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December 29, 2021

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Wednesday December 29, 2021 (NIV)

Zechariah 14

The Coming Day of the Lord

14 Behold, ^(A)a day is coming for the Lord, when the spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst. ²For ^(B)I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and ^(C)the city shall be taken ^(D)and the houses plundered ^(E)and the women raped. ^(F)Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. ³^(G)Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. ⁴^(H)On that day his feet shall stand ^(I)on ^(J)the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and ^(K)the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by ^(L)a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. ⁵And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from ^(M)the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.^[a]

⁶^(N)On that day ^(O)there shall be ^(P)no light, cold, or frost.^[b] ⁷^(Q)And there shall be a unique^[c] day, ^(R)which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but ^(S)at evening time there shall be light.

⁸^(T)On that day ^(U)living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to ^(V)the eastern sea^[d] and half of them to ^(W)the western sea.^[e] ^(X)It shall continue in summer as in winter.

⁹And ^(Y)the Lord will be king over all the earth. ^(Z)On that day the Lord will be ^(AA)one and ^(AB)his name one.

¹⁰^(AC)The whole land shall be turned into a plain from ^(AD)Geba to ^(AE)Rimmon south of Jerusalem. But ^(AF)Jerusalem shall remain aloft ^(AG)on its site from ^(AH)the Gate of Benjamin to the place of the former gate, to ^(AI)the Corner Gate, and from ^(AJ)the Tower of Hananel to the king's winepresses. ¹¹And it shall be inhabited, for ^(AK)there shall never again be a decree of utter destruction.^[f] ^(AL)Jerusalem shall dwell in security.

¹²And this shall be ^(AM)the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples that wage war against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.

¹³And ^(AN)on that day a great panic from the Lord shall fall on them, so that ^(AO)each will seize the hand of another, and the hand of the one will be raised against the hand of the other. ¹⁴Even ^(AP)Judah will fight at Jerusalem.^[g] And ^(AQ)the wealth of all the surrounding nations shall be collected, gold, silver, and garments in great abundance. ¹⁵And ^(AR)a plague like this plague shall fall on the horses, the mules, the camels, the donkeys, and whatever beasts may be in those camps.

¹⁶Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem ^(AS)shall go up year after year to worship ^(AT)the King, the Lord of hosts, and ^(AU)to keep ^(AV)the Feast of Booths. ¹⁷And if ^(AW)any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship ^(AX)the King, the Lord of hosts, ^(AY)there will be no rain on them. ¹⁸And if the family of Egypt does not go up and present themselves, then on them there shall be no rain;^[h] there shall be ^(AZ)the plague with which the Lord afflicts the nations that do not go up ^(BA)to keep the Feast of Booths. ¹⁹This shall be the punishment to Egypt and the punishment to all the nations that do not go up ^(BB)to keep the Feast of Booths.

²⁰And ^(BC)on that day there shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses, ^(BD)“Holy to the Lord.” And the pots in the house of the Lord shall be as the bowls before the altar. ²¹And every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be ^(BE)holy to the Lord of hosts, so that all who sacrifice may come and take of them and boil the meat of the sacrifice in them. And ^(BF)there shall no longer be ^(BG)a trader^[i] in the house of the Lord of hosts ^(BH)on that day.

Footnotes:

Zechariah 14:5 Other Hebrew manuscripts you
Zechariah 14:6 Compare Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate, Targum; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
Zechariah 14:7 Hebrew one
Zechariah 14:8 That is, the Dead Sea
Zechariah 14:8 That is, the Mediterranean Sea
Zechariah 14:11 The Hebrew term rendered decree of utter destruction refers to things devoted (or set apart) to the Lord (or by the Lord) for destruction
Zechariah 14:14 Or against Jerusalem
Zechariah 14:18 Hebrew lacks rain
Zechariah 14:21 Or Canaanite

Cross references:

English Standard Version (ESV)

Revelation 20

The Thousand Years

20 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, ^(A)holding in his hand the key to ^(B)the bottomless pit^[a] and a great chain. ²And he seized ^(C)the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and ^(D)bound him for a thousand years, ³and threw him into ^(E)the pit, and shut it and ^(F)sealed it over him, so that ^(G)he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.

⁴Then I saw ^(H)thrones, and ^(I)seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw ^(J)the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those ^(K)who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. ^(L)They came to life and ^(M)reigned with Christ for a thousand years. ⁵The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. ⁶^(N)Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such ^(O)the second death has no power, but they will be ^(P)priests of God and of Christ, and they ^(Q)will reign with him for a thousand years.

The Defeat of Satan

⁷And when the thousand years are ended, ^(R)Satan will be released from his prison ⁸and will come out ^(S)to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, ^(T)Gog and Magog, ^(U)to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. ⁹And ^(V)they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded ^(W)the camp of the saints and ^(X)the beloved city, but ^(Y)fire came down from heaven^[b] and consumed them, ¹⁰and the devil ^(Z)who had deceived them was ^(AA)thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where ^(AB)the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Judgment Before the Great White Throne

¹¹Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence ^(AC)earth and sky fled away, and ^(AD)no place was found for them. ¹²And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and ^(AE)books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is ^(AF)the book of life. And ^(AG)the dead were judged by what was written in the books, ^(AH)according to what they had done. ¹³And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, ^(AI)Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, ^(AJ)according to what they had done. ¹⁴Then ^(AK)Death and Hades ^(AL)were thrown into the lake of fire. This is ^(AM)the second death, the lake of fire. ¹⁵And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, ^(AN)he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Footnotes:

Revelation 20:1 Greek the abyss; also verse 3
Revelation 20:9 Some manuscripts from God, out of heaven, or out of heaven from God

Cross references:

English Standard Version (ESV)

Psalm 148

Praise the Name of the Lord

148 ^(A)Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord ^(B)from the heavens;
praise him ^(C)in the heights!
²Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his ^(D)hosts!

³Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, all you shining stars!
⁴Praise him, you ^(E)highest heavens,
and you ^(F)waters above the heavens!

⁵^(G)Let them praise the name of the Lord!
For ^(H)he commanded and they were created.
⁶And he ^(I)established them forever and ever;
he gave ^(J)a decree, and it shall not ^(K)pass away.^[a]

⁷Praise the Lord ^(L)from the earth,
you ^(M)great sea creatures and all deeps,
⁸^(N)fire and hail, ^(O)snow and mist,
^(P)stormy wind ^(Q)fulfilling his word!

⁹^(R)Mountains and all hills,
^(S)fruit trees and all ^(T)cedars!
¹⁰^(U)Beasts and all livestock,
creeping things and ^(V)flying birds!

¹¹Kings of the earth and ^(W)all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
¹²Young men and maidens together,
old men and children!

¹³^(X)Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for ^(Y)his name alone is exalted;
^(Z)his majesty is above earth and heaven.
¹⁴He has ^(AA)raised up a horn for his people,
^(AB)praise for all his saints,
for the people of Israel who are ^(AC)near to him.
^(AD)Praise the Lord!

Footnotes:

Psalm 148:6 Or it shall not be transgressed

Cross references:

English Standard Version (ESV)

Proverbs 31:8-9

⁸^(A)Open your mouth for the mute,
for the rights of all who are destitute.^[a]
⁹Open your mouth, ^(B)judge righteously,
^(C)defend the rights of ^(D)the poor and needy.

Footnotes:

Proverbs 31:8 Hebrew are sons of passing away

Cross references:

English Standard Version (ESV)

December 28, 2021

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Tuesday December 28, 2021 (NIV)

Zechariah 12-13

The Lord Will Give Salvation

12 ^(A)The oracle of the word of the Lord concerning Israel: Thus declares the Lord, ^(B)who stretched out the heavens and ^(C)founded the earth and ^(D)formed the spirit of man within him: ²“Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem ^(E)a cup of staggering to ^(F)all the surrounding peoples. The siege of Jerusalem ^(G)will also be against Judah. ³^(H)On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. ^(I)All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And ^(J)all the nations of the earth will gather against it. ⁴^(K)On that day, declares the Lord, ^(L)I will strike every horse ^(M)with panic, and its rider ^(N)with madness. But for the sake of the house of Judah I will keep my eyes open, when I strike every horse of the peoples ^(O)with blindness. ⁵Then the clans of Judah shall say to themselves, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem have strength through the Lord of hosts, their God.’

⁶^(P)“On that day I will make the clans of Judah ^(Q)like a blazing pot in the midst of wood, like a flaming torch among sheaves. And ^(R)they shall devour to the right and to the left all the surrounding peoples, while ^(S)Jerusalem shall again be inhabited in its place, in Jerusalem.

⁷“And the Lord will give salvation to the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not surpass that of Judah. ⁸^(T)On that day ^(U)the Lord will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that ^(V)the feeblest among them on that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, ^(W)like the angel of the Lord, going before them. ⁹^(X)And on that day ^(Y)I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

Him Whom They Have Pierced

¹⁰“And ^(Z)I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and ^(AA)pleas for mercy, so that, ^(AB)when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, ^(AC)they shall mourn for him, ^(AD)as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. ¹¹^(AE)On that day ^(AF)the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great ^(AG)as the mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. ¹²The land shall mourn, ^(AH)each family^[a] by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of ^(AI)Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; ¹³the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of ^(AJ)the Shimeites by itself, and their wives by themselves; ¹⁴and all the families that are left, each by itself, and their wives by themselves.

