The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday December 22, 2016 (NIV)

Zechariah 2-3

Third Vision: Surveyor

[a]I looked up and saw a man with a measuring line in his hand. I asked, “Where are you going?”

He answered me, “To measure Jerusalem to determine its width and length.”

Then the angel who was speaking with me went out, and another angel went out to meet him. He said to him, “Run and tell this young man: Jerusalem will be inhabited without walls because of the number of people and livestock in it.”(A) The declaration of the Lord: “I will be a wall(B) of fire around it, and I will be the glory within it.”

“Get up! Leave the land of the north”(C)—this is the Lord’s declaration—“for I have scattered you like the four winds of heaven”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “Go, Zion! Escape, you who are living with Daughter Babylon.” For the Lord of Hosts says this: “He has sent Me[b] for His glory against the nations who are plundering you, for anyone who touches you touches the pupil[c] of His[d] eye. I will move against them with My[e] power, and they will become plunder for their own servants.(D) Then you will know that the Lord of Hosts has sent Me.[f]

10 “Daughter Zion, shout for joy and be glad, for I am coming to dwell among you”—this is the Lord’s declaration. 11 “Many nations will join themselves to the Lord on that day and become My[g] people.(E) I will dwell among you, and you will know that the Lord of Hosts has sent Me[h] to you. 12 The Lord will take possession of Judah as His portion in the Holy Land, and He will once again choose Jerusalem.(F) 13 Let all people be silent(G) before the Lord, for He is coming from His holy dwelling.”

Fourth Vision: High Priest and Branch

Then he showed me Joshua(H) the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord,(I) with Satan[i](J) standing at his right side to accuse him. The Lord[j] said to Satan: “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! May the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Isn’t this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?”(K)

Now Joshua was dressed with filthy[k] clothes(L) as he stood before the Angel.(M) So the Angel of the Lord[l] spoke to those[m] standing before Him, “Take off his filthy clothes!” Then He said to him, “See, I have removed your guilt from you,(N) and I will clothe you with splendid robes.”

Then I said, “Let them put a clean turban(O) on his head.” So a clean turban was placed on his head, and they clothed him in garments while the Angel of the Lord was standing nearby.

Then the Angel of the Lord charged Joshua: “This is what the Lord of Hosts says: If you walk in My ways and keep My instructions, you will both rule My house and take care of My courts; I will also grant you access among these who are standing here.

“Listen, Joshua the high priest, you and your colleagues sitting before you; indeed, these men are a sign that I am about to bring My servant, the Branch.(P) Notice the stone(Q) I have set before Joshua; on that one stone are seven eyes.(R) I will engrave an inscription on it”—this is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts—“and I will take away the guilt of this land in a single day. 10 On that day, each of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and fig tree.”(S) This is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts.

Footnotes:

  1. Zechariah 2:1 Zch 2:5 in Hb
  2. Zechariah 2:8 Or me
  3. Zechariah 2:8 Or apple
  4. Zechariah 2:8 Ancient Jewish tradition reads My
  5. Zechariah 2:9 Or my
  6. Zechariah 2:9 Or me
  7. Zechariah 2:11 LXX, Syr read His
  8. Zechariah 2:11 Or me
  9. Zechariah 3:1 Or the adversary
  10. Zechariah 3:2 Syr reads The Angel of the Lord
  11. Zechariah 3:3 Probably stained with human excrement
  12. Zechariah 3:4 Lit He
  13. Zechariah 3:4 = the angels

Revelation 13

The Beast from the Sea

13 And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea.(A) He[a] had 10 horns and seven heads. On his horns were 10 diadems,(B) and on his heads were blasphemous names.[b](C) The beast I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like a bear’s, and his mouth was like a lion’s mouth.(D) The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. One of his heads appeared to be fatally wounded,[c] but his fatal wound was healed. The whole earth was amazed and followed the beast.[d](E) They worshiped the dragon(F) because he gave authority to the beast. And they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast?(G) Who is able to wage war against him?”

