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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Sunday December 20, 2020 (NIV)

Haggai 1-2

Introduction

1 On the first day of the sixth month[a] of King Darius’[b] second year, the Lord’s message came through[c] the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak:[d]

The Accusation of Indifference Against the People

2 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies[e] has said: “These people have said, ‘The time for rebuilding the Lord’s temple has not yet come.’”[f] 3 The Lord’s message came through the prophet Haggai as follows:[g] 4 “Is it right for you to live in richly paneled houses[h] while my temple is in ruins?[i] 5 Here then, this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has said: ‘Think carefully about what you are doing.[j] 6 You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but are never filled. You drink, but are still thirsty. You put on clothes, but are not warm. Those who earn wages end up with holes in their money bags.’”[k]

Consequences of the Failure to Rebuild the Temple

7 Moreover, this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has said: “Pay close attention to these things also.[l] 8 Go up to the hill country and bring back timber to build[m] the temple.[n] Then I will be pleased and honored,”[o] says the Lord. 9 “You expected a large harvest, but instead there was little.[p] And when you would bring it home, I would blow it right away.[q] Why?” asks the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “Because my temple remains in ruins, thanks to each of you favoring his own house![r] 10 This is why the sky[s] has held back its dew and the earth its produce.[t] 11 Moreover, I have called for a drought that will affect the fields, the hill country, the grain, new wine, fresh olive oil, and everything that grows from the ground; it also will harm people, animals, and everything they produce.”[u]

The Response of the Leaders and the People

12 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak,[v] along with the whole remnant of the people,[w] obeyed[x] the Lord their God. They responded favorably to the message of the prophet Haggai, who spoke just as the Lord their God had instructed him,[y] and the people began to respect the Lord.[z] 13 Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, spoke the Lord’s announcement to the people:[aa] “I am with you,” decrees the Lord. 14 So the Lord energized and encouraged[ab] Zerubbabel[ac] son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak,[ad] and the whole remnant of the people.[ae] They came and worked on the temple of their God, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 15 This took place on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month of King Darius’ second year.[af]

The Glory to Come

2 On the twenty-first day of the seventh month,[ag] the Lord’s message came through[ah] the prophet Haggai again: 2 “Ask the following questions to[ai] Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak,[aj] and the remnant of the people: 3 ‘Who among you survivors saw the former splendor of this temple?[ak] How does it look to you now? Isn’t it nothing by comparison?’ 4 Even so, take heart, Zerubbabel,” decrees the Lord. “Take heart, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. And take heart all you citizens of the land,”[al] decrees the Lord, “and begin to work. For I am with you,” decrees the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 5 “Do not fear, because I made a promise to your ancestors when they left Egypt, and my Spirit[am] even now testifies to you.”[an] 6 Moreover, this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has said: “In just a little while[ao] I will once again shake the sky[ap] and the earth, the sea and the dry ground. 7 I will also shake up all the nations, and they[aq] will offer their treasures;[ar] then I will fill this temple with glory.” So the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has said. 8 “The silver and gold will be mine,” decrees the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 9 “The future splendor of this temple will be greater than that of former times,”[as] the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has declared. “And in this place I will give peace,” decrees the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.[at]

The Promised Blessing

10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month of Darius’ second year,[au] the Lord’s message came to the prophet Haggai:[av] 11 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has said, ‘Ask the priests about the law.[aw] 12 If someone carries holy meat in a fold of his garment and that fold touches bread, a boiled dish, wine, olive oil, or any other food, will that item become holy?’”[ax] The priests answered, “It will not.” 13 Then Haggai asked, “If a person who is ritually unclean because of touching a dead body[ay] comes in contact with one of these items, will it become unclean?” The priests answered, “It will be unclean.”

14 Then Haggai responded, “‘The people of this nation are unclean in my sight,’[az] decrees the Lord. ‘And so is all their effort; everything they offer is also unclean.[ba] 15 Now therefore reflect carefully on the recent past,[bb] before one stone was laid on another in the Lord’s temple.[bc] 16 From that time[bd] when one came expecting a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten; when one came to the wine vat to draw out fifty measures from it, there were only twenty. 17 I struck all the products of your labor[be] with blight, disease, and hail, and yet you brought nothing to me,’[bf] says the Lord. 18 ‘Think carefully[bg] about the past: from today, the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month,[bh] to the day work on the temple of the Lord was resumed,[bi] think about it.[bj] 19 The seed is still in the storehouse, isn’t it? And the vine, fig tree, pomegranate, and olive tree have not produced. Nevertheless, from today on I will bless you.’”

Zerubbabel the Chosen One

20 Then the Lord spoke to Haggai[bk] a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month:[bl] 21 “Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah: ‘I am ready[bm] to shake the sky[bn] and the earth. 22 I will overthrow royal thrones and shatter the might of earthly kingdoms.[bo] I will overthrow chariots and those who ride them, and horses and their riders will fall as people kill one another.[bp] 23 On that day,’[bq] says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant,’[br] says the Lord, ‘and I will make you like a signet ring,[bs] for I have chosen you,’ says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”[bt]

Footnotes:

  1. Haggai 1:1 sn The first day of the sixth month was Elul 1 according to the Jewish calendar; August 29, 520 b.c. according to the modern (Julian) calendar.
  2. Haggai 1:1 sn King Darius is the Persian king Darius Hystaspes who ruled from 522-486 b.c.
  3. Haggai 1:1 tn Heb “by the hand of.” This suggests that the prophet is only an instrument of the Lord; the Lord is to be viewed as the true author (see 1:3; 2:1; Mal 1:1).
  4. Haggai 1:1 tn The typical translation “Joshua (the) son of Jehozadak, the high priest” (cf. ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV) can be understood to mean that Jehozadak was high priest. However, Zech 3:1, 8 clearly indicate that Joshua was high priest (see also Ezra 5:1-2; cf. NAB). The same potential misunderstanding occurs in Hag 1:12, 14 and 2:2, where the same solution has been employed in the translation.
  5. Haggai 1:2 sn The epithet Lord of Heaven’s Armies occurs frequently as a divine title throughout Haggai (see 1:5, 7, 9, 14; 2:4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 23). This name (יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת, yehvah tsevaʾot), traditionally translated “Lord of hosts” (so KJV, NAB, NASB; cf. NIV, NLT “Lord Almighty”; NCV, CEV “Lord All-Powerful”), emphasizes the majestic sovereignty of the Lord, an especially important concept in the postexilic world of great human empires and rulers. For a thorough study of the divine title, see T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, 123-57.
  6. Haggai 1:2 tn Heb “the time has not come, the time for the house of the Lord to be built” (similar KJV). A number of English versions refer to “rebuilding” (so NAB, NCV, NRSV, TEV, NLT) since the reconstruction of Solomon’s temple is actually in view.
  7. Haggai 1:3 tn Heb “and the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, saying.” Cf. the similar expression in v. 1 and the note there.
  8. Haggai 1:4 sn Richly paneled houses. Paneling is otherwise known in the OT only in connection with the temple (1 Kgs 6:9) and the royal palace (2 Kgs 7:3, 7). It implies decoration and luxury (cf. NCV “fancy houses”; TEV “well-built houses”; NLT “luxurious houses”). The impropriety of the people living in such lavish accommodations while the temple lay unfinished is striking.
  9. Haggai 1:4 tn Heb “Is it time for you, [yes] you, to live in paneled houses, while this house is in ruins”; NASB “lies desolate”; NIV “remains a ruin.”
  10. Haggai 1:5 tn Heb “Set your heart upon your ways” (see 2:15, 18); traditionally “Consider your ways” (so KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB).
  11. Haggai 1:6 tn Some translate “pockets” (so NLT) but the Hebrew word צְרוֹר (tseror) refers to a bag, pouch, or purse of money (BDB 865 s.v. צְרוֹר; HALOT 1054 s.v. צְרוֹר 1). Because coinage had been invented by the Persians and was thus in use in Haggai’s day, this likely is a money bag or purse rather than pouches or pockets in the clothing. Since in contemporary English “purse” (so NASB, NIV, NCV) could be understood as a handbag, the present translation uses “money bags.”
  12. Haggai 1:7 tn Heb “Set your heart upon your ways”; see v. 5.
  13. Haggai 1:8 tn Heb “and build the house” (so NIV, NRSV), with “house” referring specifically to the temple here.
  14. Haggai 1:8 sn The temple was built primarily of stone, so the timber here refers to interior paneling (see v. 4) and perhaps to scaffolding (see Ezra 5:8; 6:4).
  15. Haggai 1:8 tn The Hebrew verb אֶכָּבְדָ (ʾekkavda) appears to be a defectively written cohortative (“that I may be glorified”). The cohortatives (note that the preceding אֶרְצֶה, ʾertseh, “I will be pleased,” may also be taken as cohortative) indicate purpose or result (cf. NIV, NRSV “so that”; CEV “so”) following the imperatives of v. 8a (“go up,” “bring back,” “build”).
  16. Haggai 1:9 tn Heb “Turning for much—look! It is [become] little!” The term פָּנֹה (panoh) means “turning [the head],” and here it is in order to look around. The term הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) is an interjection drawing attention to the point being made.
  17. Haggai 1:9 tn Heb “I would blow at/against it.” The imagery here suggests that human achievements are so fragile and temporal that a mere breath from God can destroy them.
  18. Haggai 1:9 tn Heb “and each of you runs to his own house”; NIV “is busy with”; TEV “is busy working on”; NCV “work hard for.”
  19. Haggai 1:10 tn The Hebrew text has “over you” (so KJV), but this is redundant in contemporary English and has been left untranslated.
  20. Haggai 1:10 sn This linkage of human sin to natural disaster is reminiscent of the curse brought upon the earth by Adam’s disobedience (Gen 3:17-19; see Rom 8:20-22).
  21. Haggai 1:11 tn Heb “all the labor of hands” (similar KJV, NASB, NIV); cf. NAB “all that is produced by hand.”
  22. Haggai 1:12 tn Many English versions have “Joshua [the] son of Jehozadak, the high priest,” but this is subject to misunderstanding. See the note on the name “Jehozadak” at the end of v. 1.
  23. Haggai 1:12 tn Heb “all the remnant of the people.” The Hebrew phrase שְׁאֵרִית הָעָם (sheʾerit haʿam) in this postexilic context is used as a technical term to refer to the returned remnant (see Ezra 9:14; Isa 10:20-22; 11:11, 16; Jer 23:3; 31:7; and many other passages). Cf. TEV “all the people who had returned from the exile in Babylonia.”
  24. Haggai 1:12 tn Heb “heard the voice of”; NAB “listened to the voice of.”
  25. Haggai 1:12 tn Heb “and according to the words of Haggai the prophet just as the Lord their God sent him.” Some English versions (e.g., NAB, NIV, NCV) take the last clause as causal: “because the Lord their God had sent him.”
  26. Haggai 1:12 tn Heb “and the people feared from before the Lord”; NASB “showed reverence for the Lord.”
  27. Haggai 1:13 tn Heb “Haggai, the messenger of the Lord, said by the message of the Lord to the people.” The Hebrew is repetitive and has been simplified in keeping with contemporary English style.
  28. Haggai 1:14 tn Heb “stirred up” (as in many English versions). Only one verb appears in the Hebrew text, but the translation “energized and encouraged” brings out its sense in this context. Cf. TEV “inspired”; NLT “sparked the enthusiasm of”; CEV “made everyone eager to work.”sn It was God who initiated the rebuilding by providing the people with motivation and ability.
  29. Haggai 1:14 tn Heb “the spirit of Zerubbabel” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).
  30. Haggai 1:14 tn Heb “the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest” (as in many English versions), but this is subject to misunderstanding. See the note on the name “Jehozadak” at the end of v. 1.
  31. Haggai 1:14 tn Heb “and the spirit of all the remnant of the people.” The Hebrew phrase שְׁאֵרִית הָעָם (sheʾerit haʿam) in this postexilic context is used as a technical term to refer to the returned remnant; see the note on the phrase “the whole remnant of the people” in v. 12.
  32. Haggai 1:15 sn The twenty-fourth day of the sixth month of King Darius’ second year was September 21, 520 b.c., twenty-three days after the original command by Haggai to rebuild (1:1). The text does not state the reason for the delay, but it may have resulted from the pressing need to bring in the late summer harvest.
  33. Haggai 2:1 tn Heb “In the seventh [month], on the twenty-first day of the month.”sn The seventh month was the month Tishri, according to the modern (Julian) calendar October 17, 520 b.c. The twenty-first day of Tishri marked the seventh day of the Feast of Tabernacles (Num 29:32-34). It also coincided with the date 440 years earlier (960 b.c.) when Solomon finished building his temple (1 Kgs 6:38; 8:2).
  34. Haggai 2:1 tc The MT has בְּיַד (beyad, “by the hand of” = “through” [so NAB, NIV, NLT] as in 1:1, 3); the Murabba’at Dead Sea text reads אֶל (ʾel, “to”), perhaps because the following command is given to the prophet.
  35. Haggai 2:2 tn Heb “say to”; NAB “Tell this to.”
  36. Haggai 2:2 tn Many English versions have “Joshua (the) son of Jehozadak the high priest,” but this is subject to misunderstanding. See the note on the name “Jehozadak” at the end of v. 1.
  37. Haggai 2:3 tn Heb “this house in its earlier splendor”; NAB, NIV, NRSV “in its former glory.”sn Solomon’s temple was demolished in 586 b.c., 66 years prior to Haggai’s time. There surely would have been some older people who remembered the former splendor of that magnificent structure and who lamented the contrast to the small, unimpressive temple they were building (see Ezra 3:8-13).
  38. Haggai 2:4 tn Heb “the people of the land” (עַם הָאָרֶץ, ʿam haʾarets); this is a technical term referring to free citizens as opposed to slaves.
  39. Haggai 2:5 sn My Spirit. It is theologically anachronistic to understand “Spirit” here in the NT sense as a reference to third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit; nevertheless during this postexilic period the conceptual groundwork was being laid for the doctrine of the Holy Spirit later revealed in the NT.
  40. Haggai 2:5 tc The MT of v. 5 reads “with the word which I cut with you when you went out from Egypt and my Spirit [which] stands in your midst, do not fear.” BHS proposes emending “with the word” to זֹאת הַבְּרִית (zoʾt habberit, “this is the covenant”) at the beginning of the verse. The proposed emendation makes excellent sense and is expected with the verb כָּרַת (karat, “cut” or “make” a covenant), but it has no textual support. Most English versions (including the present translation) therefore follow the MT here.
  41. Haggai 2:6 tc The difficult MT reading עוֹד אַחַת מְעַט הִיא (ʿod ʾakhat meʿat hiʾ, “yet once, it is little”; cf. NAB “One moment yet, a little while”) appears as “yet once” in the LXX, omitting the last two Hebrew words. However, the point being made is that the anticipated action is imminent; thus the repetition provides emphasis.
  42. Haggai 2:6 tn Or “the heavens.” The same Hebrew word, שָׁמַיִם (shamayim), may be translated “sky” or “heavens” depending on the context. Although many English versions translate the term as “heavens” here, the other three elements present in this context (earth, sea, dry ground) suggest “sky” is in view.
  43. Haggai 2:7 tn Heb “all the nations.”
  44. Haggai 2:7 tn Though the subject here is singular (חֶמְדַּה, khemdah; “desire”), the preceding plural predicate mandates a collective subject, “desired (things)” or, better, an emendation to a plural form, חֲמֻדֹת (khamudot, “desirable [things],” hence “treasures”). Cf. ASV “the precious things”; NASB “the wealth”; NRSV “the treasure.” In the OT context this has no direct reference to the coming of the Messiah.
  45. Haggai 2:9 tn Heb “greater will be the latter splendor of this house than the former”; NAB “greater will be the future glory.”
  46. Haggai 2:9 tn In the Hebrew text there is an implicit play on words in the clause “in this place [i.e., Jerusalem] I will give peace”: in יְרוּשָׁלַיִם (yerushalayim) there will be שָׁלוֹם (shalom).
  47. Haggai 2:10 sn The twenty-fourth day of the ninth month of Darius’ second year was Kislev 24 or December 18, 520 b.c.
  48. Haggai 2:10 sn This Hebrew expression is slightly different from the one in 1:1, 3; 2:1.
  49. Haggai 2:11 tn Heb “Ask the priests a torah, saying”; KJV “concerning the law”; NAB “for a decision”; NCV “for a teaching”; NRSV “for a ruling.”
  50. Haggai 2:12 sn This is probably not an appeal to the Torah (i.e., the Pentateuch) as such but to a priestly ruling (known in postbiblical Judaism as a pesaq din). There is, however, a Mosaic law that provides the basis for the priestly ruling (Lev 6:27).
  51. Haggai 2:13 tn Heb “unclean of a person,” a euphemism for “unclean because of a dead person”; see Lev 21:11; Num 6:6. Cf. NAB “unclean from contact with a corpse.”
  52. Haggai 2:14 tn Heb “so this people, and so this nation before me.” In this context “people” and “nation” refer to the same set of individuals; the repetition is emphatic. Cf. CEV “this entire nation.”
  53. Haggai 2:14 sn The point here is that the Jews cannot be made holy by unholy fellowship with their pagan neighbors; instead, they and their worship will become corrupted by such associations.
  54. Haggai 2:15 tn Heb “and now set your heart from this day and upward.” The juxtaposition of מָעְלָה (maʿlah, “upward”) with the following מִטֶּרֶם (mitterem, “before”) demands a look to the past. Cf. ASV “consider from this day and backward.”
  55. Haggai 2:15 sn Before one stone was laid on another in the Lord’s temple is best taken as referring to the laying of the present temple’s foundation, sixteen years earlier (536 b.c.; see Ezra 3:8). Cf. NCV “before you started laying stones”; TEV “before you started to rebuild”; NLT “before you began to lay (started laying CEV) the foundation.”
  56. Haggai 2:16 tn Heb “from their being,” idiomatic for “from the time they were then,” or “since the time.” Cf. KJV “Since those days were.”
  57. Haggai 2:17 tn Heb “you, all the work of your hands”; NRSV “you and all the products of your toil”; NIV “all the work of your hands.”
  58. Haggai 2:17 tn Heb “and there was not with you to me.” The context favors the idea that the harvests were so poor that the people took care of only themselves, leaving no offering for the Lord. Cf. KJV and many English versions “yet ye turned not to me,” understanding the phrase to refer to the people’s repentance rather than their failure to bring offerings.
  59. Haggai 2:18 tn Heb “set your heart.” A similar expression occurs in v. 15.
  60. Haggai 2:18 sn The twenty-fourth day of the ninth month was Kislev 24 or December 18, 520. See v. 10. Here the reference is to “today,” the day the oracle is being delivered.
  61. Haggai 2:18 sn The day work…was resumed. This does not refer to the initial founding of the Jerusalem temple in 536 b.c. but to the renewal of construction three months earlier (see 1:15). This is clear from the situation described in v. 19 which accords with the food scarcities of that time already detailed in Hag 1:10-11.
  62. Haggai 2:18 tn Heb “set your heart.” A similar expression occurs in v. 15 and at the beginning of this verse.
  63. Haggai 2:20 sn This Hebrew expression is like the one in 2:10 and is slightly different from the one in 1:1, 3; 2:1.
  64. Haggai 2:20 sn Again, the twenty-fourth day of the month was Kislev 24 or December 18, 520 b.c. See v. 10.
  65. Haggai 2:21 tn The participle here suggests an imminent undertaking of action (cf. NRSV, TEV, NLT “I am about to”). The overall language of the passage is eschatological, but eschatology finds its roots in the present.
  66. Haggai 2:21 tn See the note on the word “sky” in 2:6. Most English translations render the Hebrew term as “heavens” here.
  67. Haggai 2:22 tn Heb “the kingdoms of the nations.” Cf. KJV “the kingdoms of the heathen”; NIV, NLT “foreign kingdoms.”
  68. Haggai 2:22 tn Heb “and horses and their riders will go down, a man with a sword his brother”; KJV “every one by the sword of his brother.”
  69. Haggai 2:23 sn The expression on that day appears as a technical eschatological term in a number of other OT passages (cf., e.g., Isa 2:11, 17, 20; 3:7, 18; Amos 8:3, 9; Hos 2:18, 21).
  70. Haggai 2:23 sn My servant. The collocation of “servant” and “chosen” bears strong messianic overtones. See the so-called “Servant Songs” and other messianic texts in Isaiah (Isa 41:8; 42:1; 44:4; 49:7).
  71. Haggai 2:23 sn The noun signet ring, used also to describe Jehoiachin (Jer 22:24-30), refers to a ring seal worn by a king or other important person and used as his signature. Zerubbabel was a grandson of King Jehoiachin (1 Chr 3:17-19; Matt 1:12); God once pronounced that none of Jehoiachin’s immediate descendants would rule (Jer 22:24-30), but here he reverses that judgment. Zerubbabel never ascended to such a lofty position of rulership; he is rather a prototype of the Messiah who would sit on David’s throne.
  72. Haggai 2:23 tn The repetition of the formula “says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies” in v. 23 emphasizes the solemn and divine nature of the promise.
New English Translation (NET)

