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December 25, 2016

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Sunday December 25, 2016 (NIV)

Zechariah 8

8 ^1-2The word of the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, came, this time bringing a series of five short messages about hope.

Eternal One: First, I have a jealous desire to be among My people in Zion. I want it more than anything. I am burning with angry jealousy for her and her welfare.

³Second, I will return to Zion and live in the heart of Jerusalem. So it will then be known far and wide as the City of Truth, and the mountain of the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, will be called Holy Mountain.

⁴Third, elderly men and women will sit in Jerusalem’s streets with staffs in hand because of their old age. ⁵The city streets will bustle with boys and girls playing outside on the roads and in the squares.

Ultimately, God’s purpose is redeeming His fallen creation. He initiated His plan of redemption by calling and equipping the children of Abraham to be a light to the nations. Zechariah foresees a day when Jerusalem is the center of the world; when people of every race, creed, and color journey to it; and when the Jews show the rest of the world the way to the one True God.

After chapter 8, the Book of Zechariah changes—its tone, its character, its focus. Chapters 1–8 have been about the people and times immediately after the exile ended, a period when Persia ruled the world. Chapters 9–14 seem removed from that world, its people, and its interests—but just how far removed is uncertain. It is possible that these last chapters were not written by Zechariah, and the debate about who wrote them and when they were written has raged since Jesus died. In 27:9-10 of his Gospel, Matthew identifies the author as Jeremiah, a forerunner of Zechariah. More recent scholarship has further confused the matter because the setting in chapter 9 could describe any time in Jerusalem between Hezekiah’s rule before the exile and the Maccabean revolts 400 years later. This inability to positively identify the author and the audience, along with the lack of historical, contextual markers in the text itself, make these words universally applicable. They may even describe the end time when God judges the nations.

⁶Fourth, this may come as a surprise to the remnant of these people, eking out an existence during these harsh days, but what is surprising to you is not for Me.

⁷Fifth, I will rescue My people from far and wide, from east to west across the land, ⁸and I will bring them home to live in peace in Jerusalem where they will be My people once more. I will be truthful and just to them as their God.

⁹Here is an encouragement from the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies.

Eternal One: To those of you who have been listening recently to My words through the prophets, who were working for Me when the foundation of the house of the Eternal One was being laid just decades ago, keep yourselves strong so that the temple walls may now be built. ¹⁰Before then no one could earn a living in Jerusalem or in exile. Neither men nor their animals could find work. No one could move about safely for fear of his enemies because I had turned every man against each other. ¹¹However, that was the past. I, the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, promise I will not treat the remnant of My people as I once did. ¹²What you witness now will be very different—a new day when seeds of peace will be sown in fertile soil. The seeds will grow into sheaves of wheat, and the vines will produce luscious grapes. The ground will yield its crops, and pleasant dew will again fall from the heavens. And I will give these things to My remnant as their inheritance. ¹³Because you, people of Judah and Israel, were once the objects of scorn among the nations, I will rescue you and you will become a blessing. Don’t be afraid, and keep yourselves strong.

¹⁴When your ancestors angered Me, I was determined to bring disaster to your generation as well as theirs, and I refused to change My plan. ¹⁵All the same, I have now determined to do good for Jerusalem and the people of Judah. Don’t be afraid. ¹⁶Here are the things you must do: Speak truth to each other. Pursue justice in your courts. Render decisions that reflect truth and bring peace to the community. ¹⁷Do not conspire to bring harm against one another. Do not make promises you don’t intend to keep. I hate all these things.

So said the Eternal.

¹⁸The word of the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, came to me with three brief messages about a happy future for His people and the entire world.

Eternal One: ¹⁹From now on, the fasting times of the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months will be happy occasions and times of celebration for the people of Judah. So you should love truth and pursue peace.

²⁰Many people from many cities will come streaming to My holy city. ²¹The citizens from one of these cities will approach the citizens of another and say, “You must come with me. Let’s journey to Jerusalem to seek the blessings of the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, and ask for His favor directly. I am certainly going.”

²²That is why many people and powerful nations will come together as one to Jerusalem to seek the blessings of the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, and ask for His favor directly.

Eternal One: ²³A day is coming when 10 men, people from every nation speaking every language will grab the cloak of a Jew and beg him, “Let us come with you because we have heard the True God is among you and we want Him to save us, too.”

The Voice (VOICE)

Revelation 16

Just as God used the plagues to judge the Egyptians and deliver His people from bondage (Exodus 7–12), these plagues will help rescue God’s faithful servants.

16 Then I heard a great voice coming from the temple ordering the seven heavenly messengers.

A Voice: Go and pour out the seven bowls of the wrath of God upon the earth.

²So the first messenger poured out his bowl onto the earth. When he did, a foul-smelling, painful sore broke out on each person who bore the mark of the beast and who worshiped its image.

³The second messenger poured out his bowl into the sea. When he did, the waters became like the blood that spills from a dead body, and every living creature in the sea died.

⁴The third messenger poured out his bowl into the rivers and springs of fresh water. When he did, they, too, became blood. ⁵And I heard the messenger over the waters speak.

Messenger over the Waters: You are just, O holy One who is and who was,
for You have judged these things rightly.
⁶Because people shed the blood of the saints and prophets,
You have given them blood to quench their thirst.
They are deserving of these punishments.

God’s judgment is true and just. Violent people are thirsty for blood, so God gives it to them. Sometimes judgment means receiving what you desire.

⁷And I heard a voice from the altar agree.

A Voice: Yes, Lord God, the All Powerful,
true and right are Your judgments!

⁸The fourth messenger poured out his bowl on the sun. When he did, the sun was permitted to blister people with its fire. ⁹The incredible heat of the sun burned their skin; but instead of rethinking their actions^[a] and glorifying God, they cursed God’s name because He had the power to carry out these plagues.

¹⁰The fifth messenger poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast. When he did, its kingdom was blanketed in darkness. People chewed on their tongues out of the depth of their agony. ¹¹Still they refused to change their wicked ways,^[b] so they cursed the God of heaven because of their painful afflictions and ulcerous sores.

¹²The sixth messenger poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates. When he did, the river dried up and became a road so that the kings from the east and their armies could make their way. ¹³What I saw next troubled me deeply: three foul spirits like frogs appeared, belched from the mouth of the dragon, the mouth of the beast, and the mouth of the earth-beast. ¹⁴These frogs are demonic spirits. As they go into the world, they perform miracles persuading the kings of the world to gather for the last battle on the great day of God, the All Powerful.

The dragon, beast, and earth-beast are an unholy trinity who send out demonic spirits. These spirits resemble frogs and remind the reader of the plague of frogs that invaded Egypt before the exodus. These foul spirits roam the world, persuading the kings of the earth to assemble together to do battle against God and His chosen.

A Voice: ¹⁵See, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the person who watches and waits, dressed and ready to go, so as not to wander about naked, exposed to disgrace.

¹⁶And the kings gathered at the place called Har-Magedon in Hebrew.

Har-Magedon means Mount Megiddo and is sometimes transliterated “Armageddon.” This refers to the battleground where the armies of the earth, led by the forces of evil, will assemble to mount their final attack against God. This place is often associated with the plain of Megiddo in northern Israel because the fertile land there has often been turned into fields of blood during gruesome battles. In a place like this, for one last time, evil will raise its ugly head against good.

¹⁷Finally, the seventh messenger poured out his bowl into the air. When he did, a great voice came out of the temple, from the throne.

A Voice: It is accomplished!

¹⁸At the sound of the voice, there were flashes of lightning, sounds of voices, rumblings of thunder, and tremors of an earthquake. In all of human history, there had never been an earthquake of this magnitude. ¹⁹The great city was torn into three parts, and the cities of all the nations fell. God remembered the great city, Babylon, and made her drink the cup of His fury and wrath. ²⁰Every island sank into the ocean, and no mountains were left to be discovered. ²¹And great hailstones, each weighing nearly 100 pounds, fell from the sky onto the people until they cursed God because the plague of hail was so severe.

Footnotes:

16:9 Literally, repenting
16:11 Literally, repent

The Voice (VOICE)

Psalm 144

A song of David.

¹Blessed be the Eternal, my rock.
He trains my hands for war, gives me the skills I need for battle.
²He is my unfailing love and my citadel.
He is my tower of strength and my deliverer.
He is my shield of protection and my shelter;
He holds my people in check under me.

³O Eternal One, what is man, that You even care to know him?
or the son of man, that You are mindful of him?
⁴Humans are like a passing breath;
their time on earth is like a shadow that passes over us during the day and soon is gone.

⁵Eternal One, stretch out an opening in the heavens, and descend.
Touch the mountains, and make them smoke.
⁶Send forth bolts of lightning, and scatter my enemies.
Shoot Your fiery arrows, and rout the enemy.
⁷Reach down from Your high place;
save me out of the great waters;
rescue me from the grasp of these foreigners
⁸Who speak only lies
and don’t have truth in their deeds.

⁹To You, my God, I will sing a new song;
I will sing Your sweet praises to the sound of a ten-stringed harp,
¹⁰For You deliver kings from their enemies
and You rescue Your servant, David, from the sword of evil.
¹¹Rescue me,
and save me from the grasp of these foreigners
Who speak only lies
and don’t have truth in their deeds.

¹²May our sons be like healthy plants
as they grow and mature,
And may our daughters be like the corner pillars
that decorate a palace.
¹³May our storehouses be full
with abundant supplies of every crop,
And may the flocks of our fields
multiply into thousands and tens of thousands!
¹⁴May our cattle be strong and productive,
without miscarriage, without loss,
and may there be no riots or protests in our streets!

¹⁵Happy are the people for whom all this is true;
happy are the people whose God is the Eternal!

The Voice (VOICE)

Proverbs 30:29-31

²⁹There are three creatures with majesty in their stride,
no, make it four that move with grace:
³⁰The lion, which is the strongest of the animals,
does not back down from any other creature;
³¹The strutting rooster, the male goat,
and a king as he goes out with his army.^[a]

Footnotes:

30:31 Meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.

The Voice (VOICE)

December 24, 2016

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Saturday December 24, 2016 (NIV)

Zechariah 6-7

When Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem in 586 b.c., he carries her chief citizens off into exile in Babylon. Thousands don’t survive the brutal journey. Those who do must start their lives over in a hostile land where they are subjects of violence, slavery, and every manner of wickedness. That’s why Babylon becomes synonymous with evil. In this vision, the wickedness of Judah is contained and sent far away to Babylon, where it is not only tolerated but is worshiped. Civilization reaches its nadir when wickedness is worshiped.

6 That night I had an eighth vision. I looked up and saw four chariots emerging from between two mountains made of bronze. ²The first chariot was pulled by red horses; the second was pulled by black horses. ³The third was hitched to white horses and the fourth to spotted, strong horses.

A final vision echoes the first vision as four great spirits of heaven unleash judgment upon the whole earth.

Zechariah (to the heavenly messenger): ⁴What are these, sir?