A mouth was given to him to speak boasts and blasphemies.(H) He was also given authority to act[e][f] for 42 months.(I) He began to speak[g] blasphemies against God: to blaspheme His name and His dwelling—those who dwell in heaven. And he was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them. He was also given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation.(J) All those who live on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name was not written from the foundation of the world in the book[h] of life(K) of the Lamb who was slaughtered.[i](L)

If anyone has an ear, he should listen:(M)

10 If anyone is destined for captivity,
into captivity he goes.
If anyone is to be killed[j] with a sword,
with a sword he will be killed.(N)

This demands the perseverance[k] and faith of the saints.(O)

The Beast from the Earth

11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; he had two horns like a lamb,[l](P) but he sounded like a dragon. 12 He exercises all the authority of the first beast on his behalf and compels the earth and those who live on it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. 13 He also performs great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in front of people. 14 He deceives those who live on the earth(Q) because of the signs that he is permitted to perform on behalf of the beast,(R) telling those who live on the earth to make an image[m] of the beast who had the sword wound and yet lived. 15 He was permitted to give a spirit[n] to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast could both speak and cause whoever would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 And he requires everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark[o] on his right hand or on his forehead,(S) 17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark: the beast’s name or the number of his name.

18 Here is wisdom:[p](T) The one who has understanding must calculate[q] the number of the beast, because it is the number of a man.[r] His number is 666.[s]

Footnotes:

  1. Revelation 13:1 The beasts in Rv 13:1,11 are customarily referred to as “he” or “him” rather than “it.” The Gk word for a beast (therion) is grammatically neuter.
  2. Revelation 13:1 Other mss read heads was a blasphemous name
  3. Revelation 13:3 Lit be slain to death
  4. Revelation 13:3 Lit amazed after the beast
  5. Revelation 13:5 Other mss read wage war
  6. Revelation 13:5 Or to rule
  7. Revelation 13:6 Lit He opened his mouth in
  8. Revelation 13:8 Or scroll
  9. Revelation 13:8 Or written in the book of life of the Lamb who was slaughtered from the foundation of the world
  10. Revelation 13:10 Other mss read anyone kills
  11. Revelation 13:10 Lit Here is the perseverance
  12. Revelation 13:11 Or ram
  13. Revelation 13:14 Or statue, or likeness
  14. Revelation 13:15 Or give breath, or give life
  15. Revelation 13:16 Or stamp, or brand
  16. Revelation 13:18 Or This calls for wisdom
  17. Revelation 13:18 Or count, or figure out
  18. Revelation 13:18 Or is a man’s number, or is the number of a person
  19. Revelation 13:18 Other Gk mss read 616

Psalm 141

Psalm 141

Protection from Sin and Sinners

A Davidic psalm.

Lord, I call on You; hurry to help me.
Listen to my voice when I call on You.(A)
May my prayer be set before You as incense,(B)
the raising of my hands as the evening offering.(C)

Lord, set up a guard for my mouth;
keep watch at the door of my lips.(D)
Do not let my heart turn to any evil thing
or perform wicked acts
with men who commit sin.
Do not let me feast on their delicacies.(E)
Let the righteous one strike me—
it is an act of faithful love;
let him rebuke me—
it is oil for my head;
let me[a] not refuse it.(F)
Even now my prayer is against
the evil acts of the wicked.[b](G)
When their rulers[c] will be thrown off
the sides of a cliff,
the people[d] will listen to my words,
for they are pleasing.(H)

As when one plows and breaks up the soil,
turning up rocks,
so our[e] bones have been scattered
at the mouth of Sheol.(I)

But my eyes look to You, Lord God.
I seek refuge in You; do not let me die.[f](J)
Protect me from[g] the trap they have set for me,
and from the snares of evildoers.(K)
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
while I pass by safely.(L)

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 141:5 Lit my head
  2. Psalm 141:5 Lit of them
  3. Psalm 141:6 Or judges
  4. Psalm 141:6 Lit cliff, and they
  5. Psalm 141:7 DSS reads my; some LXX mss, Syr read their
  6. Psalm 141:8 Or not pour out my life
  7. Psalm 141:9 Lit from the hands of

Proverbs 30:18-20

18 Three things are beyond me;
four I can’t understand:
19 the way of an eagle in the sky,
the way of a snake on a rock,
the way of a ship at sea,
and the way of a man with a young woman.

20 This is the way of an adulteress:
she eats and wipes her mouth
and says, “I’ve done nothing wrong.”(A)

Cross references:

  1. 30:20 : Pr 28:24; 1Jn 1:8