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Revelation 11

The Fate of the Two Witnesses

11 Then[a] a measuring rod[b] like a staff was given to me, and I was told,[c] “Get up and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and the ones who worship there. 2 But[d] do not measure the outer courtyard[e] of the temple; leave it out,[f] because it has been given to the Gentiles,[g] and they will trample on the holy city[h] for forty-two months. 3 And I will grant my two witnesses authority[i] to prophesy for 1,260 days, dressed in sackcloth.” 4 (These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.)[j] 5 If[k] anyone wants to harm them, fire comes out of their mouths[l] and completely consumes[m] their enemies. If[n] anyone wants to harm them, they must be killed this way. 6 These two have the power[o] to close up the sky so that it does not rain during the time[p] they are prophesying. They[q] have power[r] to turn the waters to blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague whenever they want. 7 When[s] they have completed their testimony, the beast that comes up from the abyss will make war on them and conquer[t] them and kill them. 8 Their[u] corpses will lie in the street[v] of the great city that is symbolically[w] called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was also crucified. 9 For three and a half days those from every[x] people, tribe,[y] nation, and language will look at their corpses, because they will not permit them to be placed in a tomb.[z] 10 And those who live on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate, even sending gifts to each other, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth. 11 But[aa] after three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and tremendous fear seized[ab] those who were watching them. 12 Then[ac] they[ad] heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them: “Come up here!” So the two prophets[ae] went up to heaven in a cloud while[af] their enemies stared at them. 13 Just then[ag] a major earthquake took place and a tenth of the city collapsed; seven thousand people[ah] were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

14 The second woe has come and gone;[ai] the third is coming quickly.

The Seventh Trumpet

15 Then[aj] the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying:

“The kingdom of the world
has become the kingdom of our Lord
and of his Christ,[ak]
and he will reign for ever and ever.”

16 Then[al] the twenty-four elders who are seated on their thrones before God threw themselves down with their faces to the ground[am] and worshiped God 17 with these words:[an]

“We give you thanks, Lord God, the All-Powerful,[ao]
the one who is and who was,
because you have taken your great power
and begun to reign.[ap]
18 The[aq] nations[ar] were enraged,
but[as] your wrath has come,
and the time has come for the dead to be judged,
and the time has come to give to your servants,[at]
the prophets, their reward,
as well as to the saints
and to those who revere[au] your name, both small and great,
and the time has come[av] to destroy those who destroy[aw] the earth.”

19 Then[ax] the temple of God in heaven was opened and the ark of his covenant was visible within his temple. And there were flashes of lightning, roaring,[ay] crashes of thunder, an earthquake, and a great hailstorm.[az]

Footnotes:

  1. Revelation 11:1 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
  2. Revelation 11:1 tn Grk “a reed” (but these were used for measuring). Cf. Ezek 40:3ff.
  3. Revelation 11:1 tn Grk “saying.”
  4. Revelation 11:2 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
  5. Revelation 11:2 tn On the term αὐλήν (aulēn) BDAG 150 s.v. αὐλή 1 states, “(outer) court of the temple…Rv 11:2.”
  6. Revelation 11:2 tn The precise meaning of the phrase ἔκβαλε ἔξωθεν (ekbale exōthen) is difficult to determine.
  7. Revelation 11:2 tn Or “to the nations” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).
  8. Revelation 11:2 sn The holy city appears to be a reference to Jerusalem. See also Luke 21:24.
  9. Revelation 11:3 tn The word “authority” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. “Power” would be another alternative that could be supplied here.
  10. Revelation 11:4 sn This description is parenthetical in nature.
  11. Revelation 11:5 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
  12. Revelation 11:5 tn This is a collective singular in Greek.
  13. Revelation 11:5 tn See L&N 20.45 for the translation of κατεσθίω (katesthiō) as “to destroy utterly, to consume completely.”
  14. Revelation 11:5 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
  15. Revelation 11:6 tn Or “authority.”
  16. Revelation 11:6 tn Grk “the days.”
  17. Revelation 11:6 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
  18. Revelation 11:6 tn Or “authority.”
  19. Revelation 11:7 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
  20. Revelation 11:7 tn Or “be victorious over”; traditionally, “overcome.”
  21. Revelation 11:8 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
  22. Revelation 11:8 tn The Greek word πλατεῖα (plateia) refers to a major (broad) street (L&N 1.103).
  23. Revelation 11:8 tn Grk “spiritually.”
  24. Revelation 11:9 tn The word “every” is not in the Greek text, but is implied by the following list.
  25. Revelation 11:9 tn The Greek term καί (kai) has not been translated before this and the following items in the list, since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
  26. Revelation 11:9 tn Or “to be buried.”
  27. Revelation 11:11 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
  28. Revelation 11:11 tn Grk “fell upon.”
  29. Revelation 11:12 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
  30. Revelation 11:12 tn Though the nearest antecedent to the subject of ἤκουσαν (ēkousan) is the people (“those who were watching them”), it could also be (based on what immediately follows) that the two prophets are the ones who heard the voice.
  31. Revelation 11:12 tn Grk “they”; the referent (the two prophets) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  32. Revelation 11:12 tn The conjunction καί (kai) seems to be introducing a temporal clause contemporaneous in time with the preceding clause.
  33. Revelation 11:13 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
  34. Revelation 11:13 tn Grk “seven thousand names of men.”
  35. Revelation 11:14 tn Grk “has passed.”
  36. Revelation 11:15 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
  37. Revelation 11:15 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
  38. Revelation 11:16 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
  39. Revelation 11:16 tn Grk “they fell down on their faces.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב. has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion or humility, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”
  40. Revelation 11:17 tn Grk “saying.”
  41. Revelation 11:17 tn On this word BDAG 755 s.v. παντοκράτωρ states, “the Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) only of God…(ὁ) κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ π.…Rv 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22.”
  42. Revelation 11:17 tn The aorist verb ἐβασίλευσας (ebasileusas) has been translated ingressively.
  43. Revelation 11:18 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
  44. Revelation 11:18 tn Or “The Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).
  45. Revelation 11:18 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
  46. Revelation 11:18 tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.
  47. Revelation 11:18 tn Grk “who fear.”
  48. Revelation 11:18 tn The words “the time has come” do not occur except at the beginning of the verse; the phrase has been repeated for emphasis and contrast. The Greek has one finite verb (“has come”) with a compound subject (“your wrath,” “the time”), followed by three infinitive clauses (“to be judged,” “to give,” “to destroy”). The rhetorical power of the repetition of the finite verb in English thus emulates the rhetorical power of its lone instance in Greek.
  49. Revelation 11:18 tn Or “who deprave.” There is a possible wordplay here on two meanings for διαφθείρω (diaphtheirō), with the first meaning “destroy” and the second meaning either “to ruin” or “to make morally corrupt.” See L&N 20.40.
  50. Revelation 11:19 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
  51. Revelation 11:19 tn Or “sounds,” “voices.” It is not entirely clear what this refers to. BDAG 1071 s.v. φωνή 1 states, “In Rv we have ἀστραπαὶ καὶ φωναὶ καὶ βρονταί (cp. Ex 19:16) 4:5; 8:5; 11:19; 16:18 (are certain other sounds in nature thought of here in addition to thunder, as e.g. the roar of the storm?…).”
  52. Revelation 11:19 tn Although BDAG 1075 s.v. χάλαζα gives the meaning “hail” here, it is not clear whether the adjective μεγάλη (megalē) refers to the intensity of the storm or the size of the individual hailstones, or both.
New English Translation (NET)

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Psalm 139

Psalm 139[a]

For the music director, a psalm of David.

139 O Lord, you examine me[b] and know me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I get up;
even from far away you understand my motives.
3 You carefully observe me when I travel or when I lie down to rest;[c]
you are aware of everything I do.[d]
4 Certainly[e] my tongue does not frame a word
without you, O Lord, being thoroughly aware of it.[f]
5 You squeeze me in from behind and in front;
you place your hand on me.
6 Your knowledge is beyond my comprehension;
it is so far beyond me, I am unable to fathom it.[g]
7 Where can I go to escape your Spirit?
Where can I flee to escape your presence?[h]
8 If I were to ascend[i] to heaven, you would be there.
If I were to sprawl out[j] in Sheol, there you would be.[k]
9 If I were to fly away[l] on the wings of the dawn,[m]
and settle down on the other side[n] of the sea,
10 even there your hand would guide me,
your right hand would grab hold of me.
11 If I were to say, “Certainly the darkness will cover me,[o]
and the light will turn to night all around me,”[p]
12 even the darkness is not too dark for you to see,[q]
and the night is as bright as[r] day;
darkness and light are the same to you.[s]
13 Certainly[t] you made my mind and heart;[u]
you wove me together[v] in my mother’s womb.
14 I will give you thanks because your deeds are awesome and amazing.[w]
You knew me thoroughly;[x]
15 my bones were not hidden from you,
when[y] I was made in secret
and sewed together in the depths of the earth.[z]
16 Your eyes saw me when I was inside the womb.[aa]
All the days ordained for me
were recorded in your scroll
before one of them came into existence.[ab]
17 How difficult it is for me to fathom your thoughts about me, O God![ac]
How vast is their sum total.[ad]
18 If I tried to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
Even if I finished counting them,
I would still have to contend with you.[ae]
19 If only[af] you would kill the wicked, O God!
Get away from me, you violent men![ag]
20 They[ah] rebel against you[ai] and act deceitfully;[aj]
your enemies lie.[ak]
21 O Lord, do I not hate those who hate you,
and despise those who oppose you?[al]
22 I absolutely hate them;[am]
they have become my enemies.
23 Examine me, O God, and probe my thoughts.[an]
Test me, and know my concerns.[ao]
24 See if there is any idolatrous way[ap] in me,
and lead me in the everlasting way.[aq]

