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Daily Readings for December 29
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Job 39
1."Do you know the time when the mountain goats give birth? Do you watch when the doe bears fawns? 2.Can you number the months that they fulfill? Or do you know the time when they give birth? 3.They bow themselves, they bring forth their young, they end their labor pains. 4.Their young ones become strong. They grow up in the open field. They go forth, and don't return again.
5."Who has set the wild donkey free? Or who has loosened the bonds of the swift donkey, 6.Whose home I have made the wilderness, and the salt land his dwelling place? 7.He scorns the tumult of the city, neither does he hear the shouting of the driver. 8.The range of the mountains is his pasture, He searches after every green thing.
9."Will the wild ox be content to serve you? Or will he stay by your feeding trough? 10.Can you hold the wild ox in the furrow with his harness? Or will he till the valleys after you? 11.Will you trust him, because his strength is great? Or will you leave to him your labor? 12.Will you confide in him, that he will bring home your seed, and gather the grain of your threshing floor?
13."The wings of the ostrich wave proudly; but are they the feathers and plumage of love? 14.For she leaves her eggs on the earth, warms them in the dust, 15.and forgets that the foot may crush them, or that the wild animal may trample them. 16.She deals harshly with her young ones, as if they were not hers. Though her labor is in vain, she is without fear, 17.because God has deprived her of wisdom, neither has he imparted to her understanding. 18.When she lifts up herself on high, she scorns the horse and his rider.
19."Have you given the horse might? Have you clothed his neck with a quivering mane? 20.Have you made him to leap as a locust? The glory of his snorting is awesome. 21.He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength. He goes out to meet the armed men. 22.He mocks at fear, and is not dismayed, neither does he turn back from the sword. 23.The quiver rattles against him, the flashing spear and the javelin. 24.He eats up the ground with fierceness and rage, neither does he stand still at the sound of the trumpet. 25.As often as the trumpet sounds he snorts, 'Aha!' He smells the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.
26."Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars, and stretches her wings toward the south? 27.Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up, and makes his nest on high? 28.On the cliff he dwells, and makes his home, on the point of the cliff, and the stronghold. 29.From there he spies out the prey. His eyes see it afar off. 30.His young ones also suck up blood. Where the slain are, there he is."
Malachi 1
1.An oracle: the word of Yahweh1 to Israel by Malachi.
2."I have loved you," says Yahweh.
Yet you say, "How have you loved us?"
"Wasn't Esau Jacob's brother?" says Yahweh, "Yet I loved Jacob; 3.but Esau I hated, and made his mountains a desolation, and gave his heritage to the jackals of the wilderness." 4.Whereas Edom says, "We are beaten down, but we will return and build the waste places;" thus says Yahweh of Armies, "They shall build, but I will throw down; and men will call them 'The Wicked Land,' even the people against whom Yahweh shows wrath forever."
5.Your eyes will see, and you will say, "Yahweh is great--even beyond the border of Israel!"
6."A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, then where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is the respect due me? Says Yahweh of Armies to you, priests, who despise my name. You say, 'How have we despised your name?' 7.You offer polluted bread on my altar. You say, 'How have we polluted you?' In that you say, 'Yahweh's table contemptible.' 8.When you offer the blind for sacrifice, isn't that evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, isn't that evil? Present it now to your governor! Will he be pleased with you? Or will he accept your person?" says Yahweh of Armies.
9."Now, please entreat the favor of God2, that he may be gracious to us. With this, will he accept any of you?" says Yahweh of Armies.
10."Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you," says Yahweh of Armies, "neither will I accept an offering at your hand. 11.For from the rising of the sun even to the going down of the same, my name is great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering: for my name is great among the nations," says Yahweh of Armies. 12."But you profane it, in that you say, 'Yahweh's table is polluted, and its fruit, even its food, is contemptible.' 13.You say also, 'Behold, what a weariness it is!' and you have sniffed at it," says Yahweh of Armies; "and you have brought that which was taken by violence, the lame, and the sick; thus you bring the offering. Should I accept this at your hand?" says Yahweh.