13 ^(AK)“On that day there shall be ^(AL)a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.

Idolatry Cut Off

²“And ^(AM)on that day, declares the Lord of hosts, ^(AN)I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, so that ^(AO)they shall be remembered no more. And also ^(AP)I will remove from the land the prophets and the spirit of uncleanness. ³And if anyone again prophesies, his father and mother who bore him will say to him, ^(AQ)‘You shall not live, for you speak lies in the name of the Lord.’ And his father and mother who bore him shall pierce him through when he prophesies.

⁴“On that day ^(AR)every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies. He will not put on a hairy cloak in order to deceive, ⁵but he will say, ^(AS)‘I am no prophet, I am a worker of the soil, for a man sold me in my youth.’^[b] ⁶And if one asks him, ‘What are these wounds on your back?’^[c] he will say, ‘The wounds I received in the house of my friends.’

The Shepherd Struck

⁷“Awake, O sword, against ^(AT)my shepherd,
against the man who stands next to me,”
declares the Lord of hosts.

^(AU)“Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered;
I will turn my hand against the little ones.
⁸In the whole land, declares the Lord,
two thirds shall be cut off and perish,
^(AV)and one third shall be left alive.
⁹And ^(AW)I will put this third into the fire,
and refine them as one refines silver,
and test them as gold is tested.
^(AX)They will call upon my name,
and ^(AY)I will answer them.
^(AZ)I will say, ‘They are my people’;
and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”

Footnotes:

Zechariah 12:12 Or clan; throughout verses 12–14
Zechariah 13:5 Or for the land has been my possession since my youth
Zechariah 13:6 Or on your chest; Hebrew wounds between your hands

Cross references:

English Standard Version (ESV)

Revelation 19

Rejoicing in Heaven

19 After this I heard ^(A)what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out,

“Hallelujah!
^(B)Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
²for ^(C)his judgments are true and just;
for he has judged ^(D)the great prostitute
who corrupted the earth with her immorality,
and ^(E)has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”

³Once more they cried out,

“Hallelujah!
^(F)The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.”

⁴And ^(G)the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” ⁵And from the throne came a voice saying,

^(H)“Praise our God,
all you his servants,
^(I)you who fear him,
small and great.”

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb

⁶Then I heard what seemed to be ^(J)the voice of a great multitude, like ^(K)the roar of many waters and ^(L)like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,

“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
the Almighty ^(M)reigns.
⁷Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for ^(N)the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and ^(O)his Bride has made herself ready;
⁸^(P)it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure”—

for the fine linen is ^(Q)the righteous deeds of the saints.

⁹And the angel said^[a] to me, “Write this: ^(R)Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, ^(S)“These are the true words of God.” ¹⁰Then ^(T)I fell down at his feet to worship him, ^(U)but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to ^(V)the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

The Rider on a White Horse

¹¹Then I saw ^(W)heaven opened, and behold, ^(X)a white horse! The one sitting on it is called ^(Y)Faithful and True, and ^(Z)in righteousness he judges and makes war. ¹²^(AA)His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are ^(AB)many diadems, and he has ^(AC)a name written that no one knows but himself. ¹³He is clothed in ^(AD)a robe dipped in^[b] blood, and the name by which he is called is ^(AE)The Word of God. ¹⁴And the armies of heaven, ^(AF)arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, ^(AG)were following him on white horses. ¹⁵^(AH)From his mouth comes a sharp sword ^(AI)with which to strike down the nations, and ^(AJ)he will rule^[c] them with a rod of iron. ^(AK)He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. ¹⁶On his robe and on his thigh ^(AL)he has a name written, ^(AM)King of kings and Lord of lords.

¹⁷Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to ^(AN)all the birds that fly directly overhead, ^(AO)“Come, gather for ^(AP)the great supper of God, ¹⁸^(AQ)to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave,^[d] both small and great.” ¹⁹And I saw ^(AR)the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies ^(AS)gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. ²⁰And the beast was captured, and with it ^(AT)the false prophet ^(AU)who in its presence^[e] had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who ^(AV)worshiped its image. These two were ^(AW)thrown alive into the lake of ^(AX)fire that burns with sulfur. ²¹And the rest were slain by the sword ^(AY)that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and ^(AZ)all the birds were gorged with their flesh.

Footnotes:

Revelation 19:9 Greek he said
Revelation 19:13 Some manuscripts sprinkled with
Revelation 19:15 Greek shepherd
Revelation 19:18 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface
Revelation 19:20 Or on its behalf

Cross references:

English Standard Version (ESV)

Psalm 147

He Heals the Brokenhearted

147 ^(A)Praise the Lord!
For ^(B)it is good to sing praises to our God;
for ^(C)it is pleasant,^[a] and ^(D)a song of praise is fitting.
²The Lord ^(E)builds up Jerusalem;
he ^(F)gathers the outcasts of Israel.
³He heals ^(G)the brokenhearted
and ^(H)binds up their wounds.
⁴He ^(I)determines the number of the stars;
he ^(J)gives to all of them their names.
⁵^(K)Great is our Lord, and ^(L)abundant in power;
^(M)his understanding is beyond measure.
⁶The Lord ^(N)lifts up the humble;^[b]
he casts the wicked to the ground.

⁷^(O)Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
make melody to our God on ^(P)the lyre!
⁸He covers the heavens with clouds;
he prepares ^(Q)rain for the earth;
he makes ^(R)grass grow on the hills.
⁹He ^(S)gives to the beasts their food,
and to ^(T)the young ravens that cry.
¹⁰His delight is not in ^(U)the strength of the horse,
nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
¹¹but the Lord ^(V)takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who ^(W)hope in his steadfast love.

¹²Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
¹³For he strengthens ^(X)the bars of your gates;
he blesses your children within you.
¹⁴He ^(Y)makes peace in your borders;
he ^(Z)fills you with the ^(AA)finest of the wheat.
¹⁵He ^(AB)sends out his command to the earth;
his word runs swiftly.
¹⁶He gives ^(AC)snow like wool;
he scatters ^(AD)frost like ashes.
¹⁷He hurls down his crystals of ^(AE)ice like crumbs;
who can stand before his ^(AF)cold?
¹⁸He ^(AG)sends out his word, and melts them;
he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.
¹⁹He declares his word to Jacob,
his ^(AH)statutes and rules^[c] to Israel.
²⁰He ^(AI)has not dealt thus with any other nation;
they do not know his rules.^[d]
^(AJ)Praise the Lord!

Footnotes:

Psalm 147:1 Or for he is beautiful
Psalm 147:6 Or afflicted
Psalm 147:19 Or and just decrees
Psalm 147:20 Or his just decrees

Cross references:

Psalm 147:1 : See Ps. 135:1
Psalm 147:1 : Ps. 92:1
Psalm 147:1 : Ps. 135:3
Psalm 147:1 : Ps. 33:1
Psalm 147:2 : Ps. 51:18; 102:16
Psalm 147:2 : Deut. 30:3; Isa. 11:12; 27:13; 56:8; Ezek. 39:28
Psalm 147:3 : Ps. 34:18
Psalm 147:3 : Ezek. 34:16
Psalm 147:4 : [Gen. 15:5]
Psalm 147:4 : Isa. 40:26
Psalm 147:5 : Ps. 48:1
Psalm 147:5 : Nah. 1:3
Psalm 147:5 : Isa. 40:28; [Job 5:9]
Psalm 147:6 : [Ps. 146:8, 9]
Psalm 147:7 : Ex. 15:21; [Ps. 95:1, 2]
Psalm 147:7 : See 1 Chr. 15:16
Psalm 147:8 : See Job 5:10
Psalm 147:8 : Ps. 104:14; Job 38:27
Psalm 147:9 : Ps. 104:27, 28
Psalm 147:9 : See Job 38:41
Psalm 147:10 : Ps. 33:17
Psalm 147:11 : Ps. 149:4
Psalm 147:11 : Ps. 33:18
Psalm 147:13 : Neh. 7:3
Psalm 147:14 : Ex. 34:24; Prov. 16:7; Isa. 60:17, 18
Psalm 147:14 : Ps. 132:15
Psalm 147:14 : Ps. 81:16; Deut. 32:14
Psalm 147:15 : [Ps. 148:8]
Psalm 147:16 : Job 37:6
Psalm 147:16 : [Job 38:29]
Psalm 147:17 : Job 37:10
Psalm 147:17 : Job 37:9
Psalm 147:18 : ver. 15; [Job 37:12]; See Ps. 33:9; 107:20
Psalm 147:19 : Mal. 4:4; [Ps. 78:5]; See Deut. 33:2-4
Psalm 147:20 : Deut. 4:7; See Deut. 4:32-34
Psalm 147:20 : See Ps. 135:1

English Standard Version (ESV)

Proverbs 31:1-7

The Words of King Lemuel

31 The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him:

²What are you doing, my son?^[a] What are you doing, ^(A)son of my womb?
What are you doing, ^(B)son of my vows?
³Do ^(C)not give your strength to women,
your ways to those ^(D)who destroy kings.
⁴^(E)It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
it is not for kings ^(F)to drink wine,
or for rulers to take ^(G)strong drink,
⁵lest they drink and forget what has been decreed
and ^(H)pervert the rights of all the afflicted.
⁶Give strong drink to the one who ^(I)is perishing,
and wine to ^(J)those in bitter distress;^[b]
⁷^(K)let them drink and forget their poverty
and remember their misery no more.