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 139:1 sn Psalm 139. The psalmist acknowledges that God, who created him, is aware of his every action and thought. He invites God to examine his motives, for he is confident they are pure.
  2. Psalm 139:1 tn The statement is understood as generalizing—the psalmist describes what God typically does.
  3. Psalm 139:3 tn Heb “my traveling and my lying down you measure.” The verb זָרָה (zarah, “to measure”) is probably here a denominative from זֶרֶת (zeret, “a span; a measure”), though some derive it from זָרָה (zarat, “to winnow; to sift”; see BDB 279-80 s.v. זָרָה).
  4. Psalm 139:3 tn Heb “all my ways.”
  5. Psalm 139:4 tn Or “for.”
  6. Psalm 139:4 tn Heb “look, O Lord, you know all of it.”
  7. Psalm 139:6 tn Heb “too amazing [is this] knowledge for me, it is elevated, I cannot attain to it.”
  8. Psalm 139:7 tn Heb “Where can I go from your spirit, and where from your face can I flee?” God’s “spirit” may refer here (1) to his presence (note the parallel term, “your face,” and see Ps 104:29-30, where God’s “face” is his presence and his “spirit” is the life-giving breath he imparts) or (2) to his personal Spirit (see Ps 51:10).
  9. Psalm 139:8 tn The Hebrew verb סָלַק (salaq, “to ascend”) occurs only here in the OT, but the word is well-attested in Aramaic literature from different time periods and displays a wide semantic range (see DNWSI 2:788-90).
  10. Psalm 139:8 tn The verb יָצַע (yatzaʿ) is rare in the Bible (see Isa 58:5 also Hiphil, and Isa 1:14; Est 4:3 for Hophal examples). There are three main options for understanding this phrase. It may mean “to descend to Sheol,” as in the LXX. This takes the motion in the verb as very generic for this context and understands “Sheol” without a preposition as the default “to Sheol.” Many translations take it as spreading out [something] to act as a bed, couch, or area to lie down. It is uncertain that the idea of a bed has to be implied and this does not required to fit the other contexts. Or, as taken here, it may “to spread [oneself] out, to sprawl.” Each view has merits and it is difficult to decide because the are so few examples.
  11. Psalm 139:8 tn Heb “look, you.”
  12. Psalm 139:9 tn Heb “rise up.”
  13. Psalm 139:9 sn On the wings of the dawn. This personification of the “dawn” may find its roots in mythological traditions about the god Shachar, whose birth is described in an Ugaritic myth (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 126) and who is mentioned in Isa 14:12 as the father of Helel.
  14. Psalm 139:9 tn Heb “at the end.”
  15. Psalm 139:11 tn The Hebrew verb שׁוּף (shuf), which means “to crush; to wound,” in Gen 3:15 and Job 9:17, is problematic here. For a discussion of attempts to relate the verb to Arabic roots, see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 251. Many emend the form to יְשׂוּכֵּנִי (yesukkeni), from the root שָׂכַך (sakhakh, “to cover,” an alternate form of סָכַך [sakhakh]), a reading assumed in the present translation.
  16. Psalm 139:11 tn Heb “and night, light, around me.”
  17. Psalm 139:12 tn The words “to see” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
  18. Psalm 139:12 tn Heb “shines like.”
  19. Psalm 139:12 tn Heb “like darkness, like light.”
  20. Psalm 139:13 tn Or “for.”
  21. Psalm 139:13 tn Heb “my kidneys.” The kidneys were sometimes viewed as the seat of one’s emotions and moral character (cf. Pss 7:9; 26:2). A number of translations, recognizing that “kidneys” does not communicate this idea to the modern reader, have generalized the concept: “inmost being” (NAB, NIV); “inward parts” (NASB, NRSV); “the delicate, inner parts of my body” (NLT). In the last instance, the focus is almost entirely on the physical body rather than the emotions or moral character. The present translation, by using a hendiadys (one concept expressed through two terms), links the concepts of emotion (heart) and moral character (mind).
  22. Psalm 139:13 tn The Hebrew verb סָכַךְ (sakhakh, “to weave together”) is an alternate form of שָׂכַךְ (sakhakh, “to weave”) used in Job 10:11.
  23. Psalm 139:14 tc Heb “because awesome things, I am distinct, amazing [are] your works.” The text as it stands is syntactically problematic and makes little, if any, sense. The Niphal of פָּלָה (palah) occurs elsewhere only in Exod 33:16. Many take the form from פָלָא (palaʾ; see GKC 216 §75.qq), which in the Niphal perfect means “to be amazing” (see 2 Sam 1:26; Ps 118:23; Prov 30:18). Some, following the LXX and some other ancient witnesses, also prefer to emend the verb from first to second person, “you are amazing” (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 249, 251). The present translation assumes the text conflates two variants: נִפְלָאִים (niflaʾim), the otherwise unattested masculine plural participle of פָלָא, and נִפְלָאוֹת (niflaʾot), the usual (feminine) plural form of the Niphal participle. The latter has been changed to a verb by later scribes in an attempt to accommodate it syntactically. The original text likely read, נוראות נפלאותים מעשׂיך (“your works [are] awesome [and] amazing”).
  24. Psalm 139:14 tc Heb “and my being knows very much.” Better parallelism is achieved (see v. 15a) if one emends יֹדַעַת (yodaʿat), a Qal active participle, feminine singular form, to יָדַעְתָּ (yadaʿta), a Qal perfect second masculine singular perfect. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 252.
  25. Psalm 139:15 tc The Hebrew term אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher, “which”) should probably be emended to כֲּאַשֶׁר (kaʾasher, “when”). The כ (kaf) may have been lost by haplography (note the kaf at the end of the preceding form).
  26. Psalm 139:15 sn The phrase depths of the earth may be metaphorical (euphemistic) or it may reflect a prescientific belief about the origins of the embryo deep beneath the earth’s surface (see H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 96-97). Job 1:21 also closely associates the mother’s womb with the earth.
  27. Psalm 139:16 tn Heb “Your eyes saw my shapeless form.” The Hebrew noun גֹּלֶם (golem) occurs only here in the OT. In later Hebrew the word refers to “a lump, a shapeless or lifeless substance,” and to “unfinished matter, a vessel wanting finishing” (Jastrow 222 s.v. גּוֹלֶם). The translation employs the dynamic rendering “when I was inside the womb” to clarify that the speaker was still in his mother’s womb at the time he was “seen” by God.
  28. Psalm 139:16 tn Heb “and on your scroll all of them were written, [the] days [which] were formed, and [there was] not one among them.” This “scroll” may be the “scroll of life” mentioned in Ps 69:28 (see the note on the word “living” there).
  29. Psalm 139:17 tn Heb “and to me how precious are your thoughts, O God.” The Hebrew verb יָקַר (yaqar) probably has the sense of “difficult [to comprehend]” here (see HALOT 432 s.v. יקר qal.1 and note the use of Aramaic יַקִּר in Dan 2:11). Elsewhere in the immediate context the psalmist expresses his amazement at the extent of God’s knowledge about him (see vv. 1-6, 17b-18).
  30. Psalm 139:17 tn Heb “how vast are their heads.” Here the Hebrew word “head” is used of the “sum total” of God’s knowledge of the psalmist.
  31. Psalm 139:18 tc Heb “I awake and I [am] still with you.” A reference to the psalmist awaking from sleep makes little, if any, sense contextually. For this reason some propose an emendation to הֲקִצּוֹתִי (haqitsoti), a Hiphil perfect form from an otherwise unattested verb קָצַץ (qatsats) understood as a denominative of קֵץ (qets, “end”). See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 252-53.
  32. Psalm 139:19 tn The Hebrew particle אִם (ʾim, “if”) and following prefixed verbal form here express a wish (see Pss 81:8; 95:7, as well as GKC 321 §109.b).
  33. Psalm 139:19 tn Heb “men of bloodshed.”
  34. Psalm 139:20 tn Heb “who.”
  35. Psalm 139:20 tc Heb “they speak [of] you.” The suffixed form of the verb אָמַר (ʾamar, “to speak”) is peculiar. The translation assumes an emendation to יַמְרֻךָ (yamrukha), a Hiphil form from מָרָה (marah, “to rebel”; see Ps 78:40).
  36. Psalm 139:20 tn Heb “by deceit.”
  37. Psalm 139:20 tc Heb “lifted up for emptiness, your cities.” The form נָשֻׂא (nasuʾ; a Qal passive participle) should be emended to נָשְׂאוּ (naseʾu; a Qal perfect, third common plural, “[they] lift up”). Many emend עָרֶיךָ (ʿarekha, “your cities”) to עָלֶיךָ (ʿalekha, “against you”), but it is preferable to understand the noun as an Aramaism and translate “your enemies” (see Dan 4:16 and L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 253).
  38. Psalm 139:21 tc Heb “who raise themselves up against you.” The form וּבִתְקוֹמְמֶיךָ (uvitqomemekha) should be emended to וּבְמִתְקוֹמְמֶיךָ (uvemitqomemekha), a Hitpolel participle (the prefixed מ [mem] of the participle is accidentally omitted in the MT, though a few medieval Hebrew mss have it).
  39. Psalm 139:22 tn Heb “[with] completeness of hatred I hate them.”
  40. Psalm 139:23 tn Heb “and know my heart.”
  41. Psalm 139:23 tn The Hebrew noun שַׂרְעַפַּי (sarʿappay, “concerns”) is used of “worries” in Ps 94:19.
  42. Psalm 139:24 tn Many understand the Hebrew term עֹצֶב (ʿotsev) as a noun meaning “pain,” and translate the phrase דֶּרֶךְ עֹצֶב (derekh ʿotsev) as “of pain,” but this makes little sense here. (Some interpret it to refer to actions which bring pain to others.) It is preferable to take עֹצֶב as “idol” (see HALOT 865 s.v. I עֹצֶב) and understand “way of an idol” to refer to idolatrous actions or tendency. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 253.
  43. Psalm 139:24 tn Or “in the ancient path.” This phrase may refer to the moral path prescribed by the Lord at the beginning of Israel’s history. See Jer 6:16; 18:15, as well as L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 253.
New English Translation (NET)

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Proverbs 30:15-16

15 The leech[a] has two daughters:[b]
“Give! Give!”[c]
There are three things that will[d] never be satisfied,
four[e] that have never said, “Enough”[f]—
16 the grave,[g] the barren womb;[h]
earth has not been satisfied[i] with water;
and fire has never said,[j] “Enough!”[k]

Footnotes:

  1. Proverbs 30:15 sn The next two verses describe insatiable things, things that are problematic to normal life. The meaning of v. 15a and its relationship to 15b is debated. But the “leech” seems to have been selected to begin the section because it was symbolic of greed—it sucks blood through its two suckers. This may be what the reference to two daughters calling “Give! Give!” might signify (if so, this is an implied comparison, a figure known as hypocatastasis).
  2. Proverbs 30:15 sn As one might expect, there have been various attempts to identify the “two daughters.” In the Rabbinic literature some identified Alukah (the “leech”) with Sheol, and the two daughters with paradise and hell, one claiming the righteous and the other the unrighteous; others identified Alukah with Gehenna, and the two daughters with heresy and government, neither of which is ever satisfied (Midrash Tehillim quoted by Rashi, a Jewish scholar who lived a.d. 1040-1105, and in the Talmud, b. Avodah Zarah 17a). J. J. Glueck suggests that what is in view is erotic passion (and not a leech) with its two maidens of burning desire crying for more (“Proverbs 30:15a, ” VT 14 [1964]: 367-70). F. S. North rightly criticizes this view as gratuitous; he argues for the view of a leech with two suckers (“The Four Insatiables,” VT 15 [1965]: 281-82).
  3. Proverbs 30:15 tn The two imperatives הַב הַב (hav hav, “give, give,” from יָהַב, yahav) correspond to the two daughters, and form their appeal. This would then be a personification—it is as if the leech is crying out, “Give! Give!”
  4. Proverbs 30:15 tn This verb is a Hebrew imperfect for the future tense, while the next verb is a Hebrew perfect for the perfective. Most translations render both as present tense “are satisfied…say” (KJV, NIV, ESV, Holman, while NASB gives both as future “will not be satisfied…will not say”). Using both the future and the past is more emphatic, these never have been and never will be satisfied.
  5. Proverbs 30:15 sn There is a noticeable rhetorical sequence here: two daughters, three things, four (see W. M. Roth, “The Numerical Sequence x / x +1 in the Old Testament,” VT 12 [1962]: 300-311, and “Numerical Sayings in the Old Testament,” VT 13 [1965]: 86). W. McKane thinks the series builds to a climax with the four, and in the four the barren woman is the focal point, the other three being metaphors for her sexual desire (Proverbs [OTL], 656). This interpretation is a minority view, however, and has not won widespread support.
  6. Proverbs 30:15 tn Throughout the book of Proverbs הוֹן (hon) means “wealth,” but here it has the nuance of “sufficiency” (cf. TEV, CEV, NLT “satisfied”) or “enough” (BDB 223 s.v.).
  7. Proverbs 30:16 tn The term שְׁאוֹל (sheʾol, “Sheol”) refers here to the realm of the dead: “the grave” (so KJV, NIV, NLT); cf. TEV, CEV “the world of the dead”; NAB “the nether world.”
  8. Proverbs 30:16 tn Heb “the closing of the womb,” a situation especially troubling for one who is consumed with a desire for children (e.g., Gen 16:2; 30:1).
  9. Proverbs 30:16 tn The verb שָׂבְאָה (saveʾah) means “to eat/drink one’s fill; to satisfy oneself.” Most translations make it present tense (KJV, ESV, Holman, NASB, NIV). As the perfect form of a dynamic root, it should be understood as past or perfective, a condition known to have been true, which is prototypical.
  10. Proverbs 30:16 tn Most translations make the verb present tense (KJV, ESV, Holman, NASB, NIV). As the perfect form of a dynamic root, אָמְרָה (ʾamerah) should be understood as past or perfective, a fact known from past experience which is prototypical.
  11. Proverbs 30:16 sn There is no clear lesson made from these observations. But one point that could be made is that greed, symbolized by the leech, is as insatiable as all these other things. If that is the case, the proverb would constitute a warning against the insatiable nature of greed.
New English Translation (NET)

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12/19/2020 DAB Transcript

Zephaniah 1:1-3:20, Revelation 10:1-11, Psalms 138:1-8, Proverbs 30:11-14

Today is the 19th day of December welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian and it’s great to be here with you as we close another week down together and take the next step forward. And as has been the custom lately, like we’re reading a book a day and we’ll be doing that today. We’ll read an entire book in the Old Testament.

Introduction to the book of Zephaniah:

This is the ninth of the minor prophets and its name is Zephaniah. And it’s similar to some of the other minor prophets in that we don’t know much about who Zephaniah was. The only clues within the text is that the message from Zephaniah came when Josiah son of Amon was king of Judah. And then there’s a little bit of lineage. Zephaniah was the son of Cushi the son of Gedaliah the son of Amaria the son of Hezekiah. And that little lineage may actually be a major clue because a lot of times in the Scriptures, a lot of times in antiquity, it's…it’s not like an entire multiple generational description. A lot of times when you’re talking about somebody or just saying, “this person who is the son of this man.” For example, my son’s name is Ezekiel and if he were introducing himself, he’s a little guy so he wouldn’t be doing that, but if he were…he’d be…in antiquity he’d be saying, “I’m Ezekiel bar Brian”, right? The son of Brian. He wouldn’t necessarily continue that lineage back to his great-great-grandfather unless his great-great-grandfather were significant. And in this case, it’s possible that Zephaniah was a descendent of the reforming king Hezekiah, which would explain how Zephaniah was aware of his surroundings and literate and also why, perhaps is prophetic utterances would be preserved. Obviously, credibility comes if you’re an ancestor of a king. The name Zephaniah means “God has hidden.” And the text states that the message was given during the reign of Josiah. So, that would put him somewhere in the middle of the 600s B.C., or thereabouts, which would make him contemporary with other prophets that are famous and biblical like Jeremiah. A lot of textual scholars believe that Zephaniah had to be familiar with at least the writings of the prophet Isaiah because there’s a similarity in the language and the tone. And we have read a number…like we’ve been reading prophecies for months now. And, so, we understand that a lot of times and most of the time prophecies are targeted very specific to a very specific people for very specific reasons. Zephaniah’s a little different there, because he's…he’s essentially prophesying judgment on the whole known world, including Judah, including the Hebrew people. And, so, we come across a term that we have seen elsewhere, “the day of the Lord.” and that is the theme in Zephaniah. And, of course, we’re reading the book of Revelation as well. So, this “day of the Lord” this kind of final judgment sort of idea is ever present in front of us as we continue forward. But we should understand what God wants…wanted and wants to get rid of because it’s not people that He wants to destroy. It’s evil that He wants to destroy. And when people want to hold on to their evil…well…then they get what they want. They get to hold onto their evil, but God gets what He wants, and the evil gets eradicated. And, so, the people doom themselves. But as we have learned from biblical prophecy, there is a foretelling of things that…that are to come or that may come if change doesn’t occur, if repentance doesn’t happen. But then there’s the other side of that. What if…what if you do humble yourself? What if you do return to God? And then we hear words of abundant restoration. And Zephaniah is no different. And, so, there are three chapters in Zephaniah. We’re reading from the Good News Translation this week. Zephaniah one through three.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. We thank You for another week. We are so grateful to You for giving us the gift of Your word, and giving us the gift of each other to move through a year of life together in Your word and community. We are grateful. And, so, as we close down this week we look to the proverb and we identify the kind of people that we don’t want to be. There may be people who curse their Fathers and do not show appreciation for their mothers, may that not be said of us, Lord. There are people who think they are pure when they are as filthy as they can be. May that not be said of us Lord. There are people who think they are so good. How good they think they are. Lord our only goodness, and we declare this and confess it, the only good thing about us is You. You make us good. If we are good, it is because of You. Left to our own devices we know…we know where things go. And, so, may the pride and arrogance spoken of here never be said of us. And there are people who take cruel advantage of the poor and needy, even making a living by taking advantage of the poor and needy. Father the Scriptures over…You have said over and over and over that this has no place in Your kingdom. So, may this never be said of us. And as we close this week down and prepare to move into the next week, Christmas week, we invite Your Holy Spirit to hover and permeate everything that we do and say and think, all of our thoughts, words and deeds. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

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And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi DAB family this is Dorothy out in California with a small prayer request. I got 39 shot…Botox shots for migraines. And, you know how when you sign a waiver and you never think it’s going to happen? It happens. Aside from all the things that almost…I mean…a lot of the things on the list, the hardest one is that I lost muscle control around my eyes. I have a forehead of a 20-year-old, but I can’t use my eyes. It…it’s…I…it’s actually really hard. I can’t drive. I can only see 1 foot in front of me. Actually, a couple days ago I ate strawberries and anyway I ate slugs in my strawberries. I didn’t see em’. I washed them. I did a good job washing em’ but I didn’t see them. So it’s been…it’s been hard. God assured me before I, you know, before I lost control of both…but God assured me when this started it’s temporary. And I know Botox lasts one or two months but it’s gonna be one or two months of this. And the counter medicine isn’t working. Anyway, I have an appointment with a neurologist on Wednesday. But anyway… so if you could just please pray for me. It’s small, I know, but I love you guys so very very very very much and I love you all. Okay. Thank you. Bye. I appreciate…

Hey, it’s Val in Vegas today’s December 15th. I’m so happy to come to you guys today in the last 15th of the year. We made it guys. Through God’s grace we made it. How this year started for me is absolutely unbelievable, but the real joy and power’s in God’s love and grace for me…for all of us and how I’m finishing it. To say the 2020s has been an unusual and challenging year would be an understatement. I just want you guys to know that I am doing good. I know one thing that’s happened this year for me is I have developed a deeper closer relationship with the Lord, and it has been wonderful. I needed to be closer to him in this quarantine as it’s just me and my little dog that live together and the Lord has really shown up and showed out in my life this year. I just want to say thank you guys for all the prayers and well wishes and thoughts and just love. And please know that I am putting that right back into this DAB world. I absolutely love you guys and if you don’t mind, I’m gonna continue calling in on the 15th of every month. I’ve enjoyed being committed to that and sharing my life with you guys. I love you all so much. You have no idea. So, thank you for holding me up and for loving me and caring for me. Val in Vegas out until January 15, 2021.

Hi Daily Audio Bible family this is All the Treasures in Wyoming with an update. If you all remember months ago, I asked you guys to pray for sweet Emily who had almost lost her life and was in the ICU. She had thrown some blood clots, her kidneys had failed. I mean it was a really urgent prayer request and you guys came through and you prayed. And even more than that God came through and answered those prayers with a yes. And I got to see Emily yesterday and I got to give her a hug. And she said that she is…she sent me this text…she said that she is walking without a cane and that her brain injury is coming along slowly. She’s off dialysis for now because her kidneys are waking up. And then she said, this is all God’s plan. Maybe not mine, but I pray to him morning noon and night. And if you guys also remember we weren’t sure whether or not Emily knew Him, right? So, I just want to encourage you. When I went to see her and I gave her a hug I asked her, I said, Emily did you get the letter that was dropped off to you while you were in the ICU. And she said yes, I did. And she said I kept that letter with me. It was up where I could read it every single day in my ICU room. And when I went to the long term acute care rehab that letter went with me and it was also up in my room where I could read it every day. And it’s one of those things that reminded me that I wasn’t alone and that I could get through it. And in that letter, I reminded her…well…I share the gospel with her and told her who Jesus was but I also told her who you guys all were. I said there are people all over the world praying for you right now. And she said that that helped her get through. But I do know today that she knows the Lord and I just wanted to thank you guys again for praying. God bless you guys. And to God be all the glory

Eyes of the Dove in Sekomane Washington lifting up prayers this morning 5 AM heading to work for Harold in St. Louis and your son. And I heard another father call in and broken for your son. And my goodness it was like a chain reaction. It made me feel broken too. I instantly thought of Brayden and Rylan my children remembering when they were born and their perfect body’s and their perfect little toes, counting their totes. And as you get the report about his foot, every piece, every part of your precious son is so important. Father, I just lift up Harold and his son. Father, I ask that blood would flow. Father that his body would be…would line up in the name of Jesus that that boy’s foot Father would be healed by Your blood. We call him healed Father. I ask for Your peace, Your peace that surpasses our understanding would be upon this family. And we just put on the full armor of God on Harold God as he goes through this…this hardship. There’s so many things going on this year that he’s having to process and now this. And this is no little thing. And we ask for protection of our children Lord Jesus in every way, their minds and their bodies, that nothing would be touched, nothing would be touched in Jesus’ name. Care about you Harold. Coming around you. You’re not alone.