14."But the deceiver is cursed, who has in his flock a male, and vows, and sacrifices to the Lord3 a blemished thing; for I am a great King," says Yahweh of Armies, "and my name is awesome among the nations."
Revelation 17
1.One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, "Come here. I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who sits on many waters, 2.with whom the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality, and those who dwell in the earth were made drunken with the wine of her sexual immorality." 3.He carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet-colored animal, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns. 4.The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of the sexual immorality of the earth. 5.And on her forehead a name was written, "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH." 6.I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered with great amazement. 7.The angel said to me, "Why do you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. 8.The beast that you saw was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go into destruction. Those who dwell on the earth and whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel when they see that the beast was, and is not, and shall be present.38 9.Here is the mind that has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits. 10.They are seven kings. Five have fallen, the one is, the other has not yet come. When he comes, he must continue a little while. 11.The beast that was, and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is of the seven; and he goes to destruction. 12.The ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority as kings, with the beast, for one hour. 13.These have one mind, and they give their power and authority to the beast. 14.These will war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings. They also will overcome who are with him, called and chosen and faithful." 15.He said to me, "The waters which you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages. 16.The ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the prostitute, and will make her desolate, and will make her naked, and will eat her flesh, and will burn her utterly with fire. 17.For God has put in their hearts to do what he has in mind, and to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God should be accomplished. 18.The woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth."
Revelation 18
1.After these things, I saw another angel coming down out of the sky, having great authority. The earth was illuminated with his glory. 2.He cried with a mighty voice, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, and she has become a habitation of demons, a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird! 3.For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her sexual immorality, the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from the abundance of her luxury."
4.I heard another voice from heaven, saying, "Come out of her, my people, that you have no participation in her sins, and that you don't receive of her plagues, 5.for her sins have reached to the sky, and God has remembered her iniquities. 6.Return to her just as she returned, and repay her double as she did, and according to her works. In the cup which she mixed, mix to her double. 7.However much she glorified herself, and grew wanton, so much give her of torment and mourning. For she says in her heart, 'I sit a queen, and am no widow, and will in no way see mourning.' 8.Therefore in one day her plagues will come: death, mourning, and famine; and she will be utterly burned with fire; for the Lord God who has judged her is strong. 9.The kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived wantonly with her, will weep and wail over her, when they look at the smoke of her burning, 10.standing far away for the fear of her torment, saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For your judgment has come in one hour.' 11.The merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise any more; 12.merchandise of gold, silver, precious stones, pearls, fine linen, purple, silk, scarlet, all expensive wood, every vessel of ivory, every vessel made of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble; 13.and cinnamon, incense, perfume, frankincense, wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat, sheep, horses, chariots, and people's bodies and souls. 14.The fruits which your soul lusted after have been lost to you, and all things that were dainty and sumptuous have perished from you, and you will find them no more at all. 15.The merchants of these things, who were made rich by her, will stand far away for the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning; 16.saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city, she who was dressed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls! 17.For in an hour such great riches are made desolate.' Every shipmaster, and everyone who sails anywhere, and mariners, and as many as gain their living by sea, stood far away, 18.and cried out as they looked at the smoke of her burning, saying, 'What is like the great city?' 19.They cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and mourning, saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had their ships in the sea were made rich by reason of her great wealth!' For in one hour is she made desolate.
20."Rejoice over her, O heaven, you saints, apostles, and prophets; for God has judged your judgment on her." 21.A mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and cast it into the sea, saying, "Thus with violence will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down, and will be found no more at all. 22.The voice of harpists, minstrels, flute players, and trumpeters will be heard no more at all in you. No craftsman, of whatever craft, will be found any more at all in you. The sound of a mill will be heard no more at all in you. 23.The light of a lamp will shine no more at all in you. The voice of the bridegroom and of the bride will be heard no more at all in you; for your merchants were the princes of the earth; for with your sorcery all the nations were deceived. 24.In her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain on the earth."