions of Edom,     and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,   because he pursued his brother with the sword     and cast off all pity,   and his anger tore perpetually,     and he kept his wrath forever.   So I will send a fire upon Teman,     and it shall devour the strongholds of Bozrah.” Thus says the LORD:   “For three transgressions of the Ammonites,     and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,   because they have ripped open pregnant women in Gilead,     that they might enlarge their border.   So I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah,     and it shall devour her strongholds,   with shouting on the day of battle,     with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind;   and their king shall go into exile,     he and his princes5 together,”       says the LORD. 2 Thus says the LORD:   “For three transgressions of Moab,     and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,6   because he burned to lime     the bones of the king of Edom.   So I will send a fire upon Moab,     and it shall devour the strongholds of Kerioth,   and Moab shall die amid uproar,     amid shouting and the sound of the tr