Heavenly Messenger: ⁵These are the four winds of heaven that disperse His power and enact His will. They have been standing in the presence of the Lord of the whole earth awaiting His command. Now the Lord has dispatched them to patrol the earth. ⁶The chariot pulled by black horses will travel to the north land, followed by the white horses and then the spotted horses, which travel to the south land.

⁷The strong horses and their chariots went on their patrols of the earth with great speed and excitement at God’s command: “Go now. Patrol the entire surface of the earth.” They did as they were told.

Eternal One: ⁸Watch, Zechariah. The horses going to the north land have appeased My restless, vengeful Spirit.

⁹The word of the Eternal came to me describing how He would fulfill His promise of restoring Jerusalem and His temple.

Message: ^10-11Find three men who have returned to Jerusalem from exile in Babylon. Their names are Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah. Then collect money, silver and gold, from the Babylonians for rebuilding Jerusalem, and travel to the house of Josiah (Zephaniah’s son) who has also returned from Babylon. You will find Joshua (Jehozadak’s son) there. With the money you took from the Babylonians, fashion a crown for Joshua, the high priest, and place it on his head.

¹²Once Joshua accepts the crown, tell him these words from the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies: “Pay attention to a man who is named ‘Branch.’ He will branch out from where He is and will build the Eternal’s temple. ¹³Yes, He is the temple builder of the Eternal One and will carry honor. He will sit on the throne of His kingdom to rule, and He will sit on a throne as a priest. Between those two there will be a peace agreement.”

¹⁴The crown will then be taken from Joshua’s head and placed in the temple of the Eternal One as a reminder to Heldai,^[a] Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Josiah^[b] (Zephaniah’s son). ¹⁵People will come from great distances to assist with the building of the Eternal One’s temple. Tell the men, “If you do exactly what the Eternal, your True God, says, this will happen as you have seen and heard it. Then you will know for certain the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, sent me to you.”

“Branch” is a prophetic title for the Anointed One, that royal descendant of David whom God will send to usher in a new age of justice, peace, and joy. In Zechariah’s day, the people wonder if Zerubbabel is that king. Ac cording to the prophet, God has designs on him as the one to rebuild the temple and occupy the throne, but he is not destined to reign alone as the Anointed One will. Zerubbabel reigns with Joshua, the high priest. Together they are anointed, acclaimed, and crowned leaders to watch over God’s people.

7 Two years after I saw the eight visions, on the fourth day of the ninth month (called Chislev) of the fourth year of the reign of Persian King Darius, the word of the Eternal came to me, Zechariah. ²The situation was this: the citizens of Bethel had sent a delegation, including Sharezer and Regemmelech and his men, to seek the favor of the Eternal One ³by questioning the priests working in the temple of the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, and by questioning the prophets.

Delegation: During the fifth month of every year, I fast and mourn. Should I continue separating myself from the impure world on these occasions as I have for so many years?

⁴The word of the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies came to me and told me how to address their question.

Message: ⁵Ask the citizens of the land and the priests, “When you fasted and mourned during the fifth and seventh months for the last seventy years, were you really fasting for My benefit or just for yourselves? ⁶When you were feasting on holy days, weren’t you just eating and drinking for yourselves instead of honoring Me? ⁷Aren’t these the same directives the Eternal One gave you through the work of earlier prophets, when Jerusalem was bustling with people and prosperous, when the villages around Jerusalem throughout the south^[c] and the western valleys were settled?”

⁸The word of the Eternal came to me, Zechariah, again.

Message: ⁹Here is what the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, has to say: “Dispense true justice, have mercy on others, and show all people compassion. ¹⁰Do not take advantage of those who have lost a spouse or a parent, or those who are outsiders or poor. Don’t purpose to do evil toward your fellow Israelites.”

¹¹Some refused to listen. They turned their backs on this message and plugged their ears. ¹²They made their hearts as hard as flint, refusing to listen to the law or the messages the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, sent by His Spirit and enacted through earlier prophets. That’s why His great wrath and calamity fell upon His people.

Eternal One: ¹³When I called out, they chose not to hear Me, so when they called out, I returned the favor and decided not to hear them. ¹⁴Like a sweeping tornado, I blew them throughout the nations, scattering them in distant lands where they were aliens, all alone. That’s how the land and its cities were emptied out and left so barren that no one even traveled through it. This is how your pleasant hills and valleys turned into empty lands.

Footnotes:

6:14 Hebrew manuscripts read, “Helem.”
6:14 Hebrew manuscripts read, “Hen.”
7:7 Hebrew, Negev

The Voice (VOICE)

Revelation 15

The New Testament God is not a God of fluffy love as some suppose. His judgment, while difficult to comprehend, is real; and fear of it should motivate repentance now.

15 Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing: seven messengers with seven plagues—plagues that marked the end. With these the wrath of God reached its end.

²And then I saw something like a sea made of glass mixed with fire flashing through it. Those who had been victorious over the beast, its image, and the number of its name were standing on the sea of glass, holding the harps of God in their hands. ³As they stand and play their harps, they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb.

Victors: Great and amazing are Your works,
Lord God, the All Powerful.
Right and true are Your ways,
King of all nations.
⁴Who will not fear You, Lord?
Who will not glorify Your name?
Because You alone are holy,
all the nations will come
and worship before You,
For Your righteous judgments have been revealed.

⁵After I had taken all this in, I looked again; and the inner part of the tabernacle of witness opened in heaven. ⁶Out of the temple came seven messengers, clothed in pure linen, bright and shining, their chests clad in a golden sash, carrying seven plagues. ⁷Then one of the four living creatures stepped over to give to the seven messengers seven golden bowls brimming with the wrath of God who lives throughout the ages. ⁸The temple was full of the smoke billowing from the magnificent glory of God and from His power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven messengers accomplished their God-ordained end.

The Voice (VOICE)

Psalm 143

A song of David.

¹Eternal One, I come to You in prayer.
Hear me out; I plead with You.
Lend an ear to my requests.
In Your faithfulness and justice, respond to my pleas.
²Be kind and slow to judge Your faithful servant,
for compared to You, no one is truly just.

³My adversary has pressed in, drawn closer, threatened my life;
he’s crushed me, driven me underground.
He’s forced me to live in the dark;
it’s as if I joined those who died a long time ago.
⁴That’s why my spirit is growing faint inside me; I have nothing left;
my heart is completely empty and desolate.

⁵And yet I can’t forget the days of old, the days I’ve heard so much about;
I fix my mind on all You have done;
I ponder the work of Your hands;
⁶I reach out my hands to You.
All that I am aches and yearns for You, like a dry land thirsting for rain.

[pause]^[a]

⁷Hurry and answer me, O Eternal One,
for my spirit is weak, my courage is gone.
Do not turn away; let me see Your face;
otherwise, I’ll die and be like all those who have gone to the grave.
⁸Make me hear of Your faithful love in the morning,
for I trust in You.
Teach me how I should walk,
for I offer my soul up to You.

⁹Rescue me from my enemies, Eternal One,
for You are my shelter from them.
¹⁰Teach me how to do Your will,
for You are my God.
Allow Your good Spirit to guide me
on level ground, to guide me along Your path.

¹¹For the sake of Your name and the good of Your reputation,
preserve me, O Eternal One.
In Your righteousness, save my life from burden and misery.
¹²In Your loyal love, silence my enemies for good;
destroy all those who take pleasure in my suffering,
for I am Your faithful servant!

Footnotes:

143:6 Literally, selah, likely a musical direction from a Hebrew root meaning “to lift up”

The Voice (VOICE)

Proverbs 30:24-28

²⁴There are four creatures on earth that are small,
but they are very wise and we can learn from them:
²⁵While ants are hardly a strong species,
they work constantly to store up food during the summer;
²⁶While badgers are animals without many defenses,
they are wise enough to make their homes in the rocky cliffs;
²⁷While locusts live without a ruler,
they all know how to move in formation;
²⁸While a lizard is easy enough to catch in your hand,
it is shrewd enough to enter the palaces of kings.

The Voice (VOICE)

December 23, 2016

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Friday December 23, 2016 (NIV)

Zechariah 4-5

Fifth Vision: Gold Lampstand

4 The angel who was speaking with me then returned and roused me as one awakened out of sleep. ²He asked me, “What do you see?”

I replied, “I see a solid gold lampstand there with a bowl on its top. It has seven lamps on it and seven channels for each of^[a] the lamps on its top. ³There are also two olive trees beside it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.”

⁴Then I asked the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these, my lord?”

⁵“Don’t you know what they are?” replied the angel who was speaking with me.

I said, “No, my lord.”

⁶So he answered me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by strength or by might, but by My Spirit,’^(A) says the Lord of Hosts. ⁷‘What are you, great mountain?^(B) Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain.^(C) And he will bring out the capstone accompanied by shouts of: Grace, grace to it!’”

⁸Then the word of the Lord came to me:^(D) ⁹“Zerubbabel’s hands have laid the foundation of this house,^(E) and his hands will complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of Hosts has sent me to you. ¹⁰For who scorns the day of small things?^(F) These seven eyes of the Lord, which scan throughout the whole earth, will rejoice when they see the plumb line^[b] in Zerubbabel’s hand.”^(G)

¹¹I asked him, “What are the two olive trees on the right and left of the lampstand?” ¹²And I questioned him further, “What are the two olive branches beside the two gold conduits, from which golden oil pours out?”

¹³Then he inquired of me, “Don’t you know what these are?”

“No, my lord,” I replied.

¹⁴“These are the two anointed ones,”^[c]^(H) he said, “who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”^(I)

Sixth Vision: Flying Scroll

5 I looked up again and saw a flying scroll.^(J) ²“What do you see?” he asked me.

“I see a flying scroll,” I replied, “30 feet^[d] long and 15 feet^[e] wide.”^(K)

³Then he said to me, “This is the curse^(L) that is going out over the whole land, for every thief will be removed according to what is written on one side, and everyone who swears falsely will be removed according to what is written on the other side. ⁴I will send it out,”^(M)—this is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts—“and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of the one who swears falsely by My name. It will stay inside his house and destroy it along with its timbers and stones.”^(N)

Seventh Vision: Woman in the Basket

⁵Then the angel who was speaking with me came forward and told me, “Look up and see what this is that is approaching.”

⁶So I asked, “What is it?”

He responded, “It’s a measuring basket^[f] that is approaching.” And he continued, “This is their iniquity^[g] in all the land.” ⁷Then a lead cover was lifted, and there was a woman^(O) sitting inside the basket.^(P) ⁸“This is Wickedness,” he said. He shoved her down into the basket and pushed the lead weight over its opening. ⁹Then I looked up and saw two women approaching with the wind in their wings. Their wings were like those of a stork,^(Q) and they lifted up the basket between earth and sky.

¹⁰So I asked the angel who was speaking with me, “Where are they taking the basket?”

¹¹“To build a shrine for it in the land of Shinar,”^(R) he told me. “When that is ready, the basket will be placed there on its pedestal.”