Footnotes:

Proverbs 31:2 Hebrew What, my son?
Proverbs 31:6 Hebrew those bitter in soul

English Standard Version (ESV)

December 27, 2021

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Monday December 27, 2021 (NIV)

Zechariah 10-11

The Restoration for Judah and Israel

10 Ask rain ^(A)from the Lord
in the season of ^(B)the spring rain,
from the Lord ^(C)who makes the storm clouds,
and ^(D)he will give them showers of rain,
to everyone the vegetation in the field.
²For ^(E)the household gods ^(F)utter nonsense,
and the diviners see lies;
^(G)they tell false dreams
and give empty consolation.
Therefore ^(H)the people wander like sheep;
they are afflicted for lack of a shepherd.

³^(I)“My anger is hot against the shepherds,
and ^(J)I will punish the leaders;^[a]
for ^(K)the Lord of hosts cares for his flock, the house of Judah,
and will make them like his majestic steed in battle.
⁴From him shall come ^(L)the cornerstone,
from him ^(M)the tent peg,
from him the battle bow,
from him every ruler—^(N)all of them together.
⁵They shall be like mighty men in battle,
^(O)trampling the foe in the mud of the streets;
they shall fight because the Lord is with them,
and they shall put to shame ^(P)the riders on horses.

⁶^(Q)“I will strengthen the house of Judah,
and ^(R)I will save the house of Joseph.
^(S)I will bring them back ^(T)because I have compassion on them,
and they shall be as though I had not rejected them,
for ^(U)I am the Lord their God and I will answer them.
⁷Then Ephraim shall become like a mighty warrior,
and ^(V)their hearts shall be glad as with wine.
Their children shall see it and be glad;
their hearts shall rejoice in the Lord.

⁸^(W)“I will whistle for them and ^(X)gather them in,
for I have redeemed them,
and ^(Y)they shall be as many as they were before.
⁹^(Z)Though I scattered them among the nations,
yet in far countries ^(AA)they shall remember me,
and with their children they shall live and return.
¹⁰^(AB)I will bring them home from the land of Egypt,
and gather them from Assyria,
and ^(AC)I will bring them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon,
^(AD)till there is no room for them.
¹¹^(AE)He shall pass through the sea of troubles
and strike down the waves of the sea,
^(AF)and all the depths of the Nile shall be dried up.
The pride of Assyria shall be laid low,
and ^(AG)the scepter of Egypt shall depart.
¹²^(AH)I will make them strong in the Lord,
and ^(AI)they shall walk in his name,”
declares the Lord.

The Flock Doomed to Slaughter

11 Open your doors, ^(AJ)O Lebanon,
that the fire may devour your cedars!
²Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen,
for the glorious trees are ruined!
Wail, ^(AK)oaks of Bashan,
for the thick forest has been felled!
³The sound of ^(AL)the wail of ^(AM)the shepherds,
for their glory is ruined!
The sound of the roar of ^(AN)the lions,
^(AO)for the thicket of the Jordan is ruined!

⁴Thus said the Lord my God: ^(AP)“Become shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter. ⁵^(AQ)Those who buy them slaughter them and go unpunished, and those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the Lord, ^(AR)I have become rich,’ and their own shepherds have no pity on them. ⁶For ^(AS)I will no longer have pity on the inhabitants of this land, declares the Lord. Behold, I will cause each of them to fall into the hand of his neighbor, and each into the hand of his king, and they shall crush the land, and I will deliver none from their hand.”

⁷^(AT)So I became the shepherd of the flock doomed to be slaughtered by the sheep traders. And I took two staffs, one I named ^(AU)Favor, the other I named ^(AV)Union. ^(AW)And I tended the sheep. ⁸In one month ^(AX)I destroyed the three shepherds. But I became impatient with them, and they also detested me. ⁹So I said, “I will not be your shepherd. ^(AY)What is to die, let it die. What is to be destroyed, let it be destroyed. And let those who are left devour the flesh of one another.” ¹⁰And I took ^(AZ)my staff Favor, and I broke it, annulling the covenant that I had made with all the peoples. ¹¹So it was annulled on that day, and the sheep traders, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the Lord. ¹²Then I said to them, “If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” And they weighed out as my wages ^(BA)thirty pieces of silver. ¹³Then the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—^(BB)the lordly price at which I was priced by them. So I took the ^(BC)thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord, to the potter. ¹⁴Then I broke ^(BD)my second staff Union, annulling the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

¹⁵Then the Lord said to me, “Take once more the equipment of ^(BE)a foolish shepherd. ¹⁶For behold, I am raising up in the land a shepherd ^(BF)who does not care for those being destroyed, or seek the young or heal the maimed or nourish the healthy, but ^(BG)devours the flesh of the fat ones, tearing off even their hoofs.

¹⁷^(BH)“Woe to my worthless shepherd,
^(BI)who deserts the flock!
May the sword strike his arm
and ^(BJ)his right eye!
Let his arm be wholly withered,
his right eye utterly blinded!”

Footnotes:

Zechariah 10:3 Hebrew the male goats

Cross references:

Zechariah 10:1 : Jer. 14:22
Zechariah 10:1 : See Deut. 11:14
Zechariah 10:1 : Ps. 135:7
Zechariah 10:1 : Ezek. 34:26
Zechariah 10:2 : See Gen. 31:19
Zechariah 10:2 : Hab. 2:18
Zechariah 10:2 : Jer. 23:25
Zechariah 10:2 : Ezek. 34:5, 6
Zechariah 10:3 : [Ezek. 34:10]
Zechariah 10:3 : [Ezek. 34:17]
Zechariah 10:3 : Zeph. 2:7
Zechariah 10:4 : [Ps. 118:22]
Zechariah 10:4 : Isa. 22:23
Zechariah 10:4 : [ch. 9:8]
Zechariah 10:5 : [ch. 9:15]
Zechariah 10:5 : [Ps. 20:7]
Zechariah 10:6 : [ver. 12]
Zechariah 10:6 : ch. 8:7, 13
Zechariah 10:6 : [Jer. 3:18]
Zechariah 10:6 : Isa. 14:1
Zechariah 10:6 : ch. 13:9
Zechariah 10:7 : ch. 9:15
Zechariah 10:8 : Isa. 5:26
Zechariah 10:8 : Jer. 31:10, 11; See Hos. 1:11
Zechariah 10:8 : Ezek. 36:10, 11, 37
Zechariah 10:9 : [Hos. 2:23]
Zechariah 10:9 : Ezek. 6:9; See Deut. 30:1-3
Zechariah 10:10 : Isa. 11:11; 27:13; Hos. 11:11
Zechariah 10:10 : [Mic. 7:14]
Zechariah 10:10 : Isa. 49:20
Zechariah 10:11 : Isa. 11:15
Zechariah 10:11 : [Amos 8:8]
Zechariah 10:11 : Ezek. 30:13
Zechariah 10:12 : [ver. 6]
Zechariah 10:12 : Mic. 4:5
Zechariah 11:1 : [Isa. 2:12, 13]
Zechariah 11:2 : [See ver. 1 above]; [Isa. 2:12, 13]
Zechariah 11:3 : Jer. 25:34
Zechariah 11:3 : Jer. 25:34
Zechariah 11:3 : See Ezek. 19:1-3
Zechariah 11:3 : [Jer. 12:5]
Zechariah 11:4 : [ver. 7]
Zechariah 11:5 : Ezek. 34:3
Zechariah 11:5 : Hos. 12:8
Zechariah 11:6 : Jer. 13:14
Zechariah 11:7 : [ver. 4]
Zechariah 11:7 : ver. 10
Zechariah 11:7 : ver. 14
Zechariah 11:7 : [ver. 4]
Zechariah 11:8 : [ver. 3, 16; ch. 10:3; Jer. 22:11, 18, 24]
Zechariah 11:9 : Jer. 15:2
Zechariah 11:10 : ver. 7
Zechariah 11:12 : [Ex. 21:32; Matt. 26:15]
Zechariah 11:13 : [Matt. 27:9, 10]
Zechariah 11:13 : [See ver. 12 above]; [Ex. 21:32; Matt. 26:15]
Zechariah 11:14 : ver. 7
Zechariah 11:15 : See 2 Kgs. 24:18-20
Zechariah 11:16 : [Ezek. 34:4; John 10:13]
Zechariah 11:16 : Ezek. 34:3
Zechariah 11:17 : Jer. 23:1
Zechariah 11:17 : John 10:12
Zechariah 11:17 : [2 Kgs. 25:7]

English Standard Version (ESV)

Revelation 18

The Fall of Babylon

18 After this I saw ^(A)another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and ^(B)the earth was made bright with his glory. ²And he called out with a mighty voice,

^(C)“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!
She has become ^(D)a dwelling place for demons,
a haunt ^(E)for every unclean spirit,
a haunt ^(F)for every unclean bird,
a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast.
³For all nations have drunk^[a]
^(G)the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality,
and ^(H)the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her,
and ^(I)the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living.”

⁴Then I heard another voice from heaven saying,

^(J)“Come out of her, my people,
lest you take part in her sins,
lest you share in her plagues;
⁵for ^(K)her sins are heaped high as heaven,
and ^(L)God has remembered her iniquities.
⁶^(M)Pay her back as she herself has paid back others,
and repay her ^(N)double for her deeds;
mix a double portion for her ^(O)in the cup she mixed.
⁷^(P)As she glorified herself and lived in luxury,
so give her a like measure of torment and mourning,
since in her heart she says,
^(Q)‘I sit as a queen,
I am no widow,
and mourning I shall never see.’
⁸For this reason her plagues will come ^(R)in a single day,
death and mourning and famine,
and ^(S)she will be burned up with fire;
for ^(T)mighty is the Lord God who has judged her.”