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Saturday December 19, 2020 (NIV)

Zephaniah 1-3

1 (A)This is the message that the Lord gave to Zephaniah during the time that Josiah son of Amon was king of Judah. (Zephaniah was descended from King Hezekiah through Amariah, Gedaliah, and Cushi.)

The Day of the Lord's Judgment

2 The Lord said, “I am going to destroy everything on earth, 3 all human beings and animals, birds and fish. I will bring about the downfall of[a] the wicked. I will destroy everyone, and no survivors will be left. I, the Lord, have spoken.

4 “I will punish the people of Jerusalem and of all Judah. I will destroy the last trace of the worship of Baal there, and no one will even remember the pagan priests who serve him. 5 I will destroy anyone who goes up on the roof and worships the sun, the moon, and the stars. I will also destroy those who worship me and swear loyalty to me, but then take oaths in the name of the god Molech. 6 I will destroy those who have turned back and no longer follow me, those who do not come to me or ask me to guide them.”

7 The day is near when the Lord will sit in judgment; so be silent in his presence. The Lord is preparing to sacrifice his people and has invited enemies to plunder Judah. 8 “On that day of slaughter,” says the Lord, “I will punish the officials, the king's sons, and all who practice foreign customs. 9 I will punish all who worship like pagans and who steal and kill in order to fill their master's house[b] with loot.

10 “On that day,” says the Lord, “you will hear the sound of crying at the Fish Gate in Jerusalem. You will hear wailing in the newer part of the city and a great crashing sound in the hills. 11 Wail and cry when you hear this, you that live in the lower part of the city, because all the merchants will be dead!

12 “At that time I will take a lamp and search Jerusalem. I will punish the people who are self-satisfied and confident, who say to themselves, ‘The Lord never does anything, one way or the other.’ 13 Their wealth will be looted and their houses destroyed. They will never live in the houses they are building or drink wine from the vineyards they are planting.”

14 The great day of the Lord is near—very near and coming fast! That day will be bitter, for even[c] the bravest soldiers will cry out in despair! 15 It will be a day of fury, a day of trouble and distress, a day of ruin and destruction, a day of darkness and gloom, a black and cloudy day, 16 a day filled with the sound of war trumpets and the battle cry of soldiers attacking fortified cities and high towers.

17 The Lord says, “I will bring such disasters on the human race that everyone will grope about like someone blind. They have sinned against me, and now their blood will be poured out like water, and their dead bodies will lie rotting on the ground.”

18 On the day when the Lord shows his fury, not even all their silver and gold will save them. The whole earth will be destroyed by the fire of his anger. He will put an end—a sudden end—to everyone who lives on earth.

A Plea for Repentance

2 Shameless nation, come to your senses 2 before you are driven away like chaff blown by the wind, before the burning anger of the Lord comes upon you, before the day when he shows his fury. 3 Turn to the Lord, all you humble people of the land, who obey his commands. Do what is right, and humble yourselves before the Lord. Perhaps you will escape punishment on the day when the Lord shows his anger.

The Doom of the Nations around Israel

4 (B)No one will be left in the city of Gaza. Ashkelon will be deserted. The people of Ashdod will be driven out in half a day,[d] and the people of Ekron will be driven from their city. 5 You Philistines are doomed, you people who live along the coast. The Lord has passed sentence on you. He will destroy you, and not one of you will be left. 6 Your land by the sea will become open fields with shepherd's huts and sheep pens. 7 The people of Judah who survive will occupy your land. They will pasture their flocks there and sleep in the houses of Ashkelon. The Lord their God will be with them and make them prosper again.

8 (C)The Lord Almighty says, “I have heard the people of Moab and Ammon insulting and taunting my people, and boasting that they would seize their land. 9 (D)As surely as I am the living Lord, the God of Israel, I swear that Moab and Ammon are going to be destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah. They will become a place of salt pits and everlasting ruin, overgrown with weeds. Those of my people who survive will plunder them and take their land.”

10 That is how the people of Moab and Ammon will be punished for their pride and arrogance and for insulting the people of the Lord Almighty. 11 The Lord will terrify them. He will reduce the gods of the earth to nothing, and then every nation will worship him, each in its own land.

12 (E)The Lord will also put the people of Ethiopia[e] to death.

13 (F)The Lord will use his power to destroy Assyria. He will make the city of Nineveh a deserted ruin, a waterless desert. 14 It will be a place where flocks, herds, and animals of every kind will lie down. Owls will live among its ruins and hoot from the windows. Crows[f] will caw on the doorsteps. The cedar wood of her buildings will be stripped away. 15 That is what will happen to the city that is so proud of its own power and thinks it is safe. Its people think that their city is the greatest in the world. What a desolate place it will become, a place where wild animals will rest! Everyone who passes by will shrink back in horror.

Jerusalem's Sin and Redemption

3 Jerusalem is doomed, that corrupt, rebellious city that oppresses its own people. 2 It has not listened to the Lord or accepted his discipline. It has not put its trust in the Lord or asked for his help. 3 Its officials are like roaring lions; its judges are like hungry wolves, too greedy to leave a bone until morning. 4 The prophets are irresponsible and treacherous; the priests defile what is sacred, and twist the law of God to their own advantage. 5 But the Lord is still in the city; he does what is right and never what is wrong. Every morning without fail, he brings justice to his people. And yet the unrighteous people there keep on doing wrong and are not ashamed.

6 The Lord says, “I have wiped out whole nations; I have destroyed their cities and left their walls and towers in ruins. The cities are deserted; the streets are empty—no one is left. 7 I thought that then my people would have reverence for me and accept my discipline, that they would never forget[g] the lesson I taught them. But soon they were behaving as badly as ever.

8 “Just wait,” the Lord says. “Wait for the day when I rise to accuse the nations. I have made up my mind to gather nations and kingdoms in order to let them feel the force of my anger. The whole earth will be destroyed by the fire of my fury.

9 “Then I will change the people of the nations, and they will pray to me alone and not to other gods. They will all obey me. 10 Even from distant Ethiopia[h] my scattered people will bring offerings to me. 11 At that time you, my people, will no longer need to be ashamed that you rebelled against me. I will remove everyone who is proud and arrogant, and you will never again rebel against me on my sacred hill.[i] 12 I will leave there a humble and lowly people, who will come to me for help. 13 (G)The people of Israel who survive will do no wrong to anyone, tell no lies, nor try to deceive. They will be prosperous and secure, afraid of no one.”

A Song of Joy

14 Sing and shout for joy, people of Israel!
Rejoice with all your heart, Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has stopped your punishment;
he has removed all your enemies.
The Lord, the king of Israel, is with you;
there is no reason now to be afraid.
16 The time is coming when they will say to Jerusalem,
“Do not be afraid, city of Zion!
Do not let your hands hang limp!
17 The Lord your God is with you;
his power gives you victory.
The Lord will take delight in you,
and in his love he will give you new life.[j]
He will sing and be joyful over you,
18 as joyful as people at a festival.”
The Lord says,
“I have ended the threat of doom
and taken away your disgrace.[k]
19 The time is coming!
I will punish your oppressors;
I will rescue all the lame
and bring the exiles home.
I will turn their shame to honor,
and all the world will praise them.
20 The time is coming!
I will bring your scattered people home;
I will make you famous throughout the world
and make you prosperous once again.”
The Lord has spoken.

Footnotes:

  1. Zephaniah 1:3 Probable text I will bring about the downfall of; Hebrew the stumbling blocks.
  2. Zephaniah 1:9 their master's house; or the temple of their god.
  3. Zephaniah 1:14 That day … even; or Listen! That terrible day is coming when even.
  4. Zephaniah 2:4 in half a day; or by a surprise attack at noontime.
  5. Zephaniah 2:12 Hebrew Cush: Cush is the ancient name of the extensive territory south of the First Cataract of the Nile River. This region was called Ethiopia in Graeco-Roman times, and included within its borders most of modern Sudan and some of present-day Ethiopia (Abyssinia).
  6. Zephaniah 2:14 Some ancient translations Crows; Hebrew Desolation.
  7. Zephaniah 3:7 Some ancient translations they would never forget; Hebrew their dwelling would not be cut off.
  8. Zephaniah 3:10 Hebrew Cush: Cush is the ancient name of the extensive territory south of the First Cataract of the Nile River. This region was called Ethiopia in Graeco-Roman times, and included within its borders most of modern Sudan and some of present-day Ethiopia (Abyssinia).
  9. Zephaniah 3:11 Mount Zion (see Zion in Word List).
  10. Zephaniah 3:17 Some ancient translations give you new life; Hebrew be silent.
  11. Zephaniah 3:18 Verse 18 in Hebrew is unclear.

Cross references:

  1. Zephaniah 1:1 : 2Kgs 22:1-2Kgs 23:30; 2Chr 34:1-2Chr 35:27
  2. Zephaniah 2:4 : Isa 14:29-Isa 14:31; Jer 47:1-Jer 47:7; Ezek 25:15-Ezek 25:17; Joel 3:4-Joel 3:8; Amos 1:6-Amos 1:8; Zech 9:5-Zech 9:7
  3. Zephaniah 2:8 : Isa 15:1-Isa 16:14; Zeph 25:10-Zeph 25:12; Jer 48:1-Jer 48:47; Ezek 25:8-Ezek 25:11; Amos 1:13-Amos 1:15; Zeph 2:8; Jer 49:1-Jer 49:6; Ezek 21:28-Ezek 21:32; Zeph 25:1-Zeph 25:7; Amos 1:13-Amos 1:15
  4. Zephaniah 2:9 : Gen 19:24
  5. Zephaniah 2:12 : Isa 18:1-Isa 18:7
  6. Zephaniah 2:13 : Isa 10:5-Isa 10:34; Zeph 14:24-Zeph 14:27; Nah 1:1-Nah 3:19
  7. Zephaniah 3:13 : Rev 14:5
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Revelation 10

The Angel and the Little Scroll

10 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down out of heaven. He was wrapped in a cloud and had a rainbow around his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like columns of fire. 2 He had a small scroll open in his hand. He put his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3 and called out in a loud voice that sounded like the roar of lions. After he had called out, the seven thunders answered with a roar. 4 As soon as they spoke, I was about to write. But I heard a voice speak from heaven, “Keep secret what the seven thunders have said; do not write it down!”

5 (A)Then the angel that I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven 6 and took a vow in the name of God, who lives forever and ever, who created heaven, earth, and the sea, and everything in them. The angel said, “There will be no more delay! 7 But when the seventh angel blows his trumpet, then God will accomplish his secret plan, as he announced to his servants, the prophets.”

8 (B)Then the voice that I had heard speaking from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go and take the open scroll which is in the hand of the angel standing on the sea and on the land.”

9 I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it; it will turn sour in your stomach, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.”

10 I took the little scroll from his hand and ate it, and it tasted sweet as honey in my mouth. But after I swallowed it, it turned sour in my stomach. 11 Then I was told, “Once again you must proclaim God's message about many nations, races, languages, and kings.”

Cross references:

  1. Revelation 10:5 : Exod 20:11; Deut 32:40; Dan 12:7; Amos 3:7
  2. Revelation 10:8 : Ezek 2:8-Ezek 3:3
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Psalm 138

A Prayer of Thanksgiving[a]

138 I thank you, Lord, with all my heart;
I sing praise to you before the gods.
2 I face your holy Temple,
bow down, and praise your name
because of your constant love and faithfulness,
because you have shown that your name and your commands are supreme.[b]
3 You answered me when I called to you;
with your strength you strengthened me.

4 All the kings in the world will praise you, Lord,
because they have heard your promises.
5 They will sing about what you have done
and about your great glory.
6 Even though you are so high above,
you care for the lowly,
and the proud cannot hide from you.

7 When I am surrounded by troubles,
you keep me safe.
You oppose my angry enemies
and save me by your power.
8 You will do everything you have promised;
Lord, your love is eternal.
Complete the work that you have begun.

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 138:1 HEBREW TITLE: By David.
  2. Psalm 138:2 Probable text your name and your commands are supreme; Hebrew your command is greater than all your name.
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Proverbs 30:11-14

11 There are people who curse their fathers and do not show their appreciation for their mothers.

12 There are people who think they are pure when they are as filthy as they can be.

13 There are people who think they are so good—oh, how good they think they are!

14 There are people who take cruel advantage of the poor and needy; that is the way they make their living.

Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

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12/18/2020 DAB Transcript

Habakkuk 1:1-3:19, Revelation 9:1-21, Psalms 137:1-9, Proverbs 30:10

Today is the 18th day of December welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian and it’s great to be here with you today as we continue the journey step-by-step day by day. Moment by moment together we move through the Scriptures. And it’s not a secret that we’ve been moving rapidly through the Scriptures because we’re encountering shorter texts within the Scriptures. Today is no different. We got a brand-new book in front of us. And this one is called Habakkuk and we will read Habakkuk in its entirety today.

Introduction to the book of Habakkuk:

It’s the eighth of the minor prophets. And who Habakkuk was is pretty well unknown. Maybe we know less about Habakkuk than we do any of the other writers in the Bible. Nahum, we didn’t know much about him when we read that yesterday, but we did have some…some time…like we could locate him in time because of some specific references. Of course, me saying we’re not really exactly sure who Habakkuk was, that’s like not new. People have been wondering, figuring, having traditions about a Habakkuk for centuries, even millennia. There’s a Jewish tradition that speaks of Habakkuk as is the son of a Shunamite woman who was resurrected through Elisha. And that stories found in the book of second Kings. Of course, Habakkuk’s not named in that story. So, it’s a tradition. There’s other traditions, like fantastic traditions, one that’s found in the up apocryphal book “Bell and the Dragon” that talks about Habakkuk with Daniel while he was in the Lion’s den. But like I said, these are traditions, they may be long-running traditions, but they’re traditions and most scholars, especially with, like “Bell in the Dragon” find…find a story like that to be maybe be legendary. Nevertheless, many verses that are found in Habakkuk are famous. Maybe the most famous will be like Habakkuk 2:4 “but the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.” That might sound familiar – “the righteous will live by faith” - is like a mainstay quote from the apostle Paul in his writings. It’s also in…in the book of Hebrews. It’s a core theme in the Christian faith. And scholars have noticed that…that the book itself, the text itself is sort of lyrical in form and definitely has a Psalm or hymn at the end, which leads some to think maybe Habakkuk was a temple musician, possibly. But basically, the book of Habakkuk is a conversation between the prophet Habakkuk and God, and it begins at a place of doubt. Habakkuk is saying out loud the things that he’s seeing, and they are leading him to doubt. He wants to know why God continues to allow evil to exist and to continue forward almost like he…he’s indifferent to it. And then God responds by saying the Babylonians are gonna come punish His own people, which leaves Habakkuk confused even more. Not sure, he’s perplexed. And then God reveals the Babylonians will punish His people and the Babylonians will be punished. Evil will be destroyed in the end. That’s the goal. And, so, Habakkuk begins to realize that God’s not indifferent, he’s not unaware. He has His will. He will continue to move His plan forward. He is a God of justice. And Habakkuk ends up moving into a place of worship. And, so, Habakkuk has three chapters, and we will read them all now starting with chapter 1.

Prayer:

Father we thank You for Your word and another day to spend together in Your word. And we thank You for Habakkuk, a book that we read in its entirety today, one that shows us a movement from frustration and confusion to worship when we understand fully that You’re not aloof. You’re very, very much paying attention to what’s going on and You are in control. We lose sight of that when we judge that it doesn’t look like that, when we deem that it doesn’t look like that anymore. And, so, we have these questions and these frustrations and then when we can settle into the fact that You are good, You are present, You are the most-high God, You are the all-powerful one and You are our Father. When that context takes hold again, when our actual reality reasserts itself than we, our spirits are again turned toward worship. What else can we do? There is none higher than You. There is nothing else to give our hearts to in worship. There is no other place to put our hope. And, so, our hope is in You and You alone. Come Holy Spirit, lead us forward in truth we pray. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, that is indeed home base and its where you find out what’s going on around here. And what else is going on…on besides Christmas time. We are getting very close are we not? We’re going to go through this weekend and then it’s gonna be Christmas week. How did it get here so quickly? Are we ready? Is everything done? All these things are swirling through our minds at Christmas and those things can kind of cover over what we’re really looking for underneath it all, which is hope for the arrival of the Savior.

So, I mentioned yesterday, we released a new single “O Holy Night” performed by Jill my wife and we’re just releasing it into all of the flurry of activity and festivity that goes on at this time, these moments, these days before Christmas comes. The words to that song are timeless and they root us back to that story underneath it all. Yes, this is joyous. Yes, there’s a lot of chaos involved in Christmas, but underneath it all there is “oh holy night the stars are brightly shining it is the night of dear Saviors birth.” So, you can stream that on Spotify, or Apple music, or YouTube music or Google play, wherever, or you can buy it at any of these places as well and keep it a part of your permanent collection. Just look for Jill Parr. That's…well…that’s Jill’s maiden name, and that’s what she was known of…known as before she was Jill Hardin. So, just look it up, “O Holy Night”, the single and enjoy. Listen to the words of that song and let it lead you deeper into the Christmas season.