Footnotes:

Zechariah 4:2 Or seven lips to
Zechariah 4:10 Lit the tin stone
Zechariah 4:14 = Joshua and Zerubbabel
Zechariah 5:2 Lit 20 cubits
Zechariah 5:2 Lit 10 cubits
Zechariah 5:6 Lit It’s an ephah
Zechariah 5:6 One Hb ms, LXX, Syr; other Hb mss read eye

Cross references:

4:6 : Hs 1:7; Hg 2:4-5
4:7 : Mt 17:20; 21:21; 1Co 13:2
4:7 : Is 40:4
4:8 : Zch 6:9
4:9 : Ezr 3:8-11; 5:16
4:10 : Hg 2:3-4
4:10 : 2Ch 16:9; Ps 34:15; Pr 15:3; Am 9:8; 1Pt 3:12
4:14 : Jr 33:17-22
4:14 : Rv 11:3-4
5:1 : Ezk 2:9-10; Rv 5:1; 10:2
5:2 : Ex 26:15-25; 1Kg 6:3; 1Pt 4:17
5:3 : Dt 11:26-28; 28:15-68
5:4 : Ps 147:15; Is 55:11
5:4 : Ezr 6:11; Dn 2:5; 3:29
5:7 : Hs 9:15; Rv 17:1
5:7 : Lv 19:36; Dt 25:14; Pr 20:10; Ezk 45:10; Am 8:5
5:9 : Jr 8:7
5:11 : Gn 11:9

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Revelation 14

The Lamb and the 144,000

14 Then I looked, and there on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with Him were 144,000 who had His name and His Father’s name written on their foreheads.^(A) ²I heard a sound^[a] from heaven like the sound of cascading waters^(B) and like the rumbling of loud thunder. The sound I heard was also like harpists playing on their harps.^(C) ³They sang^[b] a new song^(D) before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders,^(E) but no one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed^[c] from the earth. ⁴These are the ones not defiled with women, for they have kept their virginity.^(F) These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They were redeemed^[d]^[e] from the human race as the firstfruits^(G) for God and the Lamb. ⁵No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.^(H)

The Proclamation of Three Angels

⁶Then I saw another angel flying high overhead,^(I) having the eternal gospel to announce to the inhabitants of the earth—to every nation, tribe, language, and people.^(J) ⁷He spoke with a loud voice: “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”

⁸A second angel^[f] followed, saying: “It has fallen, Babylon the Great has fallen,^[g] who made all nations drink the wine of her sexual immorality,^[h] which brings wrath.”^(K)

⁹And a third angel^[i] followed them and spoke with a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, ¹⁰he will also drink the wine of God’s wrath, which is mixed full strength in the cup of His anger.^(L) He will be tormented with fire and sulfur^(M) in the sight of the holy angels and in the sight of the Lamb, ¹¹and the smoke of their torment will go up forever and ever.^(N) There is no rest^[j] day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or anyone who receives the mark of his name. ¹²This demands the perseverance^[k] of the saints,^(O) who keep God’s commands and their faith in Jesus.”^[l]

¹³Then I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write: The dead who die in the Lord from now on are blessed.”^(P)

“Yes,” says the Spirit, “let them rest from their labors, for their works follow them!”

Reaping the Earth’s Harvest

¹⁴Then I looked, and there was a white cloud, and One like the Son of Man^[m]^(Q) was seated on the cloud, with a gold crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. ¹⁵Another angel came out of the sanctuary, crying out in a loud voice to the One who was seated on the cloud, “Use your sickle and reap, for the time to reap has come, since the harvest of the earth is ripe.”^(R) ¹⁶So the One seated on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

¹⁷Then another angel who also had a sharp sickle came out of the sanctuary in heaven. ¹⁸Yet another angel, who had authority over fire, came from the altar, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Use your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from earth’s vineyard, because its grapes have ripened.” ¹⁹So the angel swung his sickle toward earth and gathered the grapes from earth’s vineyard, and he threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath.^(S) ²⁰Then the press was trampled outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press up to the horses’ bridles for about 180 miles.^[n]^(T)

Footnotes:

Revelation 14:2 Or voice
Revelation 14:3 Other mss add as it were
Revelation 14:3 Or purchased
Revelation 14:4 Other mss add by Jesus
Revelation 14:4 Or purchased
Revelation 14:8 Lit Another angel, a second
Revelation 14:8 Other mss omit the second has fallen
Revelation 14:8 Or wine of her passionate immorality
Revelation 14:9 Lit Another angel, a third
Revelation 14:11 Lit They have no rest
Revelation 14:12 Lit Here is the perseverance
Revelation 14:12 Or and faith in Jesus, or and faithfulness to Jesus
Revelation 14:14 Or like a son of man
Revelation 14:20 Lit 1,600 stadia

Cross references:

14:1 : Rv 3:12; 7:3; 13:16
14:2 : Ezk 1:24; 43:2; Rv 1:15; 19:6
14:2 : Rv 5:8
14:3 : Rv 5:9
14:3 : Rv 4:4, 6
14:4 : 1Sm 21:4-5
14:4 : Ex 23:19
14:5 : Zph 3:13
14:6 : Rv 8:13
14:6 : Rv 5:9; 7:9; 11:9; 13:7
14:8 : Is 21:9; Jr 51:7-8, 49; Rv 18:2
14:10 : Ps 75:8; Is 51:17; Jr 25:15-17
14:10 : Lk 17:29; Rv 20:10; 21:8
14:11 : Is 1:31; 34:10; 66:24; Rv 19:3
14:12 : Rv 13:10
14:13 : Rv 1:3; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14
14:14 : Dn 7:13; Lk 21:27; Rv 1:13
14:15 : Jl 3:13
14:19 : Rv 16:19; 19:15
14:20 : Is 63:1-6

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Psalm 142

A Cry of Distress

A Davidic Maskil. When he was in the cave.^(A) A prayer.

¹I cry aloud to the Lord;^(B)
I plead aloud to the Lord for mercy.^(C)
²I pour out my complaint before Him;
I reveal my trouble to Him.^(D)
³Although my spirit is weak within me,
You know my way.^(E)

Along this path I travel
they have hidden a trap for me.^(F)
⁴Look to the right and see:^[a]
no one stands up for me;
there is no refuge for me;
no one cares about me.^(G)

⁵I cry to You, Lord;
I say, “You are my shelter,
my portion in the land of the living.”^(H)
⁶Listen to my cry,
for I am very weak.^(I)
Rescue me from those who pursue me,
for they are too strong for me.^(J)
⁷Free me from prison
so that I can praise Your name.
The righteous will gather around me
because You deal generously with me.^(K)

Footnotes:

Psalm 142:4 DSS, LXX, Syr, Vg, Tg read I look to the right and I see

Cross references:

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Proverbs 30:21-23

²¹The earth trembles under three things;
it cannot bear up under four:
²²a servant when he becomes king,^(A)
a fool when he is stuffed with food,
²³an unloved woman when she marries,^(B)
and a servant girl when she ousts her queen.

Cross references:

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

December 22, 2016

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

Zechariah 2-3

Third Vision: Surveyor

2 ^[a]I looked up and saw a man with a measuring line in his hand. ²I asked, “Where are you going?”

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

³Then the angel who was speaking with me went out, and another angel went out to meet him. ⁴He 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) ⁵The declaration of the Lord: “I will be a wall^(B) of fire around it, and I will be the glory within it.”

⁶“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. ⁷“Go, Zion! Escape, you who are living with Daughter Babylon.” ⁸For 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. ⁹I 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. ¹²The Lord will take possession of Judah as His portion in the Holy Land, and He will once again choose Jerusalem.^(F) ¹³Let all people be silent^(G) before the Lord, for He is coming from His holy dwelling.”

Fourth Vision: High Priest and Branch

3 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. ²The 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)

³Now Joshua was dressed with filthy^[k] clothes^(L) as he stood before the Angel.^(M) ⁴So 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.”

⁵Then 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.

⁶Then the Angel of the Lord charged Joshua: ⁷“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.

⁸“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) ⁹Notice 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. ¹⁰On 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:

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

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

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) ²The 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. ³One 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) ⁴They 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?”

⁵A mouth was given to him to speak boasts and blasphemies.^(H) He was also given authority to act^[e]^[f] for 42 months.^(I) ⁶He began to speak^[g] blasphemies against God: to blaspheme His name and His dwelling—those who dwell in heaven. ⁷And 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) ⁸All 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)

⁹If anyone has an ear, he should listen:^(M)

¹⁰If 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

¹¹Then 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. ¹²He 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. ¹³He also performs great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in front of people. ¹⁴He 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. ¹⁵He 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. ¹⁶And 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) ¹⁷so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark: the beast’s name or the number of his name.

¹⁸Here 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:

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.
Revelation 13:1 Other mss read heads was a blasphemous name
Revelation 13:3 Lit be slain to death
Revelation 13:3 Lit amazed after the beast
Revelation 13:5 Other mss read wage war
Revelation 13:5 Or to rule
Revelation 13:6 Lit He opened his mouth in
Revelation 13:8 Or scroll
Revelation 13:8 Or written in the book of life of the Lamb who was slaughtered from the foundation of the world
Revelation 13:10 Other mss read anyone kills
Revelation 13:10 Lit Here is the perseverance
Revelation 13:11 Or ram
Revelation 13:14 Or statue, or likeness
Revelation 13:15 Or give breath, or give life
Revelation 13:16 Or stamp, or brand
Revelation 13:18 Or This calls for wisdom
Revelation 13:18 Or count, or figure out
Revelation 13:18 Or is a man’s number, or is the number of a person
Revelation 13:18 Other Gk mss read 616

Cross references:

13:1 : Dn 7:3
13:1 : Rv 12:3
13:1 : Rv 17:3
13:2 : Dn 7:4-6
13:3 : Rv 17:8
13:4 : Rv 12:3
13:4 : Ex 15:11; Is 46:5
13:5 : Dn 7:8, 11, 20
13:5 : Rv 11:2
13:7 : Rv 5:9; 7:9; 11:9; 14:6
13:8 : Ex 32:32-33; Ps 69:28; Php 4:3; Rv 3:5; 17:8; 20:12, 15; 21:27
13:8 : 1Pt 1:19-20
13:9 : Rv 2:7
13:10 : Jr 15:2
13:10 : Rv 14:12
13:11 : Dn 8:3
13:14 : Rv 12:9
13:14 : 2Th 2:9-12
13:16 : Rv 14:1
13:18 : Rv 17:9

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Psalm 141

Protection from Sin and Sinners

A Davidic psalm.

¹Lord, I call on You; hurry to help me.
Listen to my voice when I call on You.^(A)
²May my prayer be set before You as incense,^(B)
the raising of my hands as the evening offering.^(C)

³Lord, set up a guard for my mouth;
keep watch at the door of my lips.^(D)
⁴Do 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)
⁵Let 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)
⁶When 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)

⁷As when one plows and breaks up the soil,
turning up rocks,
so our^[e] bones have been scattered
at the mouth of Sheol.^(I)

⁸But my eyes look to You, Lord God.
I seek refuge in You; do not let me die.^[f]^(J)
⁹Protect me from^[g] the trap they have set for me,
and from the snares of evildoers.^(K)
¹⁰Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
while I pass by safely.^(L)

Footnotes:

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

Cross references:

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Proverbs 30:18-20

¹⁸Three things are beyond me;
four I can’t understand:
¹⁹the 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.