⁹And ^(U)the kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, ^(V)will weep and wail over her ^(W)when they see the smoke of her burning. ¹⁰^(X)They will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say,

“Alas! Alas! ^(Y)You great city,
you mighty city, Babylon!
For ^(Z)in a single hour your judgment has come.”

¹¹And ^(AA)the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore, ¹²cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, all kinds of articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble, ¹³cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls.^[b]

¹⁴“The fruit for which your soul longed
has gone from you,
and all your delicacies and your splendors
are lost to you,
never to be found again!”

¹⁵^(AB)The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, ^(AC)will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud,

¹⁶“Alas, alas, for the great city
^(AD)that was clothed in fine linen,
in purple and scarlet,
adorned with gold,
with jewels, and with pearls!
¹⁷For ^(AE)in a single hour all this wealth ^(AF)has been laid waste.”

And ^(AG)all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off ¹⁸and ^(AH)cried out ^(AI)as they saw the smoke of her burning,

^(AJ)“What city was like the great city?”

¹⁹And they threw ^(AK)dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out,

“Alas, alas, for the great city
^(AL)where all who had ships at sea
grew rich by her wealth!
For ^(AM)in a single hour she has been laid waste.
²⁰^(AN)Rejoice over her, O heaven,
and you saints and ^(AO)apostles and prophets,
for ^(AP)God has given judgment for you against her!”

²¹Then ^(AQ)a mighty angel ^(AR)took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying,

“So will Babylon ^(AS)the great city be thrown down with violence,
and will be found no more;
²²and ^(AT)the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters,
will be heard in you no more,
and a craftsman of any craft
will be found in you no more,
and ^(AU)the sound of the mill
will be heard in you no more,
²³and the light of a lamp
will shine in you no more,
and ^(AV)the voice of bridegroom and bride
will be heard in you no more,
for ^(AW)your merchants were the great ones of the earth,
and all nations were deceived ^(AX)by your sorcery.
²⁴And ^(AY)in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints,
and of ^(AZ)all who have been slain on earth.”

Footnotes:

Revelation 18:3 Some manuscripts fallen by
Revelation 18:13 Or and slaves, and human lives

Cross references:

English Standard Version (ESV)

Psalm 146

Put Not Your Trust in Princes

146 ^(A)Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
²I will praise the Lord ^(B)as long as I live;
^(C)I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

³^(D)Put not your trust in princes,
^(E)in a son of man, in whom there is ^(F)no salvation.
⁴When ^(G)his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.

⁵^(H)Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose ^(I)hope is in the Lord his God,
⁶^(J)who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
^(K)who keeps faith forever;
⁷^(L)who executes justice for the oppressed,
^(M)who gives food to the hungry.

^(N)The Lord sets the prisoners free;
⁸^(O)the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
^(P)The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
^(Q)the Lord loves the righteous.
⁹^(R)The Lord watches over the sojourners;
^(S)he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but ^(T)the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

¹⁰^(U)The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.
^(V)Praise the Lord!

English Standard Version (ESV)

Proverbs 30:33

³³For pressing milk produces curds,
pressing the nose produces blood,
and pressing anger produces strife.

English Standard Version (ESV)

December 26, 2021

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Sunday December 26, 2021 (NIV)

Zechariah 9

Judgment on Israel's Enemies

9 The oracle of the word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrach
and ^(A)Damascus is its resting place.
For the Lord has an eye on mankind
and on all the tribes of Israel,^[a]
²^(B)and on Hamath also, which borders on it,
^(C)Tyre and ^(D)Sidon, though ^(E)they are very wise.
³Tyre has built herself ^(F)a rampart
and ^(G)heaped up silver like dust,
and fine gold like the mud of the streets.
⁴But behold, the Lord will strip her of her possessions
and strike down ^(H)her power on the sea,
and ^(I)she shall be devoured by fire.

⁵^(J)Ashkelon shall see it, and be afraid;
Gaza too, and shall writhe in anguish;
Ekron also, because its hopes are confounded.
The king shall perish from Gaza;
Ashkelon shall be uninhabited;
⁶^(K)a mixed people^[b] shall dwell in Ashdod,
and I will cut off the pride of Philistia.
⁷I will take away ^(L)its blood from its mouth,
and ^(M)its abominations from between its teeth;
^(N)it too shall be a remnant for our God;
it shall be like ^(O)a clan in Judah,
and Ekron shall be like the Jebusites.
⁸Then ^(P)I will encamp at my house as a guard,
^(Q)so that none shall march to and fro;
^(R)no oppressor shall again march over them,
^(S)for now I see with my own eyes.

The Coming King of Zion

⁹^(T)Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
^(U)Behold, ^(V)your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he,
^(W)humble and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
¹⁰^(X)I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
and ^(Y)the war horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
and ^(Z)he shall speak peace to the nations;
^(AA)his rule shall be from sea to sea,
and from ^(AB)the River^[c] to the ends of the earth.
¹¹As for you also, because of ^(AC)the blood of my covenant with you,
^(AD)I will set your prisoners free from ^(AE)the waterless pit.
¹²Return to your stronghold, O ^(AF)prisoners of hope;
today I declare that ^(AG)I will restore to you double.
¹³For ^(AH)I have bent Judah as my bow;
I have made Ephraim its arrow.
I will stir up your sons, O Zion,
against your sons, ^(AI)O Greece,
and wield you like a warrior's sword.

The Lord Will Save His People

¹⁴Then the Lord will appear over them,
and ^(AJ)his arrow will go forth like lightning;
^(AK)the Lord God will sound the trumpet
and will march forth in ^(AL)the whirlwinds ^(AM)of the south.
¹⁵The Lord of hosts ^(AN)will protect them,
and ^(AO)they shall devour, ^(AP)and tread down the sling stones,
and ^(AQ)they shall drink and roar as if drunk with wine,
and be full like a bowl,
drenched ^(AR)like the corners of the altar.

¹⁶On that day the Lord their God will save them,
as ^(AS)the flock of his people;
for ^(AT)like the jewels of a crown
they shall shine on his land.
¹⁷^(AU)For how great is his goodness, and how great his beauty!
^(AV)Grain shall make the young men flourish,
and new wine the young women.

Footnotes:

Zechariah 9:1 Or For the eye of mankind, especially of all the tribes of Israel, is toward the Lord
Zechariah 9:6 Or a foreign people; Hebrew a bastard
Zechariah 9:10 That is, the Euphrates

Cross references:

Zechariah 9:1 : See Isa. 17:1
Zechariah 9:2 : Jer. 49:23; See 1 Kgs. 8:65
Zechariah 9:2 : Josh. 19:28, 29; Isa. 23:1, 2
Zechariah 9:2 : Josh. 19:28, 29; Isa. 23:1, 2
Zechariah 9:2 : See Ezek. 28:3-5
Zechariah 9:3 : [Josh. 19:29]
Zechariah 9:3 : Ezek. 28:4, 5
Zechariah 9:4 : Ezek. 26:17
Zechariah 9:4 : Ezek. 28:18
Zechariah 9:5 : See Zeph. 2:4
Zechariah 9:6 : [Deut. 23:2]
Zechariah 9:7 : See Lev. 3:17
Zechariah 9:7 : [Isa. 66:17]
Zechariah 9:7 : [Isa. 14:1]
Zechariah 9:7 : ch. 12:5, 6
Zechariah 9:8 : [ch. 2:5]
Zechariah 9:8 : ch. 7:14
Zechariah 9:8 : ch. 10:4; [Isa. 60:17]
Zechariah 9:8 : [ch. 12:4]
Zechariah 9:9 : See Zeph. 3:14
Zechariah 9:9 : Cited Matt. 21:5; [John 12:15]
Zechariah 9:9 : See Jer. 23:5
Zechariah 9:9 : [Matt. 11:29]
Zechariah 9:10 : See Hos. 1:7
Zechariah 9:10 : See Mic. 5:10
Zechariah 9:10 : See Mic. 5:5
Zechariah 9:10 : Ps. 72:8
Zechariah 9:10 : See Ex. 23:31
Zechariah 9:11 : Ex. 24:8
Zechariah 9:11 : Isa. 42:7; 51:14; 61:1
Zechariah 9:11 : [Gen. 37:24; Jer. 38:6]
Zechariah 9:12 : [Jer. 31:17]
Zechariah 9:12 : Isa. 61:7
Zechariah 9:13 : [ch. 10:3, 4]
Zechariah 9:13 : Gen. 10:2; Ezek. 27:13
Zechariah 9:14 : See 2 Sam. 22:15
Zechariah 9:14 : [Isa. 27:13]
Zechariah 9:14 : Isa. 21:1
Zechariah 9:14 : [ch. 6:6]
Zechariah 9:15 : ch. 12:8; [ch. 10:5]
Zechariah 9:15 : ch. 12:6
Zechariah 9:15 : [ch. 10:5]
Zechariah 9:15 : ch. 10:7
Zechariah 9:15 : [Lev. 4:18, 25]
Zechariah 9:16 : Ps. 100:3
Zechariah 9:16 : Isa. 62:3; [Mal. 3:17]
Zechariah 9:17 : [Isa. 62:3, 4]
Zechariah 9:17 : [Isa. 62:8, 9; Jer. 31:12]