The other thing we’ve been talking about is the Daily Audio Bible Shop. There are a number…there’s all kinds of stuff in the Daily Audio Bible Shop. Some stuff, yeah. If you’ve taken the 2020 journey, something to remember that journey. This has been an unforgettable year and we might want to forget it as quickly as possible, but we shouldn’t because when we get some hindsight on this thing, we are going to see that we grew up all lot and it was time. We…we were…we were getting soft and pudgy, we were acting like a toddler, we were kicking and squirm…squirming, we were throwing our bottle down on the ground because things weren’t going our way. We were jumping up and down and throwing a fit.  And once and a while things come along and they tell you, “you know what? A new season is upon you. Whether you like it or not it’s time to grow up.” And we have in so many ways. So, just to kind of remember that, that is important because…so that we don’t have to do these lessons again, not that pandemics are going to be sent upon the earth every year, but so that those pathways that lead us to transformation and growth and growing up so that we can have learned the lesson no matter what the catalyst was, so that we could’ve learned what we needed to learn and pick up what we need to pick up and lay down what we needed to lay down and move forward stronger. So, there’s the case for remembering. But there are number of resources in the Daily Audio Bible Shop that just…there just that kind of a thing, they’re commemorative things each year as we go through the Scriptures. So, check that out. There are number of unique gifts there for…yeah…for anyone in your life. So, check that out. We have basically the weekend and then that’ll be sort of the end of it because we’ve reached our threshold for shipping inside the United States and etc. etc. So, check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop and maybe that hard-to-find gift will be there.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There is a link on the homepage. I thank you with all of my heart, with all of my heart, with all of my gratitude for your partnership. Especially here as we’re ending the year. Thank you. Thank you for your partnership. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address, if that’s your preference, is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And if you have a prayer request or encouragement you can hit the Hotline button in the app, which is the little red button up at the top or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

This is Quiet Confidence from Virginia and ever since I got out of the mental hospital, I feel so lost. I’ve just been begging God to just please take me home because life seems so unbearable. It seems very unbearable. Every day is a struggle and I just need God to have mercy on my soul. I used to be so close to Him and I don’t know how I got to this place. But I need God to help me. The enemy keeps telling me I’m not a Christian, I’m not going to make it to heaven, but I ask God for forgiveness of my sins and that He would just please allow me to go home. My husband of 24 years has been trying to help me and I’ve been taking my medication, but I still struggle, and I really need God to deliver me. I don’t want to self-harm anymore, but I really need God to please just…just take me home. I just want it to be over because it’s a terrible feeling to feel lost every day. Lord Jesus please have mercy on my soul.

Hey this is holiday greeting from Justin in Colorado. I’ve walked with the Lord for several decades. I’ve been in the mission field. I’ve been on church staff. You know, all the things. But this year I purposed to work through the Bible in a…in a single year and I’ve just gotta say the Daily Audio Bible was such a huge gift. And consuming large volumes of Scripture every day has been transformational for me in the sense that I’ve got…I feel like I’ve gotten to know the Lord, His personality, just…just to know who He is, what He does, what He likes, what He doesn’t like. I…I feel a greater level of intimacy than I’ve ever felt even having quiet times and going a verse at a time every morning like I’ve done for years. So, this is been just a huge blessing to me. Thank you so much.

Hi yes this is Living by Grace. I don’t know if you can hear me clearly, but I just want to give a praise report. This is long overdue. Back about two years ago I called about my wife having some anxiety problems and since I called in maybe about a week and half afterwards really started see a marked change. And she was struggling even going to work and was really in a rough place. And I believe that God saw her through and helped use that situation to grow her closer to Him. And I just want to encourage anybody who is going through those things that I know is very real and I know that God has a plan for it and that He’s able to overcome whatever difficulty you’re going through. I’m a personal witness to it and I…I know that He has to continue to sustain her, sustain us in all that we do. But I just want to say thank you and thank the whole family, the Daily Audio Bible family for praying for us and just have a blessed day.

Hey, DABbers this is Katie in Kentucky. I just want to call and pray for all of you parents who are exhausted, whether you have a newborn who is not quite sleeping through the night like those two hour stretches that leave you just so tired or a parent of a four-year-old who wakes up in the middle of the night and won’t go back to sleep, those parents of teenagers who are out and trying to wait up for them or any of those parents who are just dealing with your children’s big feelings overall the Covid restrictions. I just want to pray for all of you. God lift up the parents, give them strength, give them energy that is just beyond anything that they can have on their own. Give them wisdom and the words to say to their kids as the kids are struggling. Give them peace. And God as much as possible, just give parents a good night’s sleep. In Jesus’ name. Amen. Love you DABbers. Bye.

Good morning Daily Audio Bible friends and family this is Granny Mary from Missouri. My best friend Vera has Covid and she’s in a coma on the ventilator in the hospital. She’s been in a coma for two weeks. They’re going to give her another week and try to decide. She’s got grandkids and a daughter. And would you please pray for her because, you know, it’s not easy for families who lose loved ones. She’s a wonderful Christian lady so, I know if God does take her home where she’s going, but the kids all need prayer, her grandkids and her daughter. So, thank you very much. God bless you all. Have a good day. Bye-bye.

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Friday December 18, 2020 (NIV)

Habakkuk 1-3

1 This is the message that the Lord revealed to the prophet Habakkuk.

Habakkuk Complains of Injustice

2 O Lord, how long must I call for help before you listen, before you save us from violence? 3 Why do you make me see such trouble? How can you stand to look on such wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are all around me, and there is fighting and quarreling everywhere. 4 The law is weak and useless, and justice is never done. Evil people get the better of the righteous, and so justice is perverted.

The Lord's Reply

5 (A)Then the Lord said to his people, “Keep watching the nations around you, and you will be astonished at what you see. I am going to do something that you will not believe when you hear about it. 6 (B)I am bringing the Babylonians to power, those fierce, restless people. They are marching out across the world to conquer other lands. 7 They spread fear and terror, and in their pride they are a law to themselves.

8 “Their horses are faster than leopards, fiercer than hungry wolves. Their cavalry troops come riding from distant lands; their horses paw the ground. They come swooping down like eagles attacking their prey.

9 “Their armies advance in violent conquest, and everyone is terrified as they approach.[a] Their captives are as numerous as grains of sand. 10 They treat kings with contempt and laugh at high officials. No fortress can stop them—they pile up earth against it and capture it. 11 Then they sweep on like the wind and are gone, these men whose power is their god.”

Habakkuk Complains to the Lord Again

12 Lord, from the very beginning you are God. You are my God, holy and eternal. Lord, my God and protector, you have chosen the Babylonians and made them strong so that they can punish us. 13 But how can you stand these treacherous, evil men? Your eyes are too holy to look at evil, and you cannot stand the sight of people doing wrong. So why are you silent while they destroy people who are more righteous than they are?

14 How can you treat people like fish or like a swarm of insects that have no ruler to direct them? 15 The Babylonians catch people with hooks, as though they were fish. They drag them off in nets and shout for joy over their catch! 16 They even worship their nets and offer sacrifices to them, because their nets provide them with the best of everything.

17 Are they going to use their swords forever and keep on destroying nations without mercy?

The Lord's Answer to Habakkuk

2 I will climb my watchtower and wait to see what the Lord will tell me to say and what answer he[b] will give to my complaint.

2 The Lord gave me this answer: “Write down clearly on tablets what I reveal to you, so that it can be read at a glance. 3 (C)Put it in writing, because it is not yet time for it to come true. But the time is coming quickly, and what I show you will come true. It may seem slow in coming, but wait for it; it will certainly take place, and it will not be delayed. 4 (D)And this is the message: ‘Those who are evil will not survive,[c] but those who are righteous will live because they are faithful to God.’”

Doom on the Unrighteous

5 Wealth is deceitful. Greedy people are proud and restless—like death itself they are never satisfied. That is why they conquer nation after nation for themselves. 6 The conquered people will taunt their conquerors and show their scorn for them. They will say, “You take what isn't yours, but you are doomed! How long will you go on getting rich by forcing your debtors to pay up?”

7 But before you know it, you that have conquered others will be in debt yourselves and be forced to pay interest. Enemies will come and make you tremble. They will plunder you! 8 You have plundered the people of many nations, but now those who have survived will plunder you because of the murders you have committed and because of your violence against the people of the world and its cities.[d]

9 You are doomed! You have made your family rich with what you took by violence, and have tried to make your own home safe from harm and danger! 10 But your schemes have brought shame on your family; by destroying many nations you have only brought ruin on yourself. 11 Even the stones of the walls cry out against you, and the rafters echo the cry.

12 You are doomed! You founded a city on crime and built it up by murder. 13 (E)The nations you conquered wore themselves out in useless labor, and all they have built goes up in flames. The Lord Almighty has done this. 14 (F)But the earth will be as full of the knowledge of the Lord's glory as the seas are full of water.

15 You are doomed! In your fury you humiliated and disgraced your neighbors; you made them stagger as though they were drunk. 16 You in turn will be covered with shame instead of honor. You yourself will drink and stagger. The Lord will make you drink your own cup of punishment, and your honor will be turned to disgrace. 17 You have cut down the forests of Lebanon; now you will be cut down. You killed its animals; now animals will terrify you. This will happen because of the murders you have committed and because of your violence against the people of the world and its cities.[e]

18 What's the use of an idol? It is only something that a human being has made, and it tells you nothing but lies. What good does it do for its maker to trust it—a god that can't even talk! 19 You are doomed! You say to a piece of wood, “Wake up!” or to a block of stone, “Get up!” Can an idol reveal anything to you? It may be covered with silver and gold, but there is no life in it.

20 The Lord is in his holy Temple; let everyone on earth be silent in his presence.

A Prayer of Habakkuk

3 This is a prayer of the prophet Habakkuk:[f]

2 O Lord, I have heard of what you have done,
and I am filled with awe.
Now do again in our times
the great deeds you used to do.
Be merciful, even when you are angry.

3 God is coming again from Edom;
the holy God is coming from the hills of Paran.
His splendor covers the heavens,
and the earth is full of his praise.
4 He comes with the brightness of lightning;
light flashes from his hand,
there where his power is hidden.
5 He sends disease before him
and commands death to follow him.
6 When he stops, the earth shakes;
at his glance the nations tremble.
The eternal mountains are shattered;
the everlasting hills sink down,
the hills where he walked in ancient times.

7 I saw the people of Cushan afraid
and the people of Midian tremble.
8 Was it the rivers that made you angry, Lord?
Was it the sea that made you furious?
You rode upon the clouds;
the storm cloud was your chariot,
as you brought victory to your people.
9 You got ready to use your bow,
ready to shoot your arrows.[g]
Your lightning split open the earth.
10 When the mountains saw you, they trembled;
water poured down from the skies.
The waters under the earth roared,
and their waves rose high.
11 At the flash of your speeding arrows
and the gleam of your shining spear,
the sun and the moon stood still.
12 You marched across the earth in anger;
in fury you trampled the nations.
13 You went out to save your people,
to save your chosen king.
You struck down the leader of the wicked
and completely destroyed his followers.[h]
14 Your arrows pierced the commander of his army
when it came like a storm to scatter us,
gloating like those who secretly oppress the poor.[i]
15 You trampled the sea with your horses,
and the mighty waters foamed.

16 I hear all this, and I tremble;
my lips quiver with fear.
My body goes limp,
and my feet stumble[j] beneath me.

I will quietly wait for the time to come
when God will punish those who attack us.

17 Even though the fig trees have no fruit
and no grapes grow on the vines,
even though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no grain,
even though the sheep all die
and the cattle stalls are empty,
18 I will still be joyful and glad,
because the Lord God is my savior.
19 (G)The Sovereign Lord gives me strength.
He makes me sure-footed as a deer
and keeps me safe on the mountains.

Footnotes:

  1. Habakkuk 1:9 Probable text and everyone … approach; Hebrew unclear.
  2. Habakkuk 2:1 One ancient translation he; Hebrew I.
  3. Habakkuk 2:4 Probable text will not survive; Hebrew unclear.
  4. Habakkuk 2:8 the people … cities; or the land, the city, and those who live in it.
  5. Habakkuk 2:17 the people … cities; or the land, the city, and those who live in it.
  6. Habakkuk 3:1 Hebrew has an additional phrase, the meaning of which is unclear.
  7. Habakkuk 3:9 Probable text ready to shoot your arrows; Hebrew unclear.
  8. Habakkuk 3:13 Probable text completely … followers; Hebrew unclear.
  9. Habakkuk 3:14 Verse 14 in Hebrew is unclear.
  10. Habakkuk 3:16 Probable text my feet stumble; Hebrew I am excited, because.

Cross references:

  1. Habakkuk 1:5 : Acts 13:41
  2. Habakkuk 1:6 : 2Kgs 24:2
  3. Habakkuk 2:3 : Heb 10:37
  4. Habakkuk 2:4 : Rom 1:17; Gal 3:11; Heb 10:38
  5. Habakkuk 2:13 : Sir 14:19
  6. Habakkuk 2:14 : Isa 11:9
  7. Habakkuk 3:19 : 2Sam 22:34; Ps 18:33
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Revelation 9

9 Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet. I saw a star which had fallen down to the earth, and it was given the key to the abyss.[a] 2 (A)The star opened the abyss, and smoke poured out of it, like the smoke from a large furnace; the sunlight and the air were darkened by the smoke from the abyss. 3 (B)Locusts came down out of the smoke upon the earth, and they were given the same kind of power that scorpions have. 4 (C)They were told not to harm the grass or the trees or any other plant; they could harm only the people who did not have the mark of God's seal on their foreheads. 5 The locusts were not allowed to kill these people, but only to torture them for five months. The pain caused by the torture is like the pain caused by a scorpion's sting. 6 (D)During those five months they will seek death, but will not find it; they will want to die, but death will flee from them.

7 (E)The locusts looked like horses ready for battle; on their heads they had what seemed to be crowns of gold, and their faces were like human faces. 8 (F)Their hair was like women's hair, their teeth were like lions' teeth. 9 (G)Their chests were covered with what looked like iron breastplates, and the sound made by their wings was like the noise of many horse-drawn chariots rushing into battle. 10 They have tails and stings like those of a scorpion, and it is with their tails that they have the power to hurt people for five months. 11 They have a king ruling over them, who is the angel in charge of the abyss. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon; in Greek the name is Apollyon (meaning “The Destroyer”).

12 The first horror is over; after this there are still two more horrors to come.

13 (H)Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet. I heard a voice coming from the four corners of the gold altar standing before God. 14 The voice said to the sixth angel, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great Euphrates River!” 15 The four angels were released; for this very hour of this very day of this very month and year they had been kept ready to kill a third of all the human race. 16 I was told the number of the mounted troops: it was two hundred million. 17 (I)And in my vision I saw the horses and their riders: they had breastplates red as fire, blue as sapphire, and yellow as sulfur. The horses' heads were like lions' heads, and from their mouths came out fire, smoke, and sulfur. 18 A third of the human race was killed by those three plagues: the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur coming out of the horses' mouths. 19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and also in their tails. Their tails are like snakes with heads, and they use them to hurt people.

20 (J)The rest of the human race, all those who had not been killed by these plagues, did not turn away from what they themselves had made. They did not stop worshiping demons, nor the idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see, hear, or walk. 21 Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic, their sexual immorality, or their stealing.

Footnotes:

  1. Revelation 9:1 The place in the depths of the earth where the demons were imprisoned until their final punishment.

Cross references:

  1. Revelation 9:2 : Gen 19:28; 2Esd 7:36
  2. Revelation 9:3 : Exod 10:12-Exod 10:15; Wis 16:9
  3. Revelation 9:4 : Ezek 9:4
  4. Revelation 9:6 : Job 3:21; Jer 8:3
  5. Revelation 9:7 : Joel 2:4
  6. Revelation 9:8 : Joel 1:6
  7. Revelation 9:9 : Joel 2:5
  8. Revelation 9:13 : Exod 30:1-Exod 30:3
  9. Revelation 9:17 : Wis 11:17; Wis 11:18
  10. Revelation 9:20 : Ps 115:4-Ps 115:7; Rev 135:15-Rev 135:17; Dan 5:23
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Psalm 137

A Lament of Israelites in Exile

137 By the rivers of Babylon we sat down;
there we wept when we remembered Zion.
2 On the willows near by
we hung up our harps.
3 Those who captured us told us to sing;
they told us to entertain them:
“Sing us a song about Zion.”

4 How can we sing a song to the Lord
in a foreign land?
5 May I never be able to play the harp again
if I forget you, Jerusalem!
6 May I never be able to sing again
if I do not remember you,
if I do not think of you as my greatest joy!

7 Remember, Lord, what the Edomites did
the day Jerusalem was captured.
Remember how they kept saying,
“Tear it down to the ground!”

8 (A)Babylon, you will be destroyed.
Happy are those who pay you back
for what you have done to us—
9 who take your babies
and smash them against a rock.

Cross references:

  1. Psalm 137:8 : Rev 18:6
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Proverbs 30:10

10 Never criticize servants to their master. You will be cursed and suffer for it.

Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

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12/17/2020 DAB Transcript

Nahum 1:1-3:19, Revelation 8:1-13, Psalms 136:1-26, Proverbs 30:7-9

Today is the 17th day of December the 352nd day of this year welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is wonderful it is a joy to be here with you today as we take the next step forward. And, so, right off the bat as we’re moving toward the…the Old Testament we finished, completed the book of Micah yesterday, which was the sixth of the minor prophets, the sixth of…the sixth of the 12 minor prophets. So, we’re going into book 7 of the minor prophets today. And this is a book called Nahum and we will read it in its entirety today in one sitting. But let’s talk about it.