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

Cross references:

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

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

December 21, 2016

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Wednesday December 21, 2016 (NIV)

Zechariah 1

A Plea for Repentance

1 In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius,^(A) the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah^(B) son of Berechiah, son of Iddo: ²“The Lord was extremely angry with your ancestors. ³So tell the people: This is what the Lord of Hosts says: Return to Me”—this is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts—“and I will return to you, says the Lord of Hosts. ⁴Do not be like your ancestors; the earlier prophets proclaimed to them: This is what the Lord of Hosts says: Turn from your evil ways and your evil deeds.^(C) But they did not listen or pay attention to Me”—this is the Lord’s declaration. ⁵“Where are your ancestors now? And do the prophets live forever? ⁶But didn’t My words and My statutes that I commanded My servants the prophets overtake your ancestors? They repented and said: As the Lord of Hosts purposed to deal with us for our ways and deeds, so He has dealt with us.”^(D)

The Night Visions

⁷On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah, son of Iddo:

First Vision: Horsemen

⁸I looked out in the night and saw a man riding on a red horse. He was standing among the myrtle trees in the valley. Behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses. ⁹I asked, “What are these, my lord?”

The angel who was talking to me replied, “I will show you what they are.”

¹⁰Then the man standing among the myrtle trees explained, “They are the ones the Lord has sent to patrol the earth.”

¹¹They reported to the Angel of the Lord standing among the myrtle trees, “We have patrolled the earth, and right now the whole earth is calm and quiet.”^(E)

¹²Then the Angel of the Lord responded, “How long, Lord of Hosts, will You withhold mercy from Jerusalem and the cities of Judah that You have been angry with these 70 years?”^(F) ¹³The Lord replied with kind and comforting words to the angel who was speaking with me.

¹⁴So the angel who was speaking with me said, “Proclaim: The Lord of Hosts says: I am extremely jealous^(G) for Jerusalem and Zion. ¹⁵I am fiercely angry with the nations that are at ease, for I was a little angry, but they made it worse. ¹⁶Therefore, this is what the Lord says: In mercy, I have returned to Jerusalem; My house will be rebuilt within it”—this is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts—“and a measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem.

¹⁷“Proclaim further: This is what the Lord of Hosts says: My cities will again overflow with prosperity; the Lord will once more comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.”^(H)

Second Vision: Four Horns and Craftsmen

¹⁸^[a]Then I looked up and saw four horns. ¹⁹So I asked the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these?”

And he said to me, “These are the horns that scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”

²⁰Then the Lord showed me four craftsmen. ²¹I asked, “What are they coming to do?”

He replied, “These are the horns that scattered Judah so no one could raise his head. These craftsmen have come to terrify them, to cut off the horns of the nations that raised their horns against the land of Judah to scatter it.”

Footnotes:

Zechariah 1:18 Zch 2:1 in Hb

Cross references:

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Revelation 12:1-17

The Woman, the Child, and the Dragon

12 A great sign^[a] appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of 12 stars on her head.^(A) ²She was pregnant and cried out in labor and agony as she was about to give birth. ³Then another sign^[b] appeared in heaven: There was a great fiery red dragon having seven heads and 10 horns,^(B) and on his heads were seven diadems.^[c] ⁴His tail swept away a third of the stars in heaven and hurled them to the earth.^(C) And the dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she did give birth he might devour her child. ⁵But she gave birth to a Son—a male who is going to shepherd^[d] all nations with an iron scepter^(D)—and her child was caught up to God and to His throne. ⁶The woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God,^(E) to be fed there^[e] for 1,260 days.^(F)

The Dragon Thrown Out of Heaven

⁷Then war broke out in heaven: Michael^(G) and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels also fought, ⁸but he could not prevail, and there was no place for them in heaven any longer. ⁹So the great dragon was thrown out—the ancient serpent,^(H) who is called the Devil^[f] and Satan,^[g]^(I) the one who deceives the whole world.^(J) He was thrown to earth, and his angels with him.

¹⁰Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

The salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God
and the authority of His Messiah
have now come,
because the accuser^(K) of our brothers
has been thrown out:
the one who accuses them
before our God day and night.
¹¹They conquered him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony,
for they did not love their lives
in the face of death.^(L)
¹²Therefore rejoice, you heavens,
and you who dwell in them!
Woe to the earth and the sea,
for the Devil has come down to you
with great fury,
because he knows he has a short time.

The Woman Persecuted

¹³When the dragon saw that he had been thrown to earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. ¹⁴The woman was given two wings of a great eagle, so that she could fly from the serpent’s presence to her place in the wilderness, where she was fed for a time, times, and half a time.^[h]^(M) ¹⁵From his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river flowing after the woman, to sweep her away in a torrent. ¹⁶But the earth helped the woman. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the river that the dragon had spewed from his mouth. ¹⁷So the dragon was furious with the woman and left to wage war^(N) against the rest of her offspring^[i]—those who keep God’s commands and have the testimony about Jesus.^(O)

Footnotes:

Revelation 12:1 Or great symbolic display; see Rv 12:3
Revelation 12:3 Or another symbolic display
Revelation 12:3 Or crowns
Revelation 12:5 Or rule
Revelation 12:6 Lit God, that they might feed her there
Revelation 12:9 In Gk, diabolos means slanderer.
Revelation 12:9 In Hb, Satan means adversary.
Revelation 12:14 This expression, occurring in Dn 7:25; 12:7, = 3½ years or 42 months (Rv 11:2; 13:5) or 1,260 days (Rv 11:3).
Revelation 12:17 Or seed

Cross references:

12:1 : Gn 37:9-10
12:3 : Dn 7:7
12:4 : Dn 8:10
12:5 : Ps 2:7-9; Rv 19:15
12:6 : 1Kg 19:3-8
12:6 : Dn 12:11; Rv 11:3; 12:14; 13:5
12:7 : Dn 10:13, 21; 12:1
12:9 : Gn 3:1
12:9 : Lk 10:18; Rm 16:20; Rv 2:9; 3:9; 20:2, 7
12:9 : 1Tm 5:15
12:10 : Jb 1:9-11; Zch 3:1
12:11 : Jn 12:25
12:14 : Dn 7:25; 12:7; Rv 11:2; 13:5
12:17 : Rv 11:7; 13:7
12:17 : Rv 1:2, 9; 19:10; 20:4

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Psalm 140

Prayer for Rescue

For the choir director. A Davidic psalm.

¹Rescue me, Lord, from evil men.
Keep me safe from violent men^(A)
²who plan evil in their hearts.
They stir up wars all day long.^(B)
³They make their tongues
as sharp as a snake’s bite;
viper’s venom is under their lips.^(C)Selah

⁴Protect me, Lord,
from the clutches of the wicked.^(D)
Keep me safe from violent men
who plan to make me stumble.^[a]^(E)
⁵The proud hide a trap with ropes for me;
they spread a net along the path
and set snares for me.^(F)Selah

⁶I say to the Lord, “You are my God.”
Listen, Lord, to my cry for help.^(G)
⁷Lord God, my strong Savior,
You shield my head on the day of battle.^(H)
⁸Lord, do not grant the desires of the wicked;
do not let them achieve their goals.
Otherwise, they will become proud.^(I)Selah

⁹When those who surround me rise up,^[b]
may the trouble their lips cause overwhelm them.^(J)
¹⁰Let hot coals fall on them.
Let them be thrown into the fire,
into the abyss, never again to rise.^(K)
¹¹Do not let a slanderer stay in the land.
Let evil relentlessly^[c] hunt down a violent man.^(L)

¹²I^[d] know that the Lord upholds
the just cause of the poor,
justice for the needy.^(M)
¹³Surely the righteous will praise Your name;
the upright will live in Your presence.^(N)

Footnotes:

Psalm 140:4 Lit to trip up my steps
Psalm 140:9 Lit Head of those who surround me
Psalm 140:11 Hb obscure
Psalm 140:12 Alt Hb tradition reads You

Cross references:

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Proverbs 30:17

¹⁷As for the eye that ridicules a father^(A)
and despises obedience to a mother,
may ravens of the valley pluck it out
and young vultures eat it.^(B)

Cross references:

30:17 : Gn 9:22
30:17 : Dt 28:26

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

December 20, 2016

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Tuesday December 20, 2016 (NIV)

Haggai 1-2

Command to Rebuild the Temple

1 In the second year of King Darius,^[a]^(A) on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through Haggai^(B) the prophet to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,^(C) the governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest:^(D)

²“The Lord of Hosts says this: These people say: The time has not come for the house of the Lord to be rebuilt.”^(E)

³The word of the Lord came through Haggai the prophet: ⁴“Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses,^(F) while this house^[b] lies in ruins?” ⁵Now, the Lord of Hosts says this: “Think carefully^(G) about^[c] your ways:

⁶You have planted much
but harvested little.
You eat
but never have enough to be satisfied.
You drink
but never have enough to become drunk.
You put on clothes
but never have enough to get warm.
The wage earner puts his wages
into a bag with a hole in it.”^(H)

⁷The Lord of Hosts says this: “Think carefully about^[d] your ways. ⁸Go up into the hills, bring down lumber, and build the house. Then I will be pleased with it and be glorified,” says the Lord. ⁹“You expected much, but then it amounted to little. When you brought the harvest to your house, I ruined^[e] it. Why?” This is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts. “Because My house still lies in ruins, while each of you is busy with his own house.

¹⁰So on your account,^[f]
the skies have withheld the dew
and the land its crops.^(I)
¹¹I have summoned a drought
on the fields and the hills,
on the grain, new wine, olive oil,
and whatever the ground yields,
on man and beast,
and on all that your hands produce.”

The People’s Response

¹²Then Zerubbabel^(J) son of Shealtiel, the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, and the entire remnant of the people^(K) obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the words of the prophet Haggai, because the Lord their God had sent him. So the people feared the Lord.^(L)

¹³Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, delivered the Lord’s message to the people, “I am with you”^(M)—this is the Lord’s declaration.

¹⁴The Lord stirred up the spirit^(N) of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, the spirit of the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. They began work on the house of Yahweh of Hosts, their God, ¹⁵on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month, in the second year of King Darius.

Encouragement and Promise

2 On the twenty-first day of the seventh month,^(O) the word of the Lord came through Haggai the prophet: ²“Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, and to the remnant of the people: ³Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Doesn’t it seem like nothing to you?^[g]^(P) ⁴Even so, be strong, Zerubbabel”—this is the Lord’s declaration.^(Q) “Be strong, Joshua son of Jehozadak, high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “Work! For I am with you”^(R)—the declaration of the Lord of Hosts. ⁵“This is the promise I made to you when you came out of Egypt,^(S) and My Spirit is present among you; don’t be afraid.”

⁶For the Lord of Hosts says this: “Once more, in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth,^(T) the sea and the dry land.^(U) ⁷I will shake all the nations so that the treasures of all the nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,”^(V) says the Lord of Hosts. ⁸“The silver and gold belong to Me”—this is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts. ⁹“The final glory of this house^[h] will be greater than the first,”^(W) says the Lord of Hosts. “I will provide peace in this place”^(X)—this is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts.