English Standard Version (ESV)

Revelation 17

The Great Prostitute and the Beast

17 Then ^(A)one of the seven angels who had ^(B)the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of ^(C)the great prostitute ^(D)who is seated on many waters, ²^(E)with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and ^(F)with the wine of whose sexual immorality ^(G)the dwellers on earth have become drunk.” ³And ^(H)he carried me away in the Spirit ^(I)into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on ^(J)a scarlet beast that was full of ^(K)blasphemous names, and ^(L)it had seven heads and ten horns. ⁴The woman ^(M)was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned ^(N)with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand ^(O)a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. ⁵And on her forehead was written a name of ^(P)mystery: ^(Q)“Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations.” ⁶And I saw the woman, drunk ^(R)with the blood of the saints, the blood of ^(S)the martyrs of Jesus.^[a]

When I saw her, I marveled greatly. ⁷But the angel said to me, “Why do you marvel? I will tell you ^(T)the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. ⁸The beast that you saw ^(U)was, and is not, and ^(V)is about to rise from ^(W)the bottomless pit^[b] and ^(X)go to destruction. And ^(Y)the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in ^(Z)the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because ^(AA)it was and is not and is to come. ⁹^(AB)This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; ¹⁰they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. ¹¹As for the beast ^(AC)that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. ¹²And ^(AD)the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings ^(AE)for one hour, together with the beast. ¹³These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast. ¹⁴They ^(AF)will make war on the Lamb, and ^(AG)the Lamb will conquer them, for he is ^(AH)Lord of lords and ^(AI)King of kings, and those with him are ^(AJ)called and chosen and faithful.”

¹⁵And the angel^[c] said to me, ^(AK)“The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages. ¹⁶And ^(AL)the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast ^(AM)will hate the prostitute. They will make her ^(AN)desolate and ^(AO)naked, and ^(AP)devour her flesh and ^(AQ)burn her up with fire, ¹⁷for ^(AR)God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and ^(AS)handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. ¹⁸And the woman that you saw is ^(AT)the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth.”

Footnotes:

Revelation 17:6 Greek the witnesses to Jesus
Revelation 17:8 Greek the abyss
Revelation 17:15 Greek he

Cross references:

English Standard Version (ESV)

Psalm 145

Great Is the Lord

^[a] A Song of Praise. Of David.

145 ^(A)I will extol you, my God and ^(B)King,
and bless your name forever and ever.
²Every day I will bless you
^(C)and praise your name forever and ever.
³^(D)Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
and his ^(E)greatness is unsearchable.

⁴^(F)One generation shall commend your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.
⁵On ^(G)the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
⁶They shall speak of ^(H)the might of your awesome deeds,
and I will declare your greatness.
⁷They shall pour forth the fame of your ^(I)abundant goodness
and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

⁸The Lord is ^(J)gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
⁹The Lord is ^(K)good to all,
and his mercy is over all that he has made.

¹⁰^(L)All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
and all your ^(M)saints shall bless you!
¹¹They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
and tell of your power,
¹²to ^(N)make known to the children of man your^[b] ^(O)mighty deeds,
and ^(P)the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
¹³^(Q)Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

[The Lord is faithful in all his words
and kind in all his works.]^[c]
¹⁴The Lord ^(R)upholds all who are falling
and ^(S)raises up all who are bowed down.
¹⁵The eyes of all ^(T)look to you,
and you give them their food in due season.
¹⁶You ^(U)open your hand;
you ^(V)satisfy the desire of every living thing.
¹⁷The Lord is ^(W)righteous in all his ways
and ^(X)kind in all his works.
¹⁸The Lord is ^(Y)near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him ^(Z)in truth.
¹⁹He ^(AA)fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
he also ^(AB)hears their cry and saves them.
²⁰The Lord ^(AC)preserves all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.

²¹My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
and ^(AD)let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

Footnotes:

Psalm 145:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet
Psalm 145:12 Hebrew his; also next line
Psalm 145:13 These two lines are supplied by one Hebrew manuscript, Septuagint, Syriac (compare Dead Sea Scroll)

Cross references:

Psalm 145:1 : Ps. 99:5, 9
Psalm 145:1 : Ps. 98:6
Psalm 145:2 : [Ps. 146:2]
Psalm 145:3 : Ps. 48:1
Psalm 145:3 : Job 5:9; [Isa. 40:28]
Psalm 145:4 : Isa. 38:19
Psalm 145:5 : ver. 12
Psalm 145:6 : [Ps. 78:4]
Psalm 145:7 : Isa. 63:7
Psalm 145:8 : See Ps. 86:5, 15
Psalm 145:9 : See Ps. 100:5
Psalm 145:10 : [Ps. 19:1; 103:22]
Psalm 145:10 : [Ps. 132:9, 16]
Psalm 145:12 : Ps. 105:1
Psalm 145:12 : ver. 4; Ps. 150:2; Deut. 3:24
Psalm 145:12 : ver. 5
Psalm 145:13 : See Ps. 10:16
Psalm 145:14 : [Ps. 37:17, 24]
Psalm 145:14 : Ps. 146:8
Psalm 145:15 : Ps. 104:27
Psalm 145:16 : Ps. 104:28
Psalm 145:16 : [Ps. 104:21; 147:8]
Psalm 145:17 : See Ps. 116:5
Psalm 145:17 : Ps. 18:25; Jer. 3:12
Psalm 145:18 : [Ps. 34:18; 119:151; Deut. 4:7]
Psalm 145:18 : John 4:23, 24
Psalm 145:19 : Prov. 10:24; [John 9:31]
Psalm 145:19 : Ps. 31:22
Psalm 145:20 : See Ps. 97:10
Psalm 145:21 : [Ps. 150:6]

English Standard Version (ESV)

Proverbs 30:32

³²If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,
or if you have been devising evil,
^(A)put your hand on your mouth.

Cross references:

Proverbs 30:32 : Mic. 7:16; See Job 21:5

English Standard Version (ESV)

December 25, 2021

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Saturday December 25, 2021 (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, 2021

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Friday December 24, 2021 (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, 2021

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday December 23, 2021 (NIV)

Zechariah 4-5

4 The heavenly messenger who had been talking with me returned and stirred me, as if I had been asleep. It was time for a fifth vision.

Heavenly Messenger: ²What do you see before you?

A fifth vision shows the lamp of God’s grace completing what has begun.

Zechariah: I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl on top of it and seven oil lamps on it. Each of the seven lamps has a spout, which the wicks lie in to soak up oil as they’re burned. ³There are also two olive trees nearby: one on the right and the other on the left of the bowl.

⁴But what are these things, lord?

Heavenly Messenger: ⁵Do you not know what they are?

Zechariah: No, lord. I don’t.

Heavenly Messenger (changing the subject): ⁶The Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, has said this to Zerubbabel: “Your strength and prowess will not be enough to finish My temple, but My Spirit will be.” And He says this to those thwarting Zerubbabel’s efforts: ⁷“Who are you, O mighty mountain of opposition? Before Zerubbabel, you will become nothing more than a smooth plain, and he will quarry the capstone and bring it out to the sound of people shouting, ‘God, grant it Your grace! God bless it!’”

⁸The word of the Eternal came to me again to reiterate what was just reported.

Heavenly Messenger: ⁹Zerubbabel’s very own hands have laid the foundation of this new temple, and his hands will complete it. When he does, it will be clear to you that the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, has sent me to you. ¹⁰Now all who have frowned on the day when only slight progress was made to reconstruct the temple will celebrate when they see the stone that centers the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel, who will survey Jerusalem.

(finally answering his earlier question) The seven lamps on top of the lampstand are the eyes of the Eternal One, diligently searching the earth.

Zechariah (to the heavenly messenger): ¹¹What are the two olive trees, the ones on the right and left of the lampstand? What do these mean?

¹²(persisting) And the two fruitful olive branches that extend toward the lampstand, the ones supported by the two gold pipes pouring out their gold oil—what do these mean?

Heavenly Messenger: ¹³Do you not know what they are?

Zechariah: No, lord. I don’t.

Heavenly Messenger: ¹⁴The olive trees are the two men who have been anointed with fresh oil, Zerubabbel and Joshua. They will rule Jerusalem jointly, one over politics and one over religion, and serve the Master over all the earth.

5 That night I had a sixth vision. I looked up and saw a large scroll flying.

Heavenly Messenger: ²What do you see before you?

A sixth vision reveals the righteous ness held in God’s word, the true measure by which all are judged.

Zechariah: I see a large scroll flying. It’s at least 30 feet long and 15 feet wide.

Heavenly Messenger: ³This scroll is God’s curse of judgment that blankets all the land. On one side, it is written that all who steal will be banished from the land. On the other side, it says that all who break their solemn vows will be banished. ⁴The Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, says, “I will dispatch this curse of judgment into the home of every thief and every perjurer who invokes My name. The decree will remain through the night in that house until it destroys everything, even its wood and stone.”

⁵The heavenly messenger who had been talking with me went out. It was time for a seventh vision.

Heavenly Messenger: Look up. What do you see moving forward?

A seventh vision explains that the wickedness infecting the world will one day be contained by the agents of God.