Introduction to the book of Nahum:

Let’s first remember a city called Nineveh. Remember that city, the capital city of the Assyrian Empire. We remember this story probably most vividly from Jonah, Jonah the prophet running from God but than having to circle back around and obey God and go to Nineveh and the Ninevites repent at the time. Nahum deals with Nineveh, but we have to go forward about 150 years after Jonah. And the thing about Nahum is almost nothing is known about them at all. The name Nahum means comfort and the book says he was from Elkosh, but the problem about that is nobody knows where Elkosh is. Like, was it a village, was it a town, like where are we talking about? Placing Nahum in time is a little bit easier because there are some references to events that are historical events contained within the prophecy. For example, Assyria conquered Thebes, which is in Egypt and that is a well-known historical fact and that happened in 663 B.C., but it’s referenced in Nahum. So, we…we know the Nahum was written after that date. And Nahum also prophesies the…the fall of Nineveh. And that’s also a historical fact, it happened in 612 B.C. So, Nahum probably did his prophetic ministry between those two events. And like I said this is a prophecy against Nineveh and this time the destruction of Nineveh is foretold. So, whatever repentance they had 150 years previous…well…was over. And the Assyrians were known for their brutality and known for their mistreatment of those they had conquered. I mean like a legendarily known for it. And they had destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel. And we remember this. We read the entire story. The Assyrian Empire came and destroyed Samaria and took the northern 10 tribes of Israel into exile where they were assimilated and never were cohesive tribes ever again. And, so, God uses Nahum to foretell the destruction of Nineveh. And there are many scholars who believe that Nahum…like Nahum didn’t travel to Nineveh to give this message. This was a prophecy likely issued from Jerusalem and was likely intended to be heard by Hebrew people who knew about the destruction of the northern kingdom, and then this prophecy would come and tell them God’s intentions, which would give them encouragement to live true and live into all of the things that they were facing knowing that God was just, and that God would in the end would do what God will do. And, so, in the major and minor prophets we’ve seen God foretell things but also invite repentance and then tell of a future where things would be restored so we know that God is merciful and patient. But we also know that God, He’s not a pushover, and nobody’s gonna push…the…this is God. And, so, no nation will stand before God and God will not stand for a nation’s sin forever. And, so, with that we will read the complete book of Nahum. We’re reading from the Good News translation this week. Nahum contains three chapters, and we will of course begin with chapter one.

Prayer:

Father we thank You for Your word. We thank You for the 136th Psalm today that over and over in the face of everything reminds us that Your love is eternal no matter what. And we are grateful for that. We bask in that. We relax in that. We exhale in that. Thank You for Your eternal love for us and we invite Your Holy Spirit to continually remind us of this. This Psalm is so beautiful because it won’t let it go. Your love is eternal over and over and over. And, so, let that sink in today. Holy Spirit come we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, home base, and its where you find what’s going on around here. And it’s been Christmas around here. It gets more Christmasy every day as we move towards Christmas in the world. And, so, it’s been Christmas time around here. So, let me let you know about something brand-new for Christmas.

So, my wife Jill is a singer if…if you didn’t know. Not like, she’s my wife and she sings, like a professional singer. This was…this was Jill’s career and my career was in the music business as well as a record producer before…before life tipped upside down and we found ourselves in full-time ministry. Something we really really thought was never on the radar. So, she has several albums and has toured all over the world singing. And, so, virtually she will be performing a candlelight service with some of our friends and partners in ministry in the Global Campfire community. Churches all over the world are part of what we do here. And, so, she’s gonna be singing and we’ll post a link to that, especially if…especially if you are virtual and maybe have no home then we’ll definitely post that on our social media links on Christmas eve. But she was asked to sing O holy night, which any of you out there who are singers, you know, that’s a singer’s song and that is a deceptively difficult song to sing. But she and I got together, and we were like, “let's…let’s make this real. Let’s do this like we always did. Let's…let’s create a single that we can release into this holiday season into this unforgettable year. The words of that song just cut through which is why it’s one of those songs that’s just stood the test of time, it just cuts through. And, so, we produced the single and she sang her heart out and we released it and you can hear now. Look for Jill Parr. Of course, her names Jill Hardin, she’s my life but she was Jill Parr before she was Jill Hardin, and she was already known as Jill Parr and that’s who she’s known of…as known as…as a singer. So, just look for Jill Parr and look for O holy night the single and there you go, you can stream on Spotify, modify Apple music, Google play, YouTube music, wherever. You can also buy it from any of these stores and $0.99 track is like a stocking stuffer for the Daily Audio Bible. Everything helps, especially everything in a year like this one. And we’ve just kind of always had a little bit of an unspoken motto - if we’re gonna ask, we’re gonna give too. And, so, we worked hard and it’s available now for your Christmas listening pleasure and I hope it encourages you tremendously and inspires you.

Also, kind of while you’re streaming or, you know, downloading albums and stuff there’s the Family Christmas album that is the soundtrack to the season for the Global Campfire. And you can get that at the Daily Audio Bible Shop if you want like a physical CD copy, but if you just, you know, your music is digital, and you download your albums digitally then look for Family Christmas. You can look for my name Brian Hardin and you’ll find Family Christmas and stream or buy that record. It is the kind of record that…well…that really follows the sensibilities of the Daily Audio Bible where we really, really seek out peace, we really seek out serenity when we read the Scriptures, we really try to create a space that’s holy, a space that’s different, that’s sacred and separate from all of the cares of this life, so that we have an oasis, a place to go. Well, Family Christmas is the soundtrack inside of that for Christmas. It’s the kind of thing you just sip your hot cocoa. And like I’ve always said, because it’s what I like to do - turn off all the lights, leave the Christmas lights on, and just sit and take it all in. And Family Christmas is a great soundtrack for that. So, check it out.

The other thing that we have been talking about is the Daily Audio Bible Shop and resources that are available there that make fine gifts and inspiring invitations to engage with the Scripture on a more intentional…in a more intentional way. So, a couple more days and we will have reached the end of the road there as far as shipping goes. We’re well past shipping for arrival for Christmas time internationally but here domestically with in the United States, a couple more days and then we will have reached that threshold as well. So, we’re kind of in the final…final days. So, to check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that dailyaudiobible.com as well. There is a link on the homepage. Thank you humbly and profoundly for your partnership. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address, if that’s your preference, is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement 877-942-4253 is the number to dial.

And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Good morning siblings it’s your little sis His Little Cherry in Canada. Today is the third Sunday in Advent the beginning of joy and I’m so grateful for Advent this year. Every day in Advent I have been walking to the sunrise and it’s been such a nourishing exercise. Today is bitterly cold. It’s -17 right now that’s Celsius which is about 1°F and I still plan to walk to the sunrise. I’m just getting ready to go, bundling up. I’m putting three pairs of pants on and my big wool sweater and then my big knee length down jacket and I am bundling my head up with just a slit for my eyes showing and deep Arctic gloves and on and on and on. And I will be waddling to the sunrise this morning but I will be there and I just have come to depend on seeing the sunrise. Hosea 6:3 says, “as surely as the sun rises the Lord will appear. He will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth. So, come Lord Jesus I will meet you at the sunrise. We will both be there.” And family I’m taking you with me today to discover the certainty of joy.

Hello DAB family I was just listening to this song that says, “yes I will choose to glorify your name, the name of all names” and I was thinking about just 2020 and how we can say as believers God has been good in 2020. God has been faithful this year. We’re going to look at all of the things that he’s done for us and know all of the things we don’t know that He’s done for us to take care of us, to show us love, to protect us. He’s done so much. And, so, I choose to praise Him. I choose to give thanks for all that He is and all that He’s done in 2020. I am praising Him for it. This has been a great year. It…it still has and sometimes I have to go to the store, and I wear a mask and I feel claustrophobic and I don’t like it but I’m praising Him and when I hear about people sick, I pray for them. So, that’s the way I choose to live but I choose to praise the name of all names, Jesus and I just encourage you all to do the same. And I love you and bless you and I’m so happy to finish out the year with DAB.

Grace and peace Daily Audio Bible family this is RJ calling for Jesus. I just want to say this year 2020 has been a year of bitter and sweet. This year I’ve actually lost my mom. A month before that I actually got married to the love of my life. Three months before that I actually contracted the…the Covid virus and was tested positive and wow…during the season, you know, with my mom when we had her a home going I was able to reconcile with to my children one of my…one of my boys here that’s with my new wife has gotten in trouble with the law, you know, my job is at a…has had…a lot of things have been happening, a lot of ups and downs. But I pray to God in the name of Jesus. So, a word of encouragement to those who are listening and to just never give up. Our God is able. He’s faithful to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we could ask or think according to the power that worketh in us through Christ. So, I pray that each and every one of you guys that are listening that you’re encouraged, that you let the love of God shine in your hearts and in your mind that whatever you do or what you see will be through that lens of love and you will share it to others. Be encouraged my family. Let the love of God continue to shine. Love you all. May God bless you. Amen.

Good morning this is Boyce in northern Nevada and first of all I want to thank Brian for this amazing community and this app that helps us to start our day with the word of God. I feel burdened to pray for all of the delivery people that are working right now many times around-the-clock. I’m a USPS mail carrier myself. And, so, I know that all…all delivery drivers and carriers are working tremendously harder than normal during this season. And, so, I just want to pray. Father God just be with all of the…the carriers - FedEx, UPS, USPS, Amazon drivers - that are having to work just around-the-clock tremendously longer hours and under the burden of this Covid 19 situation that is adding tremendous strain to their…to their jobs. And just give them a sense of gratitude for all of the joy that we get to…we get to help people to receive the things that they ordered and that they need and that we have good jobs that are providing for our families. Also, Lord give them a sense of, you know, the harder that we work the more that we enjoy our…our time off. So, I just ask that you be with them and keep them safe, their family safe in Jesus’ name.

Hey Daily Audio Bible family this is Jason from North Carolina area. Brian I just wanted to say thank you for this. I’m glad that the Lord convicted your heart and allowed in His good grace you to produce this podcast. And I look forward to the God of My Story that I purchased for me and family members for Christmas. I look forward to using that as a companion to the Daily Audio Bible next year. This is my fourth you’re listening, and this is going to be the first year that I complete the Daily Audio Bible completely. And I thank the Lord God for that for it has changed my life profoundly. Jim and Janet if you’re listening to this just know that I love you so much and I thank you for this gift. I thank you for the encouragement and I’m glad that I truly believe the Lord prodded you to tell me about it because it is definitely within the wheelhouse of how I learn and just cannot tell you enough how it has grown me and matured me, and I look forward to keeping it a part of my life for as long as the Lord will allow. And I definitely look forward to using the Chronological Daily Audio Bible next year in the evenings. I’m a nurse so in the mornings I love having this quiet time making breakfast listening to the Daily Audio Bible, but I’ve been convicted and know lately that in the evenings I’m kind of board and I just look forward to hearing from the Chronological. So, again I thank you for that resource as well. I love you all and I thank you very much for this. Just it is wonderful again to have this example of community within our own local churches and families but as a church abroad. In Jesus’ name I pray. Thank you, guys. Amen.

Posted on

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday December 17, 2020 (NIV)

Nahum 1-3

1 (A)This is a message about Nineveh, the account of a vision seen by Nahum, who was from Elkosh.

The Lord's Anger against Nineveh

2 The Lord God tolerates no rivals;
he punishes those who oppose him.
In his anger he pays them back.
3 The Lord does not easily become angry,
but he is powerful
and never lets the guilty go unpunished.

Where the Lord walks, storms arise;
the clouds are the dust raised by his feet!
4 He commands the sea, and it dries up!
He makes the rivers go dry.
The fields of Bashan wither,
Mount Carmel turns brown,
and the flowers of Lebanon fade.
5 Mountains quake in the presence of the Lord;
hills melt before him.
The earth shakes when the Lord appears;
the world and all its people tremble.
6 When he is angry, who can survive?
Who can survive his terrible fury?
He pours out his flaming anger;
rocks crumble to dust before him.

7 The Lord is good;
he protects his people in times of trouble;
he takes care of those who turn to him.
8 Like a great rushing flood he completely destroys his enemies;[a]
he sends to their death those who oppose him.
9 What are you plotting against the Lord?
He will destroy you.
No one opposes him more than once.
10 Like tangled thorns and dry straw
you drunkards will be burned up!

11 From you, Nineveh, there came someone full of wicked schemes, who plotted against the Lord. 12 This is what the Lord says to his people Israel: “Even though the Assyrians are strong and numerous, they will be destroyed and disappear. My people, I made you suffer, but I will not do it again. 13 I will now end Assyria's power over you and break the chains that bind you.”

14 This is what the Lord has decreed about the Assyrians: “They will have no descendants to carry on their name. I will destroy the idols that are in the temples of their gods. I am preparing a grave for the Assyrians—they don't deserve to live!”

15 (B)Look, a messenger is coming over the mountains with good news! He is on his way to announce the victory! People of Judah, celebrate your festivals and give God what you solemnly promised him. The wicked will never invade your land again. They have been totally destroyed!

The Fall of Nineveh

2 Nineveh, you are under attack!
The power that will shatter you has come.
Prepare the defenses!
Guard the road!
Prepare for battle!
2 The Lord is about to restore the glory of Israel, as it was before her enemies plundered her.
3 The enemy soldiers carry red shields
and wear uniforms of red.
They are preparing to attack!
Their chariots flash like fire!
Their horses[b] prance!

4 Chariots dash wildly through the streets,
rushing back and forth in the city squares.
They flash like torches
and dart about like lightning.
5 The officers are summoned;
they stumble as they press forward.

The attackers rush to the wall
and set up the shield for the battering ram.
6 The gates by the river burst open;
the palace is filled with terror.
7 The queen is taken captive;
her servants moan like doves
and beat their breasts in sorrow.
8 Like water from a broken dam
the people rush from Nineveh![c]
“Stop! Stop!” the cry rings out—
but no one turns back.

9 Plunder the silver!
Plunder the gold!
The city is full of treasure!

10 Nineveh is destroyed, deserted, desolate!
Hearts melt with fear;
knees tremble, strength is gone;
faces grow pale.

11 Where now is the city
that was like a den of lions,
the place where young lions were fed,
where the lion and the lioness would go
and their cubs would be safe?
12 The lion killed his prey
and tore it to pieces for his mate and her cubs;
he filled his den with torn flesh.

13 “I am your enemy!” says the Lord Almighty. “I will burn up your chariots. Your soldiers will be killed in war, and I will take away everything that you took from others. The demands of your envoys will no longer be heard.”

3 Doomed is the lying, murderous city,
full of wealth to be looted and plundered!
2 Listen! The crack of the whip,
the rattle of wheels,
the gallop of horses,
the jolting of chariots!
3 Cavalry troops charge,
swords flash, spears gleam!
Corpses are piled high,
dead bodies without number—
men stumble over them!
4 Nineveh the whore is being punished.
Attractive and full of deadly charms,
she enchanted nations and enslaved[d] them.

5 The Lord Almighty says,

“I will punish you, Nineveh!
I will strip you naked
and let the nations see you,
see you in all your shame.
6 I will treat you with contempt
and cover you with filth.
People will stare at you in horror.
7 All who see you will shrink back.
They will say, ‘Nineveh lies in ruins!
Who has any sympathy for her?
Who will want to comfort her?’”

8 Nineveh, are you any better than Thebes, the capital of Egypt? She too had a river to protect her like a wall—the Nile was her defense. 9 She ruled Ethiopia[e] and Egypt, there was no limit to her power; Libya was her ally. 10 Yet the people of Thebes were carried off into exile. At every street corner their children were beaten to death. Their leading men were carried off in chains and divided among their captors.

11 Nineveh, you too will fall into a drunken stupor! You too will try to escape from your enemies. 12 All your fortresses will be like fig trees with ripe figs: shake the trees, and the fruit falls right into your mouth! 13 Your soldiers are helpless, and your country stands defenseless before your enemies. Fire will destroy the bars across your gates. 14 Draw water to prepare for a siege, and strengthen your fortresses! Trample the clay to make bricks, and get the brick molds ready! 15 No matter what you do, you will still be burned to death or killed in battle. You will be wiped out like crops eaten up by locusts.

You multiplied like locusts! 16 You produced more merchants than there are stars in the sky! But now they are gone, like locusts that spread their wings and fly away. 17 Your officials are like a swarm of locusts that stay in the walls on a cold day. But when the sun comes out, they fly away, and no one knows where they have gone!

18 Emperor of Assyria, your governors are dead, and your noblemen are asleep forever! Your people are scattered on the mountains, and there is no one to bring them home again. 19 There is no remedy for your injuries, and your wounds cannot be healed. All those who hear the news of your destruction clap their hands for joy. Did anyone escape your endless cruelty?

Footnotes:

  1. Nahum 1:8 Some ancient translations his enemies; Hebrew its place.
  2. Nahum 2:3 Some ancient translations horses; Hebrew cypresses.
  3. Nahum 2:8 Probable text Like water … Nineveh; Hebrew unclear.
  4. Nahum 3:4 enslaved; or seduced.
  5. Nahum 3:9 Hebrew Cush: Cush is the ancient name of the extensive territory south of the First Cataract of the Nile River. This region was called Ethiopia in Graeco-Roman times, and included within its borders most of modern Sudan and some of present-day Ethiopia (Abyssinia).

Cross references:

  1. Nahum 1:1 : Isa 10:5-Isa 10:34; Nah 14:24-Nah 14:27; Zeph 2:13-Zeph 2:15
  2. Nahum 1:15 : Isa 52:7
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Revelation 8

The Seventh Seal

8 When the Lamb broke open the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and they were given seven trumpets.

3 (A)Another angel, who had a gold incense container, came and stood at the altar. He was given a lot of incense to add to the prayers of all God's people and to offer it on the gold altar that stands before the throne. 4 The smoke of the burning incense went up with the prayers of God's people from the hands of the angel standing before God. 5 (B)Then the angel took the incense container, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it on the earth. There were rumblings and peals of thunder, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

The Trumpets

6 (C)Then the seven angels with the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.