From Deprivation to Blessing

¹⁰On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Haggai the prophet: ¹¹“This is what the Lord of Hosts says: Ask the priests for a ruling.^(Y) ¹²If a man is carrying consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and it touches bread, stew, wine, oil, or any other food, does it become holy?”^(Z)

The priests answered, “No.”

¹³Then Haggai asked, “If someone defiled by contact with a corpse touches any of these, does it become defiled?”^(AA)

The priests answered, “It becomes defiled.”

¹⁴Then Haggai replied, “So is this people, and so is this nation before Me”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “And so is every work of their hands; even what they offer there is defiled.

¹⁵“Now, reflect back from this day: Before one stone was placed on another in the Lord’s temple, ¹⁶what state were you in?^[i] When someone came to a grain heap of 20 measures, it only amounted to 10; when one came to the winepress to dip 50 measures from the vat, it only amounted to 20. ¹⁷I struck you—all the work of your hands—with blight, mildew,^(AB) and hail,^(AC) but you didn’t turn to Me”—this is the Lord’s declaration. ¹⁸“Consider carefully^(AD) from this day forward; from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid; consider it carefully. ¹⁹Is there still seed left in the granary? The vine, the fig, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yet produced. But from this day on I will bless you.”^(AE)

Promise to Zerubbabel

²⁰The word of the Lord came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month: ²¹“Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah: I am going to shake the heavens and the earth.^(AF) ²²I will overturn royal thrones and destroy the power of the Gentile kingdoms.^(AG) I will overturn chariots and their riders. Horses and their riders will fall, each by his brother’s sword. ²³On that day”—this is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts—“I will take you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, My servant”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and make you like My signet ring,^(AH) for I have chosen you.”^(AI) This is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts.

Footnotes:

Haggai 1:1 King of Persia reigned 522–486 b.c.
Haggai 1:4 = the temple
Haggai 1:5 Lit Place your heart on
Haggai 1:7 Lit Place your heart on
Haggai 1:9 Lit blew on
Haggai 1:10 Or So above you
Haggai 2:3 Lit Is it not in your eyes?
Haggai 2:9 Or The glory of this latter house
Haggai 2:16 Hb obscure

Cross references:

1:1 : Ezr 4:5; Neh 12:22; Dn 9:11; 11:1; Hg 1:15; 2:10; Zch 1:1, 7; 7:1
1:1 : Ezr 5:1; 6:14
1:1 : 1Ch 3:19; Ezr 3:2, 8; 5:2; Neh 12:1; Hg 1:12, 14; 2:2, 23; Lk 3:27
1:1 : Hg 1:12, 14; 2:2, 4; Zch 3:1, 8; 6:11
1:2 : Ezr 1:3
1:4 : 1Kg 7:7; Jr 22:14
1:5 : Hg 2:15, 18
1:6 : Lv 26:20; Dt 28:38-40
1:10 : Lv 26:20; Dt 11:17
1:12 : 1Ch 13:9; Ezr 3:8; Neh 12:1; Hg 2:2; Zch 4:6
1:12 : Is 10:20-21; Jr 41:10; Hg 2:2
1:12 : Ex 14:31; Dt 4:10; 1Sm 12:18
1:13 : Hg 2:4
1:14 : 1Ch 5:26; Ezr 1:1, 5; Is 13:17; 14:9; 41:10; 45:13; Jr 51:11
2:1 : Lv 23:33-43; 2Ch 7:8-10
2:3 : 1Kg 5:13-16; 6:38; 1Ch 29:1-8; Ezr 3:10-13; Zch 4:10
2:4 : Jos 1:6-9; 1Ch 28:10, 20
2:4 : Hg 1:13; Zch 8:9
2:5 : Ex 33:14-17
2:6 : Hg 2:21
2:6 : Is 64:2; Ezk 38:19-20; Heb 12:26-28
2:7 : Ex 40:34-35; 1Kg 8:10-11; Is 60:1-13
2:9 : Mt 12:42
2:9 : Is 60:18
2:11 : Mal 2:7
2:12 : Jr 11:15
2:13 : Lv 11:39; 22:4-6; Nm 19:11-13, 22
2:17 : Dt 28:22; 1Kg 8:37; Am 4:9
2:17 : Ps 105:32-33
2:18 : Hg 1:5, 7
2:19 : Zch 8:9-13
2:21 : Hg 2:6-7; Ezk 38:19-20
2:22 : Gn 19:25; Am 4:11
2:23 : Est 8:8; Jr 22:23-25
2:23 : Mt 1:12-13

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Revelation 11

The Two Witnesses

11 Then I was given a measuring reed^(A) like a rod,^[a] with these words: “Go^[b] and measure God’s sanctuary and the altar, and count those who worship there. ²But exclude the courtyard outside the sanctuary. Don’t measure it, because it is given to the nations,^[c] and they will trample the holy city for 42 months. ³I will empower^[d] my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days,^[e]^(B) dressed in sackcloth.”^[f] ⁴These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord^[g] of the earth.^(C) ⁵If anyone wants to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and consumes their enemies;^(D) if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. ⁶These men have the power to close up the sky so that it does not rain during the days of their prophecy.^(E) They also have power over the waters to turn them into blood^(F) and to strike the earth with every plague whenever they want.

The Witnesses Martyred

⁷When they finish their testimony, the beast^[h]^(G) that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, conquer them, and kill them. ⁸Their dead bodies^[i]^(H) will lie in the public square^[j] of the great city, which prophetically^[k] is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. ⁹And representatives from^[l] the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations^(I) will view their bodies for three and a half days and not permit their bodies to be put into a tomb. ¹⁰Those who live on the earth will gloat over them and celebrate and send gifts to one another because these two prophets brought judgment to those who live on the earth.

The Witnesses Resurrected

¹¹But after 3½ days, the breath^[m] of life^(J) from God entered them, and they stood on their feet. So great fear fell on those who saw them. ¹²Then they heard^[n] a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” They went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies watched them.^(K) ¹³At that moment a violent earthquake took place,^(L) a tenth of the city fell, and 7,000 people were killed in the earthquake. The survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. ¹⁴The second woe^(M) has passed. Take note: The third woe is coming quickly!

The Seventh Trumpet

¹⁵The seventh angel blew his trumpet,^(N) and there were loud voices in heaven saying:

The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom
of our Lord and of His Messiah,
and He will reign forever and ever!^(O)

¹⁶The 24 elders, who were seated before God on their thrones, fell facedown and worshiped God, ¹⁷saying:

We thank You, Lord God, the Almighty,
who is and who was,^[o]^(P)
because You have taken Your great power
and have begun to reign.^(Q)
¹⁸The nations were angry,^(R)
but Your wrath has come.
The time has come
for the dead to be judged
and to give the reward
to Your servants the prophets,^(S)
to the saints, and to those who fear Your name,
both small and great,^(T)
and the time has come to destroy
those who destroy the earth.

¹⁹God’s sanctuary in heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenant^[p] appeared in His sanctuary. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings of thunder,^(U) an earthquake,^[q] and severe hail.

Footnotes:

Revelation 11:1 Other mss add and the angel stood up
Revelation 11:1 Lit Arise
Revelation 11:2 Or Gentiles
Revelation 11:3 Lit I will give to
Revelation 11:3 = 3½ years of 30-day months
Revelation 11:3 Mourning garment of coarse, often black, material
Revelation 11:4 Other mss read God
Revelation 11:7 Or wild animal
Revelation 11:8 Lit Their corpse
Revelation 11:8 Or lie on the broad street
Revelation 11:8 Or spiritually, or symbolically
Revelation 11:9 Lit And from
Revelation 11:11 Or spirit
Revelation 11:12 Other mss read Then I heard
Revelation 11:17 Other mss add and who is to come
Revelation 11:19 Other mss read ark of the covenant of the Lord
Revelation 11:19 Other mss omit an earthquake

Cross references:

11:1 : Ezk 40:3, 5; 42:15-19; Rv 21:15
11:3 : Dn 12:11; Rv 12:6, 14; 13:5
11:4 : Zch 4:3, 11-14
11:5 : Jr 5:14
11:6 : 1Kg 17:1
11:6 : Ex 7:17-21
11:7 : Rv 13:1, 11; 17:8
11:8 : Is 66:24
11:9 : Rv 5:9; 7:9; 10:11
11:11 : Gn 2:7; 6:17; 7:15, 22; Ezk 37:5
11:12 : 2Kg 2:1; Mk 16:19; Lk 24:51; Ac 1:9-10
11:13 : Is 29:6; Ezk 38:19
11:14 : Rv 8:13; 9:12
11:15 : Is 27:13
11:15 : 2Sm 7:16; Is 37:16; Dn 7:14, 18; Lk 1:32-33
11:17 : Rv 1:4, 8; 4:8; 16:5
11:17 : Lk 1:33; 1Co 15:25; Rv 19:6
11:18 : Ps 2:1
11:18 : Rv 10:7
11:18 : 2Kg 23:2; Ps 115:13; Rv 19:5
11:19 : Rv 4:5; 8:5

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Psalm 139

The All-Knowing, Ever-Present God

For the choir director. A Davidic psalm.

¹Lord, You have searched me and known me.^(A)
²You know when I sit down and when I stand up;
You understand my thoughts from far away.^(B)
³You observe my travels and my rest;
You are aware of all my ways.^(C)
⁴Before a word is on my tongue,
You know all about it, Lord.^(D)
⁵You have encircled me;
You have placed Your hand on me.^(E)
⁶This extraordinary knowledge is beyond me.
It is lofty; I am unable to reach it.^(F)

⁷Where can I go to escape Your Spirit?
Where can I flee from Your presence?^(G)
⁸If I go up to heaven, You are there;^(H)
if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there.^(I)
⁹If I live at the eastern horizon
or settle at the western limits,^[a]
¹⁰even there Your hand will lead me;
Your right hand will hold on to me.^(J)
¹¹If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me,
and the light around me will be night”^(K)—
¹²even the darkness is not dark to You.
The night shines like the day;
darkness and light are alike to You.^(L)

¹³For it was You who created my inward parts;^[b]
You knit me together in my mother’s womb.^(M)
¹⁴I will praise You
because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made.^[c]^[d]
Your works are wonderful,
and I know this very well.^(N)
¹⁵My bones were not hidden from You
when I was made in secret,
when I was formed in the depths of the earth.^(O)
¹⁶Your eyes saw me when I was formless;
all my days were written in Your book and planned
before a single one of them began.^(P)

¹⁷God, how difficult^[e] Your thoughts are
for me to comprehend;
how vast their sum is!
¹⁸If I counted them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand;^(Q)
when I wake up,^[f] I am still with You.^(R)

¹⁹God, if only You would kill the wicked—
you bloodthirsty men, stay away from me^(S)—
²⁰who invoke You deceitfully.
Your enemies swear by You falsely.^(T)
²¹Lord, don’t I hate those who hate You,
and detest those who rebel against You?
²²I hate them with extreme hatred;
I consider them my enemies.^(U)

²³Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my concerns.^(V)
²⁴See if there is any offensive^[g] way in me;
lead me in the everlasting way.^(W)

Footnotes:

Psalm 139:9 Lit I take up the wings of the dawn; I dwell at the end of the sea
Psalm 139:13 Lit my kidneys
Psalm 139:14 DSS, some LXX mss, Syr, Jer read because You are remarkable and wonderful
Psalm 139:14 Hb obscure
Psalm 139:17 Or precious
Psalm 139:18 Some Hb mss read I come to an end
Psalm 139:24 Or idolatrous

Cross references:

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Proverbs 30:15-16

¹⁵The leech has two daughters: “Give, Give!”
Three things^(A) are never satisfied;
four never say, “Enough!”:
¹⁶Sheol;^(B) a childless womb;^(C)
earth, which is never satisfied with water;
and fire, which never says, “Enough!”