Zechariah: ⁶What is it?

Heavenly Messenger: It is a six-gallon basket^[a] moving forward. Like the scroll, it, too, is a mark of judgment carrying the iniquity that they committed in the land.

⁷Suddenly, the basket’s lead cover was lifted, and I saw a woman inside. She seemed to want out.

Heavenly Messenger: ⁸This is Lady Wickedness.

The messenger pushed the woman back into the basket and replaced the basket’s stone (that is, its lead cover) over the mouth so she’d stay inside it. ⁹Then in this vision, I looked up and saw two women moving forward with wings resembling the wings of storks. With the power of the wind in their wings, they lifted the basket up to a place somewhere far away, between heaven and earth.

Zechariah: ¹⁰Where are they taking the basket?

Heavenly Messenger: ¹¹It is being delivered to the land of Shinar, which you know as Babylon. A temple is being built for it there; and once it is ready, they will put the basket on its own altar cart. Let the Babylonians worship what God has condemned.

Footnotes:

5:6 Hebrew, ephah

The Voice (VOICE)

Revelation 14

The number “666” stands in contrast to the perfection of the Lamb and the Spirit. Because this number is “the number of a person,” readers have tried to pin down the identity of this person throughout history. In John’s day, the name and title “Nero Caesar” was a likely candidate for the beast because Nero persecuted and executed believers, demanding obedience and even worship. Every era seems to have its Neros, those beastly characters who occupy seats of power and yet use their power to oppress God’s people. The speculation continues as to this person’s identity, but what has not changed is the message of hope in the midst of extreme persecution; that is the beauty proclaimed in this vision given to John.

14 The scene changed. I looked and saw the Lamb standing on top of Mount Zion, and with Him were the 144,000 who had His name and His Father’s name inscribed on their foreheads. ²And I heard a voice from heaven roaring like a waterfall and clapping like thunder. The voice I heard was like a symphony of harpists playing their instruments. ³As I watched, they began to sing a new song before the throne, the four living creatures, and the twenty-four elders. The only ones with the ability to learn this song were the 144,000 who had been rescued from the earth, ⁴virgins who had not given themselves to sexual relations. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They have been purchased from among humanity as the firstfruits, set apart for God and the Lamb. ⁵In their mouths, no lie was found; no blemish marred them.

⁶I saw another messenger flying through midheaven. He carried an eternal gospel, bringing good news to all the citizens of the earth—every ethnicity, nation, language, and people.

Heavenly Messenger (with a loud voice): ⁷Fear God. Give Him glory, for the time of judgment has arrived. Worship the One who fashioned heaven and earth and created the seas and the springs.

⁸Another messenger, a second, came along.

Second Messenger: Fallen, fallen is Babylon, the great city! She has intoxicated all the nations with the wine of the wrath of her sexual perversion.

⁹Another messenger, a third, followed.

Third Messenger (with a loud voice): Those who worship the beast and its image, and all who receive its mark on their foreheads or on their hands, ¹⁰will be forced to drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured out undiluted into the cup of God’s anger. And they will face the torment of fire and the agony of sulfurous flames before the holy messengers and the Lamb. ¹¹The smoke of their torment will rise throughout the ages for eternity. Day and night will come and go without pause or cessation. There will be no end to the torture experienced by those who worship the beast and its image and by those who receive the mark of its name.

¹²Here is the patient endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and remain faithful to Jesus.

¹³Then I heard a voice call out from heaven.

A Voice: Record this: “Blessed are the dead who have died in the Lord from now until the end.”

Spirit: Yes, they will rest from their labors because their deeds remain with them.

¹⁴Then I saw a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like the Son of Man, a golden wreath atop His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. ¹⁵Another messenger proceeded from the temple and called with a loud voice to the One who sat on the cloud.

Heavenly Messenger: Take Your sickle and reap the harvest, because the harvest of the earth is full and ripe and because the time to harvest has come.

¹⁶Then the One seated on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth gave up its harvest.

¹⁷Just then another messenger proceeded out of the heavenly temple. He also had a sharp sickle. ¹⁸Then another messenger (the one with authority over fire) came out from the altar, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle.

Messenger of Fire: Take your sharp sickle and gather together the clusters of grapes from the vines of the earth, for the grapes are ripe and ready for harvest.

¹⁹So the heavenly messenger swung his sickle over the earth, gathered the fruit of the vine from the earth, and threw it into the great winepress, which is the wrath of God. ²⁰And the winepress was trampled outside of the city, and blood flowed from the winepress. The blood ran deep. It reached as high as the bridle on a horse and ran for the distance of about 185 miles.

The Voice (VOICE)

Psalm 142

A contemplative prayer^[a] of David while he hid in a cave.

¹I call out loudly to the Eternal One;
I lift my voice to the Eternal begging for His favor.
²I let everything that’s going wrong spill out of my mouth;
I spell out all my troubles to Him.
³When my spirit buckled under the burdens I bear,
You knew my way.
They conspired to trip me up and trap me
on the path where I was walking.
⁴Take a look around and see—to the right, to the left—
no one is there who cares for me.
There’s no way out of here;
no one cares about the state of my soul.

⁵You are the One I called to, O Eternal One.
I said, “You’re the only safe place I know;
You’re all I’ve got in this world.
⁶Oh, let me know that You hear my cry
because I’m languishing and desperate;

Rescue me from those who torment me
because there’s no way I can stand up to them;
they are much too strong for me.
⁷Lift my captive soul from this dark prison
so I may render to You my gratitude;
Then Your righteous people will gather around me
because You will treat me with astounding goodness.”

Footnotes:

142:title Hebrew, maskil

The Voice (VOICE)

Proverbs 30:21-23

²¹Three situations disturb the earth,
no, make it four that it cannot endure:
²²When a slave is elevated to king,
when a fool is full of fine food,
²³When a hated woman finally marries,
and when a serving girl takes possession of her mistress’s wealth.

The Voice (VOICE)

December 23, 2021

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday December 23, 2021 (NIV)

Zechariah 4-5

4 The heavenly messenger who had been talking with me returned and stirred me, as if I had been asleep. It was time for a fifth vision.

Heavenly Messenger: ²What do you see before you?

A fifth vision shows the lamp of God’s grace completing what has begun.

⁴But what are these things, lord?

Heavenly Messenger: ⁵Do you not know what they are?

Zechariah: No, lord. I don’t.

⁸The word of the Eternal came to me again to reiterate what was just reported.

(finally answering his earlier question) The seven lamps on top of the lampstand are the eyes of the Eternal One, diligently searching the earth.

Zechariah (to the heavenly messenger): ¹¹What are the two olive trees, the ones on the right and left of the lampstand? What do these mean?

¹²(persisting) And the two fruitful olive branches that extend toward the lampstand, the ones supported by the two gold pipes pouring out their gold oil—what do these mean?

Heavenly Messenger: ¹³Do you not know what they are?

Zechariah: No, lord. I don’t.

5 That night I had a sixth vision. I looked up and saw a large scroll flying.

Heavenly Messenger: ²What do you see before you?

A sixth vision reveals the righteous ness held in God’s word, the true measure by which all are judged.

Zechariah: I see a large scroll flying. It’s at least 30 feet long and 15 feet wide.

⁵The heavenly messenger who had been talking with me went out. It was time for a seventh vision.

Heavenly Messenger: Look up. What do you see moving forward?

A seventh vision explains that the wickedness infecting the world will one day be contained by the agents of God.

Zechariah: ⁶What is it?

Heavenly Messenger: It is a six-gallon basket^[a] moving forward. Like the scroll, it, too, is a mark of judgment carrying the iniquity that they committed in the land.

⁷Suddenly, the basket’s lead cover was lifted, and I saw a woman inside. She seemed to want out.

Heavenly Messenger: ⁸This is Lady Wickedness.

Zechariah: ¹⁰Where are they taking the basket?

Footnotes:

5:6 Hebrew, ephah

The Voice (VOICE)

Revelation 14

⁶I saw another messenger flying through midheaven. He carried an eternal gospel, bringing good news to all the citizens of the earth—every ethnicity, nation, language, and people.

Heavenly Messenger (with a loud voice): ⁷Fear God. Give Him glory, for the time of judgment has arrived. Worship the One who fashioned heaven and earth and created the seas and the springs.

⁸Another messenger, a second, came along.

Second Messenger: Fallen, fallen is Babylon, the great city! She has intoxicated all the nations with the wine of the wrath of her sexual perversion.

⁹Another messenger, a third, followed.

¹²Here is the patient endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and remain faithful to Jesus.

¹³Then I heard a voice call out from heaven.

A Voice: Record this: “Blessed are the dead who have died in the Lord from now until the end.”

Spirit: Yes, they will rest from their labors because their deeds remain with them.

Heavenly Messenger: Take Your sickle and reap the harvest, because the harvest of the earth is full and ripe and because the time to harvest has come.

¹⁶Then the One seated on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth gave up its harvest.

Messenger of Fire: Take your sharp sickle and gather together the clusters of grapes from the vines of the earth, for the grapes are ripe and ready for harvest.

The Voice (VOICE)

Psalm 142

A contemplative prayer^[a] of David while he hid in a cave.

Footnotes:

142:title Hebrew, maskil

The Voice (VOICE)

Proverbs 30:21-23

The Voice (VOICE)

December 22, 2021

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Wednesday December 22, 2021 (NIV)

Zechariah 2-3

2 That night I had a third vision. I looked up and saw a man with a measuring line in his hand.

Zechariah: ²Where are you going with that?