7 (D)The first angel blew his trumpet. Hail and fire, mixed with blood, came pouring down on the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees, and every blade of green grass.

8 Then the second angel blew his trumpet. Something that looked like a huge mountain on fire was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea was turned into blood, 9 a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

10 (E)Then the third angel blew his trumpet. A large star, burning like a torch, dropped from the sky and fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 11 (F)(The name of the star is “Bitterness.”) A third of the water turned bitter, and many people died from drinking the water, because it had turned bitter.

12 (G)Then the fourth angel blew his trumpet. A third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that their light lost a third of its brightness; there was no light during a third of the day and a third of the night also.

13 Then I looked, and I heard an eagle that was flying high in the air say in a loud voice, “O horror! horror! How horrible it will be for all who live on earth when the sound comes from the trumpets that the other three angels must blow!”

Cross references:

  1. Revelation 8:3 : Amos 9:1; Rev 8:3; Exod 30:1; Exod 30:3
  2. Revelation 8:5 : Lev 16:12; Ezek 10:2; Rev 8:5; Exod 19:16; Rev 11:19; Rev 16:18
  3. Revelation 8:6 : Wis 11:5-Wis 12:2
  4. Revelation 8:7 : Exod 9:23-Exod 9:25; Ezek 38:22
  5. Revelation 8:10 : Isa 14:12
  6. Revelation 8:11 : Jer 9:15
  7. Revelation 8:12 : Isa 13:10; Ezek 32:7; Joel 2:10; Joel 2:31; Rev 3:15
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Psalm 136

A Hymn of Thanksgiving

136 (A)Give thanks to the Lord, because he is good;
his love is eternal.
2 Give thanks to the greatest of all gods;
his love is eternal.
3 Give thanks to the mightiest of all lords;
his love is eternal.

4 He alone performs great miracles;
his love is eternal.
5 (B)By his wisdom he made the heavens;
his love is eternal;
6 (C)he built the earth on the deep waters;
his love is eternal.
7 (D)He made the sun and the moon;
his love is eternal;
8 the sun to rule over the day;
his love is eternal;
9 the moon and the stars to rule over the night;
his love is eternal.

10 (E)He killed the first-born sons of the Egyptians;
his love is eternal.
11 (F)He led the people of Israel out of Egypt;
his love is eternal;
12 with his strong hand, his powerful arm;
his love is eternal.
13 (G)He divided the Red Sea;
his love is eternal;
14 he led his people through it;
his love is eternal;
15 but he drowned the king of Egypt and his army;
his love is eternal.

16 He led his people through the desert;
his love is eternal.
17 He killed powerful kings;
his love is eternal;
18 he killed famous kings;
his love is eternal;
19 (H)Sihon, king of the Amorites;
his love is eternal;
20 (I)and Og, king of Bashan;
his love is eternal.
21 He gave their lands to his people;
his love is eternal;
22 he gave them to Israel, his servant;
his love is eternal.

23 He did not forget us when we were defeated;
his love is eternal;
24 he freed us from our enemies;
his love is eternal.
25 He gives food to every living creature;
his love is eternal.

26 Give thanks to the God of heaven;
his love is eternal.

Cross references:

  1. Psalm 136:1 : 1Chr 16:34; 2Chr 5:13; Ps 7:3; Ezra 3:11; Ps 100:5; Ps 106:1; Ps 107:1; Ps 118:1; Jer 33:11
  2. Psalm 136:5 : Gen 1:1
  3. Psalm 136:6 : Gen 1:2
  4. Psalm 136:7 : Gen 1:16
  5. Psalm 136:10 : Exod 12:29
  6. Psalm 136:11 : Exod 12:51
  7. Psalm 136:13 : Exod 14:21-Exod 14:29
  8. Psalm 136:19 : Num 21:21-Num 21:30
  9. Psalm 136:20 : Num 21:31-Num 21:35
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Proverbs 30:7-9

More Proverbs

7 I ask you, God, to let me have two things before I die: 8 keep me from lying, and let me be neither rich nor poor. So give me only as much food as I need. 9 If I have more, I might say that I do not need you. But if I am poor, I might steal and bring disgrace on my God.

Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Posted on

12/16/2020 DAB Transcript

Micah 5:1-7:20, Revelation 7:1-17, Psalms 135:1-21, Proverbs 30:5-6

Today is the 16th day of the month of December welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian and it is wonderful to be here with you today as we continue our journey, the one that takes us to the end of the year and all the way through the Scriptures. And we are obviously well on our way, but we still have some significant territory to cover. And, so, let’s dive in. We’re reading from the Good News Translation this week. We began the book of Micah yesterday in our Old Testament reading, and we will conclude the book of Micah today by reading Micah 5, 6, and 7.

Commentary:

Okay. God says something in the book of Micah today as we’re nearing the end of…of Micah that is really riveting and penetrating. “my people”, God says “what have I done to you? How have I been a burden to you? Answer me.” And this is God basically pressing into the rebellion of His people and the idolatry and spiritual idolatry of His people. They would face hardship and then blame God for it, which sounds awfully contemporary, and now. Sounds like our own lives. And God is saying, “what have I done to you? Am I not the one that rescued you? Like, am I not the one that has provided for your every step?” When God says, “my people, what have I done to you?” I mean you just have to imagine putting your own name. “Oh Brian, what have I done to you? Ahh…even just saying that out loud pricks me. I don’t ever want to hear that. “How have I been a burden to you?” I don’t ever want to hear the Lord say that to me. If we just kind of a reverse the question and put the question at the end of God’s statement, then we get complete clarity. So, God says. “I brought you out of Egypt. I rescued you from slavery. I sent Moses Aaron and Miriam to lead you. My people, remember what king Balak of Moab planned to do to you and Baalam son of Beor answered him. Remember the things that happened on the way from the camp at Acacia to Gilgal. Remember these things and you will realize what I did in order to save you.” My people, what have I done to you? How have I been a burden to you? Answer me.” That is such a mirror. Like, that’s one you can’t escape from. You can’t look away because it’s like, look back at the story of your life and look at the moments where God has saved and rescued you and you knew it and you still know it. And yet hardship endurance can come, perseverance can come and we’re mad, were estranged or angry and we’re rebellious and we walk away just like the people in the Bible. And then hears God, “what did I do? What did I do to you? How did I burden you?” So, basically what happens in the text here is that Micah responds to that. Like…like God has just come and asked us this question, “How have I been a burden to you? What have I done to you?” So, he’s internally kind of working through, “what…what do we do now? How do we respond to that?” And it becomes a bit of a rhetorical, even sarcastic lesson. “What shall I bring to the Lord?” Like, this is the response to, “how have I been a burden to you?” “What shall I bring to the Lord, the God of heaven when I come to worship Him? Shall I bring the best cows to burn as offering to him? Will the Lord be pleased if I bring Him thousands of sheep or endless streams of olive oil? Shall I offer him my firstborn child to pay for my sins? No.” And then Micah tells us something that’s very famous but also something that essentially encapsulates what it is that God wants from you. So, Micah is like, “no. It’s not all these sacrifices, it’s not all these rituals, it’s not all these hoops, this is not what God wants from you.” “The Lord” and I’m quoting Micah “the Lord has told us what is good. What He requires of us is this, to do what is just, to show constant love and to live in humble fellowship with our God.” More famously we would quote this, “to do justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly with your God.” This is what God wants from you. This is what he wants from me. It’s what he wants from us. And when us gets together and does what God wants things change. It’s all available. It’s all in our hands. We can practice this as we go into the holiday season straightaway straight in front of us. Do justly, love mercy, walk humbly. That is the path friends. That is the path forward. When that’s what our lives look like we are on the right path. And, so let’s carry that forward in our hearts today as we continue to move toward Christmas and the new year. It was like a month and a half ago we were way out in front of it, talking about how this is gonna happen, things are gonna speed up, the years gonna get crazy like it always does, very very busy. And, so, we’re gonna want to start the year fresh and new and strong and the way that that’s gonna happen is that we finish this year strong. Justice, mercy, humility - this is the path to walk to finish well and start strong. Let’s intentionally begin today.

Prayer:

Father, we invite You into that. We can’t do it without You, we can do nothing without You, and we don’t want to do anything without You. Anything we’ve ever attempted to do without You has been a catastrophe and we’ve learned that we can continue to repeat the same patterns, or we can lift our hands in surrender asking for Your help. And we’re asking for Your help. We want to collaborate with You. This life isn’t about everything that we can create and You are the add-on, You are the secret sauce, You are the one that provides the path forward. We’re in a different story than that. We’re in Your story and You have invited us to be a part of that story. We want to do Your will and we want to join You in the grand story, the ongoing never-ending story of redemption. Come Holy Spirit, help us to meditate on justice, mercy and humility today we pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, home base, indeed where you find out what’s going on around here. And indeed, it’s Christmas time around here. So that’s mostly what’s going on.

Daily Audio Bible Shop is open and there are some unique gift ideas there truly, truly unique gift ideas there. Maybe a gift to yourself is there waiting for you as well, something to commemorate and remind you of…of 2020 and the craziness of the year and the fact that we went through it together. We were in it together every step of the way. I mean the second people had to start keeping their distance we just kept going. This is…this is the beauty of who we are as a virtual community. And, so, we…maybe there’s something that you want…you wanna use to remind yourself. There are plenty of…of ideas there. So, check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop.

The other thing is that we have been collecting the holiday greetings that we will put together and create our annual Christmas party. And, so, today’s the last day we’re…we’re going to be collecting those. So, if you’ve procrastinated a little bit maybe don’t forget this is the last day. All you gotta do is hit the Hotline button in the app the same way we would submit a prayer request or encouragement. Hit the Hotline button in the app and share your holiday greeting, or you can dial 877-942-4253 and share your holiday greeting. The only rule is that just don’t combine a holiday greeting and a prayer request in the same call. Just make those separate this time. And, so, we’ll…we’ll collect those today and then get to work on putting everything together so we can have our Christmas party. And I look forward to that tremendously.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There is a link on the homepage, and I thank you humbly and profoundly…yeah…humbly and profoundly, those are the right words. Thank you for your partnership. We wouldn’t be here if we weren’t in this together. So, there is a link on the homepage. And you press the Give button if you’re using the app, and that’s in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you’ve a prayer request or encouragement 877-942-4253 is the number to dial or you can just hit the Hotline button in the app, which is the little red button up at the top and you won't…you won’t…you won’t miss it. It looks like a Hotline button. You can just press that and share from wherever you are in the world.

And that is it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hey Daily Audio Bible family this is John calling from Bethlehem Pennsylvania hope you’re doing great today. It’s the 12th of December at about 9:10 AM and I just got through listening to the program for 11th of December and listening to the…the prayers that came in and wanted to first thank Grandpa Bob for his prayer for Halo. Such great words of advice for you Halo and such great wisdom from Grandpa Bob. And he’s right, we love you. God loves you. And…and other colors that have called, you know, about Halo’s situation like that day too we heard from Walta the burning bush and what a beautiful prayer you prayed, you know, over…over her and over the person that’s, you know, being a bully or being mean to her. Just beautiful Walta. So, thank you Grandpa Bob and thank you Walta for praying over Halo. You know, we’re joined together in prayer and, you know, where two or more people this goes right to the father Halo. So, you’re in great hands and we do love you. We want to hear your praise report when you call back in. Also, there was a caller. You didn’t leave your name sweetheart but you were talking about how you’re so distracted with things and that you’re…you’re sick, physically sick even because you’re so distracted by everything is going on. Sweetheart…heavenly Father thank You so much for this…for this woman that she’s seeking You and that she’s calling in her prayer God. Touch her in a special way, Lord Jesus. Help her to focus and bring her clarity. Help her to cut out all of the junk from her life that’s bringing fear and anxiety to her and have her stay close to You. I’m praying for You sweetheart. I’ll keep You lifted up in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Hi, my names Hudson and I…I live in New Mexico and I’m just praying for my brother who has diabetes. He has…he had diabetes for 15 years and they just want to…I just want to pray that he gets better from diabetes. And I thank you Brian for be…for praying for all those here. I listen to it every day. Thank you.

Good afternoon DAB family God bless you all. A DABber called at about a 95 dad that is able to understand the meaning of salvation right before he went to be with the Lord and surrounded by family. That is such a beautiful story and so encouraging and I am praying for the peace of God to be with you all and comforting you as I know that your dad will be missed. You know, Laura Lee from Boyden Beach welcoming new listeners. Amen. Praise you Jesus. Please continue to call in those new listeners we love to hear from you. Pamela from Canada called in about your son Ray in Jamaica. We are praying for the for that he is going to turn his life over to Jesus as well as other family members in the name of Jesus. And I’m also praying for these things that are attacking your body. I don’t want I even name them. I am praying for the healing of the Jesus Christ that we serve to be upon you in the name of Jesus. Blind Tony, I love your poems. God bless you in the name of Jesus. And Joe to Treasure, you know, you are a treasure. You called in about recognizing our voices and how we are to recognize the voice of the One and only One that we serve, Jesus Christ. We thank you. And yes, may we always be mindful about the voices that we recognize and always wanting to hear the voice of God in the midst of everything. Russell from superior daughter injecting drugs we bind that in the name of Jesus. We bind those drugs in the name of Jesus. I am binding those spirits that is trying to hold her down in the name of Jesus. Barb from Alberta called to say thank you for this community. You say you only call in every couple years but you know what sis we love you and we want to hear from you. God bless you all. Esther from Orlando.

Hi this is Lita I would like to pray for Harold to have the sun with diabetes and if there was another person that called in who also had a loved one diabetes. I also have a son with type I diabetes and so I understand the heart ache of having to walk alongside someone dealing with this terrible disease. So, Father I lift up Harold and I lift up the other person and myself Lord, all of us having loved ones with type I diabetes and I pray for healing Lord. I pray for good management of numbers. I just pray for Your wisdom and for Your guidance Lord and I pray for Your deliverance and I pray Lord for Your…Your rescue of us Lord from this disease. And I just pray Lord that You would help, that You would heal, that You would deliver. Lord You’re all that we have, You are our everything, the only one we can turn to and we turn to You Lord. Thank You.

Good morning Daily Audio Bible family this is Regis calling from Nairobi. Today I’m calling just to pray…to pray and join Gloria in prayer. Gloria from Camp Paula Uganda just a neighbor here. Gloria, I heard your…your request. You are requesting a prayer. You’ve been promoted but they’ve included also many things like faith management and song, but your salaries still not really reviewed yet. We pray that the Lord will release and increase your salary so you will be able to take care of your family. And I pray that the Lord will open up doors for bigger blessings, doors for international opportunities. I pray that the Lord will make you a blessing for your family. I pray that the Lord will make even this next year 2021 easier and better than this year and better than many of the years, the past years. I pray that the Lord will stretch His hand upon you, favor you all the ways. May God bless you may God keep you and protect you and your family. We love you. God bless you. Have a blessed day. Bye-bye, Regis…

Posted on

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Wednesday December 16, 2020 (NIV)

Micah 5-7

5 People of Jerusalem, gather your forces![a] We are besieged! They are attacking the leader of Israel!

God Promises a Ruler from Bethlehem

2 (A)The Lord says, “Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are one of the smallest towns in Judah, but out of you I will bring a ruler for Israel, whose family line goes back to ancient times.”

3 So the Lord will abandon his people to their enemies until the woman who is to give birth has her son. Then those Israelites who are in exile will be reunited with their own people. 4 When he comes, he will rule his people with the strength that comes from the Lord and with the majesty of the Lord God himself. His people will live in safety because people all over the earth will acknowledge his greatness, 5 and he will bring peace.

Deliverance and Punishment

When the Assyrians invade our country and break through our defenses, we will send our strongest leaders to fight them. 6 (B)By force of arms they will conquer Assyria, the land of Nimrod, and they[b] will save us from the Assyrians when they invade our territory.

7 The people of Israel who survive will be like refreshing dew sent by the Lord for many nations, like showers on growing plants. They will depend on God, not people. 8 Those who are left among the nations will be like a lion hunting for food in a forest or a pasture: it gets in among the sheep, pounces on them, and tears them to pieces—and there is no hope of rescue. 9 Israel will conquer her enemies and destroy them all.

10 The Lord says, “At that time I will take away your horses and destroy your chariots. 11 I will destroy the cities in your land and tear down all your defenses. 12 I will destroy the magic charms you use and leave you without any fortunetellers. 13 I will destroy your idols and sacred stone pillars; no longer will you worship the things that you yourselves have made. 14 I will pull down the images of the goddess Asherah in your land and destroy your cities. 15 And in my great anger I will take revenge on all nations that have not obeyed me.”

The Lord's Case against Israel

6 Listen to the Lord's case against Israel.

Arise, O Lord, and present your case; let the mountains and the hills hear what you say.

2 You mountains, you everlasting foundations of the earth, listen to the Lord's case! The Lord has a case against his people. He is going to bring an accusation against Israel.

3 The Lord says, “My people, what have I done to you? How have I been a burden to you? Answer me. 4 (C)I brought you out of Egypt; I rescued you from slavery; I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to lead you. 5 (D)My people, remember what King Balak of Moab planned to do to you and how Balaam son of Beor answered him. Remember the things that happened on the way from the camp at Acacia to Gilgal. Remember these things and you will realize what I did in order to save you.”

What the Lord Requires

6 What shall I bring to the Lord, the God of heaven, when I come to worship him? Shall I bring the best calves to burn as offerings to him? 7 Will the Lord be pleased if I bring him thousands of sheep or endless streams of olive oil? Shall I offer him my first-born child to pay for my sins? 8 No, the Lord has told us what is good. What he requires of us is this: to do what is just, to show constant love, and to live in humble fellowship with our God.