Cross references:

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

December 18, 2016

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Sunday December 18, 2016 (NIV)

Habakkuk 1-3

1 The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw.^(A)

Habakkuk’s First Prayer

²How long,^(B) Lord, must I call for help^(C)
and You do not listen
or cry out to You about violence
and You do not save?
³Why do You force me to look at injustice?^(D)
Why do You tolerate^[a] wrongdoing?
Oppression and violence are right in front of me.
Strife is ongoing, and conflict escalates.
⁴This is why the law is ineffective
and justice never emerges.
For the wicked restrict^(E) the righteous;
therefore, justice^(F) comes out perverted.

God’s First Answer

⁵Look at the nations^[b]^(G) and observe^(H)—
be utterly astounded!^(I)
For something is taking place in your days
that you will not believe^(J)
when you hear about it.^(K)
⁶Look! I am raising up^(L) the Chaldeans,^[c]
that bitter,^(M) impetuous nation
that marches across the earth’s open spaces
to seize territories not its own.
⁷They are fierce^(N) and terrifying;
their views of justice and sovereignty
stem from themselves.
⁸Their horses are swifter^(O) than leopards^(P)
and more fierce^[d] than wolves of the night.
Their horsemen charge ahead;
their horsemen come from distant lands.
They fly like an eagle, swooping to devour.^(Q)
⁹All of them come to do violence;
their faces^(R) are set in determination.^[e]
They gather^(S) prisoners like sand.^(T)
¹⁰They mock^(U) kings,
and rulers are a joke to them.
They laugh^(V) at every fortress
and build siege ramps to capture^(W) it.
¹¹Then they sweep^(X) by like the wind
and pass through.
They are guilty;^[f] their strength is their god.

Habakkuk’s Second Prayer

¹²Are You not from eternity, Yahweh my God?
My Holy One,^(Y) You^[g] will not die.
Lord, You appointed them to execute judgment;
my Rock,^(Z) You destined them to punish us.
¹³Your eyes^(AA) are too pure^(AB) to look on evil,
and You cannot tolerate wrongdoing.
So why do You tolerate those who are treacherous?^(AC)
Why are You silent
while one^[h] who is wicked swallows up
one^[i] who is more righteous than himself?
¹⁴You have made mankind
like the fish of the sea,^(AD)
like marine creatures that have no ruler.
¹⁵The Chaldeans pull them all up with a hook,
catch them in their dragnet,^(AE)
and gather them in their fishing net;
that is why they are glad and rejoice.
¹⁶That is why they sacrifice to their dragnet
and burn incense to their fishing net,
for by these things their portion is rich
and their food plentiful.^(AF)
¹⁷Will they therefore empty their net^[j]
and continually slaughter nations without mercy?

Habakkuk Waits for God’s Response

2 I will stand at my guard post
and station myself on the lookout tower.^(AG)
I will watch to see what He will say to me^(AH)
and what I should^[k] reply about my complaint.

God’s Second Answer

²The Lord answered me:

Write down this vision;^(AI)
clearly inscribe it on tablets
so one may easily read it.^[l]
³For the vision is yet for the appointed time;
it testifies about the end and will not lie.
Though it delays, wait for it,
since it will certainly come and not be late.^(AJ)
⁴Look, his ego is inflated;^[m]
he is without integrity.
But the righteous one will live by his faith.^[n]^(AK)
⁵Moreover, wine^[o] betrays;
an arrogant man is never at rest.^[p]
He enlarges his appetite like Sheol,
and like Death he is never satisfied.^(AL)
He gathers all the nations to himself;
he collects all the peoples for himself.

The Five Woe Oracles

⁶Won’t all of these take up a taunt against him,
with mockery and riddles about him?
They will say:

Woe to him who amasses what is not his—
how much longer?—
and loads himself with goods taken in pledge.^(AM)
⁷Won’t your creditors suddenly arise,
and those who disturb you wake up?
Then you will become spoil for them.^(AN)
⁸Since you have plundered many nations,
all the peoples who remain will plunder you—
because of human bloodshed
and violence against lands, cities,
and all who live in them.^(AO)

⁹Woe to him who dishonestly makes
wealth for his house^[q]
to place his nest on high,
to escape from the reach of disaster!^(AP)
¹⁰You have planned shame for your house
by wiping out many peoples
and sinning against your own self.
¹¹For the stones will cry out^(AQ) from the wall,
and the rafters will answer them
from the woodwork.

¹²Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed
and founds a town with injustice!^(AR)
¹³Is it not from the Lord of Hosts
that the peoples labor only to fuel the fire
and countries exhaust themselves for nothing?^(AS)
¹⁴For the earth will be filled
with the knowledge of the Lord’s glory,
as the waters cover the sea.^(AT)

¹⁵Woe to him who gives his neighbors drink,
pouring out your wrath^[r]
and even making them drunk,
in order to look at their nakedness!
¹⁶You will be filled with disgrace instead of glory.
You also—drink,
and expose your uncircumcision!^[s]
The cup in the Lord’s right hand
will come around to you,
and utter disgrace will cover your glory.^(AU)
¹⁷For your violence against Lebanon
will overwhelm you;
the destruction of animals will terrify you^[t]
because of your human bloodshed and violence
against lands, cities, and all who live in them.

¹⁸What use is a carved idol
after its craftsman carves it?
It is only a cast image, a teacher of lies.
For the one who crafts its shape trusts in it
and makes idols that cannot speak.
¹⁹Woe to him who says to wood: Wake up!
or to mute stone: Come alive!
Can it teach?
Look! It may be plated with gold and silver,
yet there is no breath in it at all.

²⁰But the Lord is in His holy temple;
let everyone on earth
be silent in His presence.^(AV)

Habakkuk’s Third Prayer

3 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. According to Shigionoth.^[u]^(AW)

²Lord, I have heard the report about You;
Lord, I stand in awe of Your deeds.
Revive Your work in these years;
make it known in these years.
In Your wrath remember mercy!

³God comes from Teman,
the Holy One from Mount Paran.^(AX)Selah
His splendor covers the heavens,
and the earth is full of His praise.^(AY)
⁴His brilliance is like light;
rays are flashing from His hand.
This is where His power is hidden.
⁵Plague goes before Him,
and pestilence follows in His steps.
⁶He stands and shakes^[v] the earth;
He looks and startles the nations.
The age-old mountains break apart;
the ancient hills sink down.
His pathways are ancient.
⁷I see the tents of Cushan^[w] in distress;
the tent curtains of the land of Midian tremble.
⁸Are You angry at the rivers, Lord?
Is Your wrath against the rivers?
Or is Your rage against the sea
when You ride on Your horses,
Your victorious chariot?
⁹You took the sheath from Your bow;
the arrows are ready^[x] to be used with an oath.^[y]^(AZ)Selah
You split the earth with rivers.
¹⁰The mountains see You and shudder;^(BA)
a downpour of water sweeps by.
The deep roars with its voice^(BB)
and lifts its waves^[z] high.
¹¹Sun and moon stand still in their lofty residence,^(BC)
at the flash of Your flying arrows,
at the brightness of Your shining spear.
¹²You march across the earth with indignation;
You trample down the nations in wrath.
¹³You come out to save Your people,
to save Your anointed.^[aa]
You crush the leader of the house of the wicked
and strip him from foot^[ab] to neck.Selah
¹⁴You pierce his head
with his own spears;
his warriors storm out to scatter us,
gloating as if ready to secretly devour the weak.
¹⁵You tread the sea with Your horses,
stirring up the great waters.^(BD)

Habakkuk’s Confidence in God Expressed

¹⁶I heard, and I trembled within;^(BE)
my lips quivered at the sound.
Rottenness entered my bones;
I trembled where I stood.
Now I must quietly wait for the day of distress
to come against the people invading us.
¹⁷Though the fig tree does not bud
and there is no fruit on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
¹⁸yet I will triumph in Yahweh;
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!^(BF)
¹⁹Yahweh my Lord is my strength;
He makes my feet like those of a deer^(BG)
and enables me to walk on mountain heights!^(BH)

For the choir director: on^[ac] stringed instruments.

Footnotes:

Habakkuk 1:3 Lit observe
Habakkuk 1:5 DSS, LXX, Syr read Look, you treacherous people
Habakkuk 1:6 = the Babylonians
Habakkuk 1:8 Or and quicker
Habakkuk 1:9 Hb obscure
Habakkuk 1:11 Or wind, and transgress and incur guilt
Habakkuk 1:12 Ancient Jewish tradition reads we
Habakkuk 1:13 = Babylon
Habakkuk 1:13 = Judah
Habakkuk 1:17 DSS read sword
Habakkuk 2:1 Syr reads what He will
Habakkuk 2:2 Lit one who reads in it may run
Habakkuk 2:4 Hb obscure
Habakkuk 2:4 Or faithfulness
Habakkuk 2:5 DSS read wealth
Habakkuk 2:5 Or man does not endure; Hb obscure
Habakkuk 2:9 Or dynasty
Habakkuk 2:15 Or venom
Habakkuk 2:16 DSS, LXX, Aq, Syr, Vg read and stagger
Habakkuk 2:17 DSS, LXX, Aq, Syr, Tg, Vg; MT reads them
Habakkuk 3:1 Perhaps a passionate song with rapid changes of rhythm, or a dirge
Habakkuk 3:6 Or surveys
Habakkuk 3:7 = Midian
Habakkuk 3:9 Or set
Habakkuk 3:9 Hb obscure
Habakkuk 3:10 Lit hands
Habakkuk 3:13 The Davidic king or the nation of Israel
Habakkuk 3:13 Lit foundation
Habakkuk 3:19 Lit on my

Cross references:

1:1 : Nm 24:4; Jb 19:26; Is 13:1
1:2 : Ps 4:2; 6:3; 13:1
1:2 : Jb 19:7; Ps 5:2; Lm 3:8
1:3 : Jb 4:8; Ps 5:5; Is 5:7
1:4 : Jdg 20:43; Ps 22:12
1:4 : Ex 23:6
1:5 : Ps 2:1
1:5 : Gn 15:5
1:5 : Gn 43:33; Ps 48:5; Ec 5:8
1:5 : Gn 15:6
1:5 : Ac 13:41
1:6 : Ru 4:5
1:6 : Jdg 18:25
1:7 : Sg 6:4, 10
1:8 : 2Sm 1:23
1:8 : Is 11:6; Jr 5:6; 13:23; Hs 13:7
1:8 : Dt 28:49
1:9 : Gn 48:11
1:9 : Dt 11:14
1:9 : Jos 11:4
1:10 : 2Kg 2:23
1:10 : 2Ch 30:10
1:10 : Nm 21:32
1:11 : Is 8:8
1:12 : Is 1:4
1:12 : Dt 32:4; Ps 18:2
1:13 : 2Ch 6:20; 16:9
1:13 : Ex 25:11; Ps 12:6; 19:9; 51:10; Pr 22:11; Ezk 36:25
1:13 : Jdg 9:23
1:14 : Ec 9:12
1:15 : Jr 16:16; Am 4:2
1:16 : Dt 8:17; Is 10:13; 37:24-25
2:1 : Is 21:6-9
2:1 : Ps 85:8
2:2 : 1Sm 3:1; Ps 89:19; Pr 29:18; Is 1:1
2:3 : Dn 10:1, 14; 11:35; Heb 10:36-37; 2Pt 3:9; Rv 22:10
2:4 : Rm 1:17; Gl 3:11
2:5 : Pr 27:20; 30:15-16; Is 5:14
2:6 : Dt 24:10-13
2:7 : 2Kg 21:14; Is 42:22, 24
2:8 : Is 33:1; Jr 25:12, 14; Rv 13:10
2:9 : Pr 11:28; Jr 22:13; 49:16; Ob 4; Rv 18:7
2:11 : Lk 19:40
2:12 : Ezk 22:2-3; Mc 3:10
2:13 : Jr 51:58
2:14 : Ps 72:19; Is 6:3; 11:9
2:15-16 : Rv 14:8-10
2:20 : Zph 1:7; Zch 2:13
3:1 : Ps 7 title
3:3 : Dt 33:2; Jdg 5:4-5
3:3 : Jb 37:22; Ps 148:13; Is 42:10
3:9 : Dt 32:40-43
3:10 : Ps 77:16
3:10 : Ex 19:18
3:11 : Jos 10:12-13
3:15 : Ps 77:19
3:16 : Dn 10:4-9; Rv 1:17
3:18 : Ps 73:25
3:19 : Ps 18:33
3:19 : 2Sm 22:34; Ps 18:33

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Revelation 9

The Fifth Trumpet

9 The fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth.^(A) The key to the shaft of the abyss^(B) was given to him. ²He opened the shaft of the abyss, and smoke came up out of the shaft like smoke from a great^[a] furnace so that the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the shaft. ³Then locusts came out of the smoke on to the earth, and power^[b] was given to them^(C) like the power that scorpions have on the earth. ⁴They were told not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green plant, or any tree, but only people who do not have God’s seal on their foreheads. ⁵They were not permitted to kill them but were to torment them for five months; their torment is like the torment caused by a scorpion when it strikes a man. ⁶In those days people will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, but death will flee from them.

⁷The appearance of the locusts was like horses equipped for battle.^(D) Something like gold crowns was on their heads; their faces were like men’s faces; ⁸they had hair like women’s hair; their teeth were like lions’ teeth;^(E) ⁹they had chests like iron breastplates; the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses rushing into battle; ¹⁰and they had tails with stingers like scorpions, so that with their tails they had the power^[c] to harm people for five months. ¹¹They had as their king^[d] the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon,^[e] and in Greek he has the name Apollyon.^[f] ¹²The first woe has passed. There are still two more woes to come after this.

The Sixth Trumpet

¹³The sixth angel blew his trumpet. From the four^[g] horns of the gold altar^(F) that is before God, I heard a voice ¹⁴say to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels bound at the great river Euphrates.” ¹⁵So the four angels who were prepared for the hour, day, month, and year were released to kill a third of the human race. ¹⁶The number of mounted troops was 200 million;^[h] I heard their number. ¹⁷This is how I saw the horses in my vision: The horsemen had breastplates that were fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow. The heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and from their mouths came fire, smoke, and sulfur. ¹⁸A third of the human race was killed by these three plagues—by the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur that came from their mouths. ¹⁹For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails, which resemble snakes, have heads, and they inflict injury with them.

²⁰The rest of the people, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands to stop worshiping demons^(G) and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which are not able to see, hear, or walk.^(H) ²¹And they did not repent of their murders, their sorceries,^[i] their sexual immorality, or their thefts.

Footnotes:

Revelation 9:2 Other mss omit great
Revelation 9:3 Or authority
Revelation 9:10 Or authority
Revelation 9:11 Or as king over them
Revelation 9:11 Or destruction
Revelation 9:11 Or destroyer
Revelation 9:13 Other mss omit four
Revelation 9:16 Other mss read 100 million
Revelation 9:21 Or magic potions, or drugs; Gk pharmakon

Cross references:

9:1 : Rv 8:10
9:1 : Lk 8:31; Rm 10:7; Rv 9:11; 11:7; 17:8; 20:1-3
9:3 : Mt 10:1; 28:18; Rv 6:8
9:7 : Jl 2:4
9:8 : Jl 1:6
9:13 : Ex 39:38; 40:5
9:20 : 1Co 10:20
9:20 : Ps 115:4-7; 135:15-17; Dn 5:23

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Psalm 137

Lament of the Exiles

¹By the rivers of Babylon—
there we sat down and wept
when we remembered Zion.^(A)
²There we hung up our lyres
on the poplar trees,^(B)
³for our captors there asked us for songs,
and our tormentors, for rejoicing:
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”^(C)

⁴How can we sing the Lord’s song
on foreign soil?^(D)
⁵If I forget you, Jerusalem,
may my right hand forget its skill.^(E)
⁶May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth
if I do not remember you,
if I do not exalt Jerusalem as my greatest joy!^(F)

⁷Remember, Lord, what the Edomites said
that day^[a] at Jerusalem:
“Destroy it! Destroy it
down to its foundations!”^(G)
⁸Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction,
happy is the one who pays you back
what you have done to us.^(H)
⁹Happy is he who takes your little ones
and dashes them against the rocks.^(I)

Footnotes:

Psalm 137:7 The day Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians in 586 b.c.

Cross references:

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Proverbs 30:10

¹⁰Don’t slander a servant to his master
or he will curse you,^(A) and you will become guilty.

Cross references:

30:10 : Ec 7:21

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

December 17, 2016

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Saturday December 17, 2016 (NIV)

Nahum 1-3

1 The oracle concerning Nineveh.^(A) The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

God’s Vengeance

²The Lord is a jealous and avenging God;
the Lord takes vengeance
and is fierce in^[a] wrath.
The Lord takes vengeance against His foes;
He is furious with His enemies.^(B)
³The Lord is slow to anger but great in power;
the Lord will never leave the guilty unpunished.^(C)
His path is in the whirlwind and storm,
and clouds are the dust beneath His feet.
⁴He rebukes the sea so that it dries up,
and He makes all the rivers run dry.^(D)
Bashan and Carmel wither;^(E)
even the flower of Lebanon withers.
⁵The mountains quake before Him,
and the hills melt;
the earth trembles^[b]^[c] at His presence—
the world and all who live in it.^(F)
⁶Who can withstand His indignation?
Who can endure His burning anger?^(G)
His wrath is poured out like fire,
even rocks are shattered before Him.

Destruction of Nineveh

⁷The Lord is good,
a stronghold in a day of distress;
He cares for those who take refuge^(H) in Him.
⁸But He will completely destroy Nineveh^[d]
with an overwhelming flood,^(I)
and He will chase His enemies into darkness.

⁹Whatever you^[e] plot against the Lord,
He will bring it to complete destruction;^(J)
oppression will not rise up a second time.
¹⁰For they will be consumed
like entangled thorns,^(K)
like the drink of a drunkard
and like straw that is fully dry.^[f]
¹¹One has gone out from you,^[g]
who plots evil against Yahweh,
and is a wicked counselor.

Promise of Judah’s Deliverance

¹²This is what the Lord says:

Though they are strong^[h] and numerous,
they will still be mowed down,
and he^[i] will pass away.
Though I have afflicted you,^[j]^(L)
I will afflict you no longer.^(M)
¹³For I will now break off his yoke from you
and tear off your shackles.

The Assyrian King’s Demise

¹⁴The Lord has issued an order concerning you:

There will be no offspring
to carry on your name.^[k]^(N)
I will eliminate the carved idol and cast image
from the house of your gods;^(O)
I will prepare your grave,
for you are contemptible.

¹⁵^[l]Look to the mountains—
the feet of one bringing good news^(P)
and proclaiming peace!
Celebrate your festivals, Judah;
fulfill your vows.
For the wicked one will never again
march through you;
he will be entirely wiped out.

Attack against Nineveh

2 One who scatters is coming up against you.
Man the fortifications!
Watch the road!
Brace^[m] yourself!
Summon all your strength!^(Q)

²For the Lord will restore the majesty of Jacob,
yes,^[n] the majesty of Israel,
though ravagers have ravaged them
and ruined their vine branches.^(R)

³The shields of his^[o] warriors are dyed red;
the valiant men are dressed in scarlet.^(S)
The fittings of the chariot flash like fire
on the day of its battle preparations,
and the spears are brandished.
⁴The chariots dash madly through the streets;
they rush around in the plazas.
They look like torches;
they dart back and forth like lightning.
⁵He gives orders to his officers;
they stumble as they advance.
They race to its wall;
the protective shield is set in place.
⁶The river gates are opened,
and the palace erodes away.^(T)

⁷Beauty^[p] is stripped,^[q]
she is carried away;
her ladies-in-waiting moan
like the sound of doves,^(U)
and beat their breasts.
⁸Nineveh has been like a pool of water
from her first days,^[r]
but they are fleeing.
“Stop! Stop!” they cry,
but no one turns back.
⁹“Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold!”
There is no end to the treasure,
an abundance of every precious thing.^(V)
¹⁰Desolation, decimation, devastation!
Hearts melt,^(W)
knees tremble,
loins shake,
every face grows pale!^(X)

¹¹Where is the lions’ lair,^(Y)
or the feeding ground of the young lions,
where the lion and lioness prowled,
and the lion’s cub,
with nothing to frighten them away?^(Z)
¹²The lion mauled whatever its cubs needed
and strangled prey for its lionesses.
It filled up its dens with the kill,
and its lairs with mauled prey.^(AA)
¹³Beware, I am against you.^(AB)
This is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts.
I will make your chariots go up in smoke^[s]
and the sword will devour your young lions.
I will cut off your prey from the earth,
and the sound of your messengers
will never be heard again.

Nineveh’s Downfall

3 Woe to the city of blood,^(AC)
totally deceitful,
full of plunder,
never without prey.^(AD)
²The crack of the whip
and rumble of the wheel,
galloping horse
and jolting chariot!^(AE)
³Charging horseman,
flashing sword,
shining spear;
heaps of slain,
mounds of corpses,
dead bodies without end^(AF)—
they stumble over their dead.
⁴Because of the continual prostitution of the prostitute,
the attractive mistress of sorcery,
who betrays nations by her prostitution
and clans by her witchcraft,^(AG)
⁵I am against you.^(AH)
This is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts.
I will lift your skirts over your face
and display your nakedness to nations,
your shame to kingdoms.^(AI)
⁶I will throw filth on you
and treat you with contempt;
I will make a spectacle of you.
⁷Then all who see you will recoil from you, saying,
“Nineveh is devastated;
who will show sympathy to her?”
Where can I find anyone to comfort you?