Surveyor: I am going to measure the city of Jerusalem to find out how wide and how long it is so that a wall may be built around it.

A third vision looks forward to a time of restoration and the coming of God’s Anointed One when things will be set right.

³Then the heavenly messenger who had been answering my questions since my first vision left my side, and a second messenger came and met him.

Second Messenger: ⁴Go quickly, and tell that young surveyor with the measuring line, “Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the vast number of people and all their domesticated animals living in it.” ⁵For the Eternal One says, “Instead of a wall of stone, I will be a wall of fire protecting her all around, and I will be the shining glory within her.”

Eternal One (to Zechariah): ⁶Tell all the Israelites to hear My message: “Up! Flee from your oppressors in the north. I have scattered you far across this earth, as if you were the four winds of heaven, and now I call you to return.” ⁷Then tell My people in Jerusalem to hear My message: “Escape from subservience to daughter Babylon and go to Zion!”

⁸So said the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies.

After His glory has arrived in the city, He will send me to the nations that stripped you bare, Jerusalem, because any nation who harms you harms the apple of His eye.

Eternal One: ⁹Watch what I’m going to do: I am ready to wave My hand over them to command punishment, and their own slaves will turn against them and strip them bare.

When these things happen, you will know the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, has sent me as His prophet.

Eternal One: ¹⁰Sing out loud and be happy, daughter Zion, because you will see Me coming and I will live among you. I, the Eternal One, promise this. ¹¹When that day comes, many other nations will join with Me, and their people will become My people. Still I will live among you, my covenant people.

When these things happen, you will know the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, has sent me to you. ¹²The Eternal will inherit Judah as His share in the holy land, and He will again choose Jerusalem as His city. ¹³Hush, all people! Be silent before the Eternal, for He has awakened and has come in glory to Jerusalem from His holy home in heaven.

3 Then the heavenly messenger showed me a fourth vision: Joshua, the high priest, was standing in front of the Eternal’s Special Messenger who was presiding over a heavenly council meeting. Standing to Joshua’s right was the one called the Accuser.^[a] He was ready to argue that Joshua was unworthy to serve as high priest.

In this vision Zechariah sees a heavenly court. Joshua the high priest is on trial, charged with impurity and accused of being unfit to serve as high priest. The Accuser appears in the role of a prosecuting attorney, bringing charges and attempting to undermine the credibility of the one person God wants to lead His people. But the Judge will have none of it.

Eternal One (to the Accuser): ²I am reprimanding you, Accuser. I, the Eternal One, have chosen Jerusalem as My own, saved her from My fiery wrath as if she were a wooden poker just pulled from destruction in a fire.

³Joshua stood motionless before the Eternal’s messenger, still dressed in filth-covered clothes, as if recently returned from captivity.

Special Messenger of the Eternal (to the other heavenly council members): ⁴Remove the filth-covered clothes from this man.

(to Joshua) Just as I have taken away your dirty clothes, I have taken away your guilt from you. In place of those clothes, I will dress you in pure, expensive garments. Then you will be ready to serve God and lead the festival.

Zechariah (to the Eternal’s Special Messenger): ⁵Your fellow council members should put a pure turban befitting of the high priest on his head. It will indicate his dignity.

So they placed a pure turban on his head and finished dressing him in his new clothes while the Eternal’s Special Messenger stood by, supervising the cleansing. Joshua could now safely approach God.

⁶The Eternal’s Special Messenger then stood before Joshua and cautioned him.

Special Messenger of the Eternal: ⁷Listen to what the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, has to say: “If you bind yourself to Me, walk according to My teachings, and perform your priestly duties without fail; then you will be in charge of My house in Jerusalem, you will organize the activities in the courtyards surrounding the most holy place, and I will give you a place among all My heavenly council members gathered here. ⁸Listen to Me, Joshua the high priest—you and your colleagues who maintain the temple alongside you. These men are a sign of wonders to come. Watch, because I am going to bring My servant, who is the Branch of David, to lead you.” ⁹The Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, has this to say: “You will see the stone I set before Joshua: on it are seven eyes, on it I will engrave a special word, and in a single day I will purge guilt from the land. ¹⁰And on that day I, the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, promise everyone will invite one another to sit under the shade of his own vine and fig tree and be at peace.”

Footnotes:

3:1 Literally, the satan

The Voice (VOICE)

Revelation 13

13 I saw a beast with ten horns and seven heads rising out of the blackness of the sea. On its horns hung ten crowns, and on its heads were inscribed blasphemous names. ²This beast was like a leopard, its feet were like the claws of a bear, and its mouth was like the jaws of a lion. The dragon bestowed it with his power and his throne and his great authority. ³One of the beast’s heads appeared to have suffered a fatal blow, but its mortal wound had somehow been healed. Amazed at the miracle and its power, all the earth followed the beast. ⁴People worshiped the dragon because he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast because of its power.

Earth: Who can match the beast? Who can fight against it?

The beast emerges from the murky waters resembling the dragon; but it has other features, too, that resemble the four beasts as described in Daniel 7. Daniel, in his visions, learns that the beasts represent the empires that terrorized Israel and the rest of the world: the Babylonians, Persians, Medes, and Greeks. Prophetic images are difficult to identify. The beast in John’s vision could be none other than the Roman Empire or another empire to come later. Rome has its own beastly authority, the Caesar, who demands worship. “Caesar is Lord,” they dare to claim. But John knows better. In every generation, powerful people and institutions arise—political predators that demand loyalty, sometimes even worship.

⁵And the beast was given a mouth that bellowed arrogant boasts and uttered great blasphemies, and it was permitted to do what it willed for 42 months. ⁶Its mouth opened with a stream of insults against God, blaspheming His name, cursing His dwelling and those who live in heaven. ⁷Also it received permission to declare war against the saints and conquer them. Not a single nation, people, language, or ethnicity could escape its dominion. ⁸The inhabitants of the earth will worship it, that is, all those whose names have not been recorded before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slaughtered.

⁹Let the person who is able to hear, listen carefully.

¹⁰If someone is destined for captivity,
a captive he will be.
If someone is destined [to die]^[a] by the sword,
by the sword he will die.

The endurance and faithfulness of the saints will be tested here.

¹¹As I watched, I saw a second beast, this one rising up from the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it was speaking with the voice of a dragon.

The second beast, which later becomes “the false prophet,” has horns like the lamb; but its true nature is revealed in its dragon-like voice. Many pretenders and posers exist in the spiritual world. This new beast wants the world to believe it represents the True God, the only King worthy of worship. But it’s a deceiver, a counterfeit of the true King; it steals devotion away from the one true God, producing signs to dazzle the inhabitants of the earth.

¹²This earth-beast exercises all of the authority given to it by the first beast, and it forces the earth and all its inhabitants to bow down and worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed. ¹³And the earth-beast performs fantastic miracles. Like Elijah on Mount Carmel, it even causes fire to blaze down from heaven to earth for all to see. ¹⁴Since it is allowed to perform these miracles in the presence of the first beast, the earth-beast deceives the inhabitants of the earth, commanding them to make an image of the first beast that had survived the mortal wound inflicted by the sword. ¹⁵And the earth-beast was granted permission to breathe into the image and to animate it so that it could even speak. It decreed that those who refuse to worship the image of the first beast must be killed, ¹⁶and the earth-beast mandates that all humans must carry a mark on their right hands or foreheads: both great and small, both rich and poor, both free and slave.

The beast demands worship and requires all to carry its mark. Those who don’t face severe punishment.

¹⁷Those who do not carry this mark, that is, those who do not have the name of the first beast or the number representing its name inscribed on them, are not allowed to sell their wares or buy in the market.

¹⁸Here is divine wisdom: let anyone who understands these mysteries figure out the number of the beast because it is the number of a person. Its number is 666.^[b]

Footnotes:

13:10 Other manuscripts read “to kill.”
13:18 Some manuscripts read 616.

The Voice (VOICE)

Psalm 141

A song of David.

¹O Eternal One, I call upon You.
Come quickly!
Listen to my voice as I call upon You!
²Consider my prayer as an offering of incense that rises before You;
when I stand with my hands outstretched pleading toward the heavens,
consider it as an evening offering.

³Guard my mouth, O Eternal One;
control what I say.
Keep a careful watch on every word I speak.
⁴Don’t allow my deepest desires to steer me toward doing what is wrong
or associating with wicked people
Or joining in their wicked works
or tasting any of their pleasures.

⁵Let those who do right strike me down in kindness
and correct me in love.
Their kind correction washes over my head like pure oil;
do not let me be foolish and refuse such compassion.
Still my prayer is against the deeds of the wicked:
⁶Their judges will be thrown from the edges of cliffs and crushed upon the rocks below,
and the wicked will hear my words and realize that what I said was pleasing.
⁷Just as when a farmer plows and breaks open the earth, leaving clumps of dirt scattered along the rows,
our bones are scattered at the mouth of the grave.

⁸My gaze is fixed upon You, Eternal One, my Lord;
in You I find safety and protection.
Do not abandon me and leave me defenseless.
⁹Protect me from the jaws of the trap my enemies have set for me
and from the snares of those who work evil.
¹⁰May the wicked be caught in their own nets
while I alone escape unharmed.

The Voice (VOICE)

Proverbs 30:18-20

¹⁸There are three mysteries I find absolutely amazing,
no, make it four I cannot comprehend:
¹⁹The way an eagle flies through the sky,
the way a snake moves over a rock,
The way a boat glides through the middle of the sea,
and the way a man becomes one with his virgin wife.

²⁰An adulterous woman is so cavalier by nature.
When she’s done, it is as if she washed after eating
and then says, “I have done nothing wrong.”

The Voice (VOICE)

December 21, 2021

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Tuesday December 21, 2021 (NIV)

Zechariah 1

1 During the eighth month of the second year of the reign of Persian King Darius, the word of the Eternal One came to the prophet Zechariah (Berechiah’s son and Iddo’s grandson).

Message: ²The Eternal became very angry with your ancestors. That’s why He turned His back on them. ³Now, tell your people what the Eternal, the Commander of heavenly armies, has to say: “Return to Me, so I may turn back to you.” This is the message the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, burdens you with today, Zechariah.

⁴Do not be like your fathers and mothers, whom the prophets of their own time warned, “Here is what the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, has to say: Turn away from your evil thoughts and your evil acts.” Even then they did not listen to Me. That was the message the Eternal One burdened His prophets with a generation ago.

Eternal One (to Zechariah): ⁵Where are your ancestors now? And what about the prophets I sent to warn them? They did not live forever, did they? ⁶Didn’t My words and My rules that I dictated through My servants the prophets outlive your rebellious ancestors? That’s why they repented eventually and realized, “The Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, has done to us exactly what He decided He would do if we behaved this way. His punishments match our evil thoughts and acts.”

Zechariah has a series of eight visions one night in early 519 b.c. These visions are filled with symbols, numbers, unusual sights, and distinct sounds. In order to understand what he is seeing, God sends a heavenly messenger to serve as Zechariah’s guide and interpreter. All the visions relate to some aspect of the restoration of Jerusalem and her people.

⁷On the 24th day of the 11th month (called Shebat by the Babylonians) of the 2nd year of the reign of Persian King Darius, the word of the Eternal came to me, the prophet Zechariah (Berechiah’s son and Iddo’s grandson). This is what happened: ⁸During the night, I had eight visions. I opened my eyes, and there was a man riding a red horse and bringing a message. He was in the middle of a stand of ever-blooming myrtle trees down in the lowest part of the Kidron Valley. Behind him stood horses of red, tan, and white.

This is not just any messenger who comes to Zechariah in his vision; he is a heavenly messenger whom Zechariah addresses as “lord.”

Zechariah: ⁹What are they, my lord?

Heavenly Messenger: I will show you.

¹⁰The man standing among the myrtle trees explained.

Heavenly Messenger: The horses and their riders have been sent by the Eternal to patrol the whole earth.

¹¹And they began to give reports to the Special Messenger of the Eternal One, who was standing among the myrtle trees.

Patrols: We have traveled back and forth across the surface of the whole earth and found it resting peacefully.

Special Messenger of the Eternal: ¹²O Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, how long will You keep Your mercy from Jerusalem? How long will You keep Your mercy from the cities of Judah, which have endured Your anger for the last 70 years?

¹³The Eternal One answered him, speaking kind and comforting words to the heavenly messenger who had been talking to me. He shared with me the message.

Special Messenger of the Eternal (to Zechariah): ¹⁴Tell everyone these words of the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies: “I am very jealous for the people of Jerusalem and Zion. ¹⁵Also, I am very angry with those nations that feel at ease. I was only slightly angry with these other nations, but when they attacked more ruthlessly than I commanded them to, they made the situation much worse for themselves. ¹⁶Here’s what I will do: I, the Eternal One, will turn back to Jerusalem with that mercy they’ve missed for 70 years. My temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem,” says the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies; “surveyors will stretch out their measuring lines over Jerusalem, and craftsmen will return to rebuild it.” ¹⁷You must reiterate to your people what the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, says: “My cities will once again be so prosperous, they will overflow. Once again I will comfort the people of Zion, and once again I will choose Jerusalem as My earthly home.”

¹⁸That night I had a second vision of God’s wrath. I looked up and saw four horns.

In a second vision of the power of God’s judgment, God’s people are oppressed by the nations, who are represented by four horns.

Zechariah (to the heavenly messenger): ¹⁹What are these?

Heavenly Messenger: These are the horns of the nations that have been raised in battles to scatter and oppress Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.

²⁰Then the Eternal showed me four craftsmen.

Zechariah: ²¹And what are these people coming to do?

Heavenly Messenger: These are the horns of the nations that have scattered the people of Judah, and because of them, no one may lift his head up in dignity. The craftsmen have come to wreak havoc and inflict terror on the nations who own the horns, to strike down those who raised their horns before attacking Judah and sending her people into exile.

The Voice (VOICE)

Revelation 12

12 As I looked, a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman came into view clothed in the radiance of the sun, standing with the moon under her feet, and she was crowned with a wreath of twelve stars on her head. ²She was painfully pregnant and was crying out in the agony of labor. ³Then a second sign appeared in heaven, ominous, foreboding: a great red dragon, with seven crowned heads and ten horns. ⁴The dragon’s tail brushed one-third of the stars from the sky and hurled them down to the earth. The dragon crouched in front of the laboring woman, waiting to devour her child the moment it was born.

⁵She gave birth to a male child, who is destined to rule the nations with an iron scepter. Before the dragon could bite and devour her son, the child was whisked away and brought to God and His throne. ⁶The woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place of refuge and safety where she could find sustenance for 1,260 days.

The sign that appears in the vision is of a celestial woman who gives birth to a son. While it’s possible this could refer to Mary, the mother of Jesus, it is also possible this is a symbol of God’s chosen people. The faithful remnant of Israel is the womb that carried the Lord and delivered Him to the world. While the great red dragon does his best to destroy and devour Him, God has another plan. Since then, the dragon and his minions have done their best to harangue and persecute the woman’s children. But again he does not have the final word.

⁷A battle broke out in heaven. Michael, along with his heavenly messengers, clashed against the dragon. The dragon and his messengers returned the fight, ⁸but they did not prevail and were defeated. As a result, there was no place left for them in heaven. ⁹So the great dragon, that ancient serpent who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world, was cast down to the earth along with his messengers. ¹⁰Then I heard a great voice in heaven.

A Voice: Now the salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God
and the authority of His Anointed One have come.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,
who relentlessly accuses them day and night before our God,
has been cast down and silenced.
¹¹By the blood of the Lamb
and the word of their witnesses,
they have become victorious over him,
For they did not hold on to their lives, even under threat of death.
¹²Therefore, rejoice, all you heavens;
celebrate, all you who live in them.
But disaster will befall the earth and the sea,
for the devil has come down to your spheres,
And he is incredibly angry
because he knows his time is nearly over.

¹³When the dragon realized he had been cast down to the earth, he pursued the mother of the male infant. ¹⁴In order to escape the serpent, she was given the two wings of the great eagle to fly deeper into the wilderness to her own special place where she would find sustenance for a time, and times, and half a time. ¹⁵Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a raging river that chased after the woman, trying to sweep her away in the flood. ¹⁶But the earth came to her rescue. It opened its gaping mouth and swallowed the river that spewed from the dragon’s mouth. ¹⁷As a result, the dragon was enraged at the woman and went away to make war on the rest of her children—those who keep the commandments of God and hold fast to the testimony of Jesus.

¹⁸And [the dragon]^[a] stood waiting on the sand of the seashore.

Footnotes:

12:18 Some late manuscripts read “I.”

The Voice (VOICE)

Psalm 140

For the worship leader. A song of David.

¹Save me, O Eternal One, from the evil men who seek my life.
Shield me from this band of violent men.
²Their hearts devise evil! They conspire against me;
they are constantly causing a storm of war.
³These snakes have sharpened their tongues;
viper venom hides beneath their lips.^[a]

[pause]^[b]

⁴Keep me from the grip of these cruel men, O Eternal One.
Shield me from this band of violent men
whose only intention is to trip me up and undermine all I do.
⁵Those arrogant people are trying to catch me;
they’ve laid their trap, hiding a net along my path;
their traps are set, and I am the prey.

[pause]

⁶“Eternal One,” I said, “You are my one and only God.
Hear me, O Eternal, hear my humble cry for rescue.
⁷O Lord, Eternal One, power of my deliverance,
You are my helmet in the day of battle.
⁸So do not fulfill the desires of these evildoers, Eternal One;
do not advance their evil schemes, lest they brag about their successes.

[pause]

⁹“As for the gang leader of those who surround me,
let their mischievous words cover them; smother them in trouble.
¹⁰Let hot coals fall from heaven upon them
and cast them into the roaring fires.
May they sink into the muddy marsh from which there is no return.
¹¹Let no liar find a home anywhere in the land;
let evil hunt down the violent man and do him in quickly.”

¹²I am certain the Eternal supports the cause of the distressed;
the poor will receive the justice they deserve.
¹³Indeed, the just-living will glorify Your name,
and honorable people will be at home in Your presence.

Footnotes:

140:3 Romans 3:13
140:3 Literally, selah, likely a musical direction from a Hebrew root meaning “to lift up”

The Voice (VOICE)

Proverbs 30:17

¹⁷One who derides his father
and fails to honor his mother in old age
Will die in contempt: his eyes will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley
and eaten by the young vultures when his unburied body lies on the trash heap.

The Voice (VOICE)