⁸Are you better than Thebes^[t]^(AJ)
that sat along the Nile
with water surrounding her,
whose rampart was the sea,
the river^[u]^[v] her wall?
⁹Cush and Egypt were her endless source of strength;
Put and Libya were among her^[w] allies.
¹⁰Yet she became an exile;
she went into captivity.
Her children were also dashed to pieces^(AK)
at the head of every street.
They cast lots for her dignitaries,^(AL)
and all her nobles were bound in chains.
¹¹You^[x] also will become drunk;
you will hide yourself.^[y]
You also will seek refuge from the enemy.

¹²All your fortresses are fig trees
with figs that ripened first;
when shaken, they fall—
right into the mouth of the eater!

¹³Look, your troops are like women among you;
the gates of your land
are wide open to your enemies.
Fire will devour the bars of your gates.

¹⁴Draw water for the siege;
strengthen your fortresses.
Step into the clay and tread the mortar;
take hold of the brick-mold!
¹⁵The fire will devour you there;
the sword will cut you down.
It will devour you like the young locust.^(AM)
Multiply yourselves like the young locust,
multiply like the swarming locust!
¹⁶You have made your merchants^(AN)
more numerous than the stars of the sky.
The young locust strips^[z] the land
and flies away.
¹⁷Your court officials are like the swarming locust,
and your scribes like clouds of locusts,
which settle on the walls on a cold day;
when the sun rises, they take off,
and no one knows where they are.

¹⁸King of Assyria, your shepherds slumber;
your officers sleep.
Your people are scattered across the mountains
with no one to gather them together.^(AO)
¹⁹There is no remedy for your injury;
your wound is severe.^(AP)
All who hear the news about you
will clap their hands because of you,
for who has not experienced
your constant cruelty?

Footnotes:

Nahum 1:2 Lit is a master of
Nahum 1:5 Some emend to earth is laid waste
Nahum 1:5 Lit lifts
Nahum 1:8 Lit her place
Nahum 1:9 = Nineveh
Nahum 1:10 Hb obscure
Nahum 1:11 Possibly Nineveh
Nahum 1:12 Lit intact
Nahum 1:12 Either the king of Assyria or his army
Nahum 1:12 = Judah
Nahum 1:14 Lit It will not be sown from your name any longer
Nahum 1:15 Nah 2:1 in Hb
Nahum 2:1 Lit Strengthen
Nahum 2:2 Or like
Nahum 2:3 = the army commander attacking Nineveh
Nahum 2:7 Text emended; MT reads Huzzab
Nahum 2:7 Hb obscure
Nahum 2:8 Hb obscure
Nahum 2:13 Lit will burn her chariots in smoke
Nahum 3:8 Or No-amon
Nahum 3:8 LXX, Syr, Vg read water
Nahum 3:8 Lit sea from sea
Nahum 3:9 Lit your
Nahum 3:11 = Nineveh
Nahum 3:11 Or will be overcome
Nahum 3:16 Or sheds [its skin]

Cross references:

1:1 : Jnh 3:3-4; 4:11; Nah 2:8; Zph 2:13
1:2 : Dt 6:15; Ps 94:1; Is 63:1-6; Jr 46:10; 50:28-29; Mc 5:15; Zph 1:18
1:3 : Ex 34:6-7; Nm 14:18
1:4 : 2Sm 22:16; Ps 106:9; Is 50:2
1:4 : Is 33:9
1:5 : Ps 18:7; Jr 4:24; Am 8:8
1:6 : Ps 7:11; 69:24; 78:49
1:7 : 2Sm 22:3; Ps 17:7; 34:8
1:8 : Nah 2:6
1:9 : Ps 2:1-4
1:10 : Mal 4:1
1:12 : Is 10:5-34
1:12 : Ps 30:5; 103:9; Is 54:8
1:14 : Lv 20:3; 1Sm 24:21; Ps 89:4; Is 48:19; 66:22
1:14 : Dt 27:15; Jdg 18:14
1:15 : Is 52:7; 61:1; Rm 10:15
2:1 : Am 2:14
2:2 : Ps 80:12-15; Jr 12:10
2:3 : Ezk 23:14
2:6 : Nah 1:8
2:7 : Is 38:14; 59:11
2:9 : 2Ch 32:27; 36:10; Dn 11:8; Nah 3:3
2:10 : Dt 20:8; Jos 7:5; Is 13:7; 19:1; Ezk 21:7, 15
2:10 : Is 21:3; Jl 2:6
2:11 : Is 2:15; 5:26-29; Jr 4:7; 5:6; 50:17; 51:38; Jl 1:6; Am 3:12
2:11 : Lv 26:6; Dt 28:26; Jr 7:33
2:12 : Jb 38:39-40
2:13 : Jr 21:13; 50:31; 51:25; Nah 3:5
3:1 : Ezk 24:6, 9
3:1 : Nah 2:9
3:2 : Jdg 5:22; Jb 39:24; Jr 47:3
3:3 : Nah 2:9
3:4 : 2Kg 9:22; Pr 7:10-23; Ezk 16:15; 23:1-21; Rv 17:3-6
3:5 : Nah 2:13
3:5 : Jr 13:22, 26; Ezk 16:37
3:8 : Jr 46:25; Ezk 30:14-16
3:10 : 2Kg 8:12; Is 13:16; Hs 10:14
3:10 : Ob 11
3:15 : Jl 1:4
3:16 : Ezk 27:3, 13, 20, 23-24
3:18 : 1Kg 22:17
3:19 : Jr 10:19; 14:17; 30:12

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Revelation 8

The Seventh Seal

8 When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. ²Then I saw the seven angels who stand in the presence of God; seven trumpets were given to them. ³Another angel, with a gold incense burner, came and stood at the altar. He was given a large amount of incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the gold altar in front of the throne. ⁴The smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up in the presence of God from the angel’s hand. ⁵The angel took the incense burner, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it to the earth; there were rumblings of thunder, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake. ⁶And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.

The First Trumpet

⁷The first angel^[a] blew his trumpet, and hail and fire, mixed with blood, were hurled to the earth. So a third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

The Second Trumpet

⁸The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain ablaze with fire was hurled into the sea.^(A) So a third of the sea became blood, ⁹a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

The Third Trumpet

¹⁰The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from heaven.^(B) It fell on a third of the rivers and springs of water. ¹¹The name of the star is Wormwood, and a third of the waters became wormwood. So, many of the people died from the waters, because they had been made bitter.

The Fourth Trumpet

¹²The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third of the day was without light, and the night as well.^(C)

¹³I looked again and heard an eagle^[b] flying high overhead, crying out in a loud voice, “Woe!^(D) Woe! Woe to those who live on the earth, because of the remaining trumpet blasts that the three angels are about to sound!”

Footnotes:

Revelation 8:7 Other mss include angel
Revelation 8:13 Other mss read angel

Cross references:

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Psalm 136

God’s Love Is Eternal

¹Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.^(A)
His love is eternal.
²Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love is eternal.
³Give thanks to the Lord of lords.^(B)
His love is eternal.
⁴He alone does great wonders.^(C)
His love is eternal.
⁵He made the heavens skillfully.^(D)
His love is eternal.
⁶He spread the land on the waters.^(E)
His love is eternal.
⁷He made the great lights:^(F)
His love is eternal.
⁸the sun to rule by day,
His love is eternal.
⁹the moon and stars to rule by night.^(G)
His love is eternal.
¹⁰He struck the firstborn of the Egyptians^(H)
His love is eternal.
¹¹and brought Israel out from among them
His love is eternal.
¹²with a strong hand and outstretched arm.^(I)
His love is eternal.
¹³He divided the Red Sea^(J)
His love is eternal.
¹⁴and led Israel through,^(K)
His love is eternal.
¹⁵but hurled Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea.^(L)
His love is eternal.
¹⁶He led His people in the wilderness.^(M)
His love is eternal.
¹⁷He struck down great kings
His love is eternal.
¹⁸and slaughtered famous kings—
His love is eternal.
¹⁹Sihon king of the Amorites
His love is eternal.
²⁰and Og king of Bashan—
His love is eternal.
²¹and gave their land as an inheritance,
His love is eternal.
²²an inheritance to Israel His servant.^(N)
His love is eternal.
²³He remembered us in our humiliation^(O)
His love is eternal.
²⁴and rescued us from our foes.^(P)
His love is eternal.
²⁵He gives food to every creature.^(Q)
His love is eternal.
²⁶Give thanks to the God of heaven!^(R)
His love is eternal.

Cross references:

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Proverbs 30:7-9

⁷Two things I ask of You;
don’t deny them to me before I die:
⁸Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me.
Give me neither poverty nor wealth;
feed me with the food I need.^(A)
⁹Otherwise, I might have too much^(B)
and deny You,^(C) saying, “Who is the Lord?”^(D)
or I might have nothing and steal,^(E)
profaning^[a] the name of my God.^(F)

Footnotes:

Proverbs 30:9 Lit grabbing

Cross references:

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Zechariah 8

Revelation 16

Footnotes:

Psalm 144

Psalm 144

A song of David.

Proverbs 30:29-31

Footnotes:

Zechariah 6-7

Footnotes:

Revelation 15

Psalm 143

Psalm 143

A song of David.

Footnotes:

Proverbs 30:24-28

Zechariah 4-5

Fifth Vision: Gold Lampstand

Sixth Vision: Flying Scroll

Seventh Vision: Woman in the Basket

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Revelation 14

The Lamb and the 144,000

The Proclamation of Three Angels

Reaping the Earth’s Harvest

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Psalm 142

Psalm 142

A Cry of Distress

A Davidic Maskil. When he was in the cave.(A) A prayer.

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Proverbs 30:21-23

Cross references:

Zechariah 2-3

Third Vision: Surveyor

Fourth Vision: High Priest and Branch

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Revelation 13

The Beast from the Sea

The Beast from the Earth

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Psalm 141

Psalm 141

Protection from Sin and Sinners

A Davidic psalm.

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Proverbs 30:18-20

Cross references:

Zechariah 1

A Plea for Repentance

The Night Visions

First Vision: Horsemen

Second Vision: Four Horns and Craftsmen

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Revelation 12:1-17

The Woman, the Child, and the Dragon

The Dragon Thrown Out of Heaven

The Woman Persecuted

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Psalm 140

Psalm 140

Prayer for Rescue

For the choir director. A Davidic psalm.

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Proverbs 30:17

Cross references:

Haggai 1-2

Command to Rebuild the Temple

The People’s Response

Encouragement and Promise

From Deprivation to Blessing

A Davidic Maskil. When he was in the cave.^(A) A prayer.

For the choir director: on^[ac] stringed instruments.