9 It is wise to fear the Lord. He calls to the city, “Listen, you people who assemble in the city![c] 10 In the houses of evil people are treasures which they got dishonestly. They use false measures, a thing that I hate.[d] 11 How can I forgive those who use false scales and weights? 12 Your rich people exploit the poor, and all of you are liars. 13 So I have already begun[e] your ruin and destruction because of your sins. 14 You will eat, but not be satisfied—in fact you will still be hungry. You will carry things off, but you will not be able to save them; anything you do save I will destroy in war. 15 You will sow grain, but not harvest the crop. You will press oil from olives, but never get to use it. You will make wine, but never drink it. 16 (E)This will happen because you have followed the evil practices of King Omri and of his son, King Ahab. You have continued their policies, and so I will bring you to ruin, and everyone will despise you. People[f] everywhere will treat you with contempt.”[g]

Israel's Moral Corruption

7 It's hopeless! I am like a hungry person who finds no fruit left on the trees and no grapes on the vines. All the grapes and all the tasty figs have been picked. 2 There is not an honest person left in the land, no one loyal to God. Everyone is waiting for a chance to commit murder. Everyone hunts down their own people. 3 They are all experts at doing evil. Officials and judges ask for bribes. The influential people tell them what they want, and so they scheme together.[h] 4 Even the best and most honest of them are as worthless as weeds.

The day has come when God will punish the people, as he warned them through their watchmen, the prophets. Now they are in confusion. 5 Don't believe your neighbor or trust your friend. Be careful what you say even to your husband or wife. 6 (F)In these times sons treat their fathers like fools, daughters oppose their mothers, and young women quarrel with their mothers-in-law; your enemies are the members of your own family.

7 But I will watch for the Lord; I will wait confidently for God, who will save me. My God will hear me.

The Lord Brings Salvation

8 Our enemies have no reason to gloat over us. We have fallen, but we will rise again. We are in darkness now, but the Lord will give us light. 9 We have sinned against the Lord, so now we must endure his anger for a while. But in the end he will defend us and right the wrongs that have been done to us. He will bring us out to the light; we will live to see him save us. 10 Then our enemies will see this and be disgraced—the same enemies who taunted us by asking, “Where is the Lord your God?” We will see them defeated, trampled[i] down like mud in the streets.

11 People of Jerusalem, the time to rebuild the city walls is coming. At that time your territory will be enlarged. 12 Your people will return to you from everywhere—from Assyria in the east, from Egypt in the south, from the region of the Euphrates River, from distant seas and far-off mountains. 13 But the earth will become a desert because of the wickedness of those who live on it.

The Lord's Compassion on Israel

14 Be a shepherd to your people, Lord, the people you have chosen. Although they live apart in the wilderness, there is fertile land around them. Let them go and feed in the rich pastures of Bashan and Gilead, as they did long ago.

15 Work miracles for us,[j] Lord, as you did in the days when you brought us out of Egypt. 16 The nations will see this and be frustrated in spite of all their strength. In dismay they will close their mouths and cover their ears. 17 They will crawl in the dust like snakes; they will come from their fortresses, trembling and afraid. They will turn in fear to the Lord our God.

18 There is no other god like you, O Lord; you forgive the sins of your people who have survived. You do not stay angry forever, but you take pleasure in showing us your constant love. 19 You will be merciful to us once again. You will trample our sins underfoot and send them to the bottom of the sea! 20 You will show your faithfulness and constant love to your people, the descendants of Abraham and of Jacob, as you promised our ancestors long ago.

Footnotes:

  1. Micah 5:1 Probable text People … forces!; Hebrew unclear.
  2. Micah 5:6 Probable text they; Hebrew he.
  3. Micah 6:9 Probable text who assemble in the city; Hebrew and who appointed it. Yet.
  4. Micah 6:10 Verse 10 in Hebrew is unclear.
  5. Micah 6:13 Some ancient translations begun; Hebrew made sick.
  6. Micah 6:16 One ancient translation People; Hebrew My people.
  7. Micah 6:16 People … contempt; or As my people you will everywhere be treated with contempt.
  8. Micah 7:3 and so they scheme together; Hebrew unclear.
  9. Micah 7:10 We will see … trampled; or We will gloat over them as they lie trampled.
  10. Micah 7:15 Probable text Work miracles for us; Hebrew I will work miracles for him.

Cross references:

  1. Micah 5:2 : Matt 2:6; John 7:42
  2. Micah 5:6 : Gen 10:8-Gen 10:11
  3. Micah 6:4 : Exod 12:50; Exod 12:51; Mic 6:4; Exod 4:10-Exod 4:16; Mic 6:4; Exod 15:20
  4. Micah 6:5 : Num 22:2-Num 24:25; Mic 6:5; Jas 3:1-Jas 4:19
  5. Micah 6:16 : 1Kgs 16:23-1Kgs 16:28; Mic 6:16; 1Kgs 16:29-1Kgs 16:34; Mic 21:25; Mic 21:26
  6. Micah 7:6 : Matt 10:35; Matt 10:36; Luke 12:53
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Revelation 7

The 144,000 People of Israel

7 (A)After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds so that no wind should blow on the earth or the sea or against any tree. 2 And I saw another angel coming up from the east with the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels to whom God had given the power to damage the earth and the sea. 3 (B)The angel said, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees, until we mark the servants of our God with a seal on their foreheads.” 4 And I was told that the number of those who were marked with God's seal on their foreheads was 144,000. They were from the twelve tribes of Israel, 5-8 twelve thousand from each tribe: Judah, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin.

The Enormous Crowd

9 (C)After this I looked, and there was an enormous crowd—no one could count all the people! They were from every race, tribe, nation, and language, and they stood in front of the throne and of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. 10 They called out in a loud voice: “Salvation comes from our God, who sits on the throne, and from the Lamb!” 11 All the angels stood around the throne, the elders, and the four living creatures. Then they threw themselves face downward in front of the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Praise, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and might belong to our God forever and ever! Amen!”

13 One of the elders asked me, “Who are these people dressed in white robes, and where do they come from?”

14 (D)“I don't know, sir. You do,” I answered.

He said to me, “These are the people who have come safely through the terrible persecution. They have washed their robes and made them white with the blood of the Lamb. 15 That is why they stand before God's throne and serve him day and night in his temple. He who sits on the throne will protect them with his presence. 16 (E)Never again will they hunger or thirst; neither sun nor any scorching heat will burn them, 17 (F)because the Lamb, who is in the center of the throne, will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Cross references:

  1. Revelation 7:1 : Jer 49:36; Dan 7:2; Zech 6:5
  2. Revelation 7:3 : Ezek 9:4; Ezek 9:6
  3. Revelation 7:9 : 2Esd 2:42
  4. Revelation 7:14 : Dan 12:1; Matt 24:21; Mark 13:19
  5. Revelation 7:16 : Isa 49:10
  6. Revelation 7:17 : Ps 23:1; Ezek 34:23; Rev 7:17; Ps 23:2; Isa 49:10; Rev 7:17; Isa 25:8
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Psalm 135

A Hymn of Praise

135 Praise the Lord!

Praise his name, you servants of the Lord,
2 who stand in the Lord's house,
in the Temple of our God.
3 Praise the Lord, because he is good;
sing praises to his name, because he is kind.[a]
4 He chose Jacob for himself,
the people of Israel for his own.

5 I know that our Lord is great,
greater than all the gods.
6 He does whatever he wishes
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and in the depths below.
7 He brings storm clouds from the ends of the earth;
he makes lightning for the storms,
and he brings out the wind from his storeroom.

8 In Egypt he killed all the first-born
of people and animals alike.
9 There he performed miracles and wonders
to punish the king and all his officials.
10 He destroyed many nations
and killed powerful kings:
11 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
Og, king of Bashan,
and all the kings in Canaan.
12 He gave their lands to his people;
he gave them to Israel.

13 Lord, you will always be proclaimed as God;
all generations will remember you.
14 The Lord will defend his people;
he will take pity on his servants.

15 (A)The gods of the nations are made of silver and gold;
they are formed by human hands.
16 They have mouths, but cannot speak,
and eyes, but cannot see.
17 They have ears, but cannot hear;
they are not even able to breathe.
18 May all who made them and who trust in them
become[b] like the idols they have made!

19 Praise the Lord, people of Israel;
praise him, you priests of God!
20 Praise the Lord, you Levites;
praise him, all you that worship him!
21 Praise the Lord in Zion,
in Jerusalem, his home.

Praise the Lord!

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 135:3 he is kind; or it is pleasant to do so.
  2. Psalm 135:18 May all … become; or All who made them and who trust in them will become.

Cross references:

  1. Psalm 135:15 : Ps 115:4-Ps 115:8; Rev 9:20
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Proverbs 30:5-6

5 “God keeps every promise he makes. He is like a shield for all who seek his protection. 6 If you claim that he said something that he never said, he will reprimand you and show that you are a liar.”

Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Posted on

12/15/2020 DAB Transcript

Micah 1:1-4:13, Revelation 6:1-17, Psalms 134:1-3, Proverbs 30:1-4

Today is the 15th day of December welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it is a joy to be here with you today, center of the last month of the year, 10 days from now, a week and a half from now Christmas Day and we are continuing our journey forward in rapid fashion as we move through some of the shorter texts, especially in the Old Testament. We are already in the book of Revelation in the New Testament. So, we’ve reached our final book there, but we’ve got a ways to go in the Old Testament. So, we read the book of Jonah in its entirety yesterday, which brings us to the book of Micah, and this is halfway. So, this is the sixth of the 12 minor prophets that will conclude the Old Testament.

Introduction to the book of Micah:

And in terms of who Micah was, that…there is very little that’s known. A little bit. The name Micah means “who is like God” We’re told in the text that he’s from the town of Moresheth and many biblical archaeologists associate this with Moresheth Gath which would…which would put Micah in the lowlands in the kingdom of Judah in the lowlands. And this is kind of the region where other famous stories in the Bible like David and Goliath happened. The book, as we’ll find out in just a minute tells us that the Lord gave the message to Micah of Moresheth and then lists Kings during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah when they were kings of Judah and that the visions that he had seen pertained to Samaria and Jerusalem. So, Samaria is the capital city of the northern kingdom of Israel. Jerusalem is the capital city of the southern kingdom of Judah. So, with the names of some of the kings incorporated into the text then we could date Micah to somewhere around the eighth century B.C. And then we also know that Micah has a brief mention in the book of Jeremiah. And Jeremiah was later. So, if all that I’m saying is correct Micah was still being quoted, Micah was still being referenced over a century later among the prophets when Jeremiah was doing his ministry. The book of Micah has a pattern, a prophetic pattern. There’s like utterances of coming doom and judgment and then there are words of hope and restoration. That’s a pattern that we see in a lot of the prophets. This is no different in Micah except that he does it three times in a row back-to-back in a short book. And, so, many scholars think that’s a very intentional thing that’s trying to be said beneath what’s being said. Another thing of note about Micah is that Micah has promises in it of the coming messianic Messiah, deliverer. And, so, like it wasn’t too long ago we read to the book of Hebrews in which the author continually says Jesus, basically Jesus was always supposed to come, you can see this thread through the prophets. Well, Micah would be one of those prophets. So, like Micah 5:2 is quoted in Matthew 2:5 and 6. “But, you all Bethlehem Ephrathah you are only a small village among all the people of Judah yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past will come from you”, right? So, this foretelling of the birth of Christ in Bethlehem. Jesus Himself quotes from Micah when He is talking about his own ministry and what it’s supposed to do, like that He’s bringing down or exposing the world system. So, in Micah, “don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth. I came not to bring peace but a sword.” So, we recognize those words coming from Jesus, but Jesus was quoting Micah. But by the time we get done with reading the book of Micah, which will be tomorrow it should be pretty clear that God has no interest…in fact, is completely displeased with corruption and idolatry and rebellion and people who use their power or misuse their power to exploit the vulnerable or the less fortunate. But God is also perhaps even more passionate about hope and restoration for those who stay true. And, so, we begin. And we will read the first four chapters of the book of Micah. We’re reading from the Good News Translation this week.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. It’s an everyday thing and we will never not be grateful because it has changed us and shaped us, and it continues to inform us, and it doesn’t matter what year it is, it doesn’t matter what day or week it is, You are always present speaking to us through Your word and it becomes such a mirror to our own hearts. It reveals us to ourselves in ways that…that You're…only Your Holy Spirit can do. And, so, we are grateful for that and we invite that. And as we continue this journey, we open ourselves, even as the days get busier, even as the world out there invites us to continue to close down because there’s just too much going on. We open ourselves fully to You. Nothing is off limits to You. So, come Holy Spirit, plant the words of the Scriptures in the soil of our hearts today. We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, it’s the website, it’s where you find what’s going on around here.

And we’ve been talking about Christmas being the thing that’s going on around here because that is…that it’s what’s happening around here, everywhere around the world. And, so, it’s Christmas time in…around the Global Campfire as well. And, so, a couple things. We’ve been talking about the…the Daily Audio Bible Shop and the 2020 ornament. If you spend $40 or more in the Daily Audio Bible Shop, that is all true other than to say probably we’re not gonna have any more ornaments past tomorrow for sure, maybe…maybe not passed today. So, if, yeah…you know, if you were maybe kinda procrastinating a little bit and thought maybe you should check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop because you wanted that then check out…check it out today. Of course, once we run out of ornaments the Shop will still be open as long as we still have some…some stuff left. And, so, we will gladly continue to send…to send anything that…that you want from the Shop out. But I’m just giving you a heads up.

The other thing that we’ve been talking about is the annual Daily Audio Bible Christmas party that we do. And, so, we’ve been calling in our holiday greetings into the community here by using the prayer line apparatus, the phone number and the Hotline in the app. Tomorrow is going to be the last day for that. It’s a pretty good sized job to edit it all together and piece all of the pieces together so that we can have this virtual party and want to do that before Christmas, obviously. And, so, tomorrow will be the last day that we will be taking holiday greetings. So, if you’ve been procrastinating on that then now would be the time. You can…well…you can use the Hotline button in the app, which is the red button up at the top or…or you can dial 877-942-4253. And as I’ve been saying, there’s really only one rule. That's…that’s the prayer line. So, that’s what it’s primary…it’s primary purpose is to encourage each other through prayer and to keep each other up to date on the things that we are struggling through so that we don’t have to be alone in it all so that we can shoulder each other’s burdens. If you have that going on, if there are some things to share definitely call in. Just don’t make a holiday greeting and a prayer request in the same call. This is one of the rare times you can call in and then hang up and call back. You can call in your holiday greeting and then if you have a prayer or encouragement or prayer request then make that a separate call so that we can keep everything tidy and in order.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, thank you, especially now as we’re moving into the final weeks of the year. Thank you for your partnership. If the Global Campfire…if the fact that we can come together each day and allow God’s word to be read fresh and fresh over us, if that's…if that makes a difference then thank you, thank you for your partnership. There is a link on the homepage. If you are using the Daily Audio Bible app you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or, if you prefer, the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, or holiday greeting right now, yup, the hotline button in the app is the place to go. You can’t miss it. It’s up at the top. Looks like a hotline button or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hey DAB family this is Byron out in Florida hope you all are doing well. Could use your help on something. As a lot of you know my youngest son Nehemiah is autistic and he goes to a special school and he’s been doing pretty well there but the schools been recommending that he gets additional behavioral therapy so that what they’re trying to do can work better. And, so, we’ve looked into it and it turns out that our insurance is not going to cover it but this is something that he really and truly needs. So, we’re going to move forward with it anyway. The numbers here are…are pretty large in an order of multiple thousand dollars a month and I’m not sure how were going to be able to pay for it but we’re gonna start it and see where it goes. So, I could use you guys’s prayers because I think this is best. We think this is best for him. We think the Lord is in it. We just don’t know how it’s going to add up at the bottom of the tiling. But God has promised to many things before. He has not forgotten us, and this is just the next step. So, we’re trusting Him for that but it’s not gonna happen without prayer. And, so, I would ask you guys to add your faith of mine and my wife’s faith and all the people that are surrounding Nehemiah to get him to where he needs to be in his particular development. So, praises to Him. He’s worthy of all of our praise. He’s never let us down. He’s never let you down. We come before Him in prayer and honor Him that He will take care of His children. So, thank you guys. I love you all and talk to you later.

Hello Daily Audio Bible prayer warriors this is only Tony. I’m calling tonight wishing that I could say a happy thing but I’m really calling for emergency prayers. I’m asking for prayers for my mother who has contracted Covid. Both my mother and father are in the hospital with Covid in the same room. My father is doing fair. My mother is doing very poorly. She’s really gasping for air and she’s very scared. She knows the Lord but she’s very scared. She’s afraid to go to sleep because she’s afraid that she won’t wake up. So, I’m asking if you would lift up Kathryn in New Jersey. I love her dearly and I just pray that God won’t take her at this point and give me more time with her. I ask that He would comfort her and ease her fears. Let her know that He is with and that He cares about her. So, if you would please lift up Kathryn in New Jersey I would appreciate it. I love you all. I thank you. I thank Brian for the wonderful year I’ve spent with you all. This is my first time calling and I just I pray that you would all have a Merry Christmas. My mother’s birthday’s is on the 18th of December and I pray that she makes it till then. Thanks very much. God bless.

Hello, my wonderful DAB family today is Saturday, December 11th and this is Rosie and it’s great to be free in Jesus. I’m calling in right now because I really need your prayers. I really need healing. I’ve been puttin’ up with a lot of pain and it just keeps getting worse and I just feel like I need my family to stand in the gap with me. There’s…I have pain in my back and in my knees and it’s moved to my feet. My toes feel like they’re on fire and I went to the doctor. He told me that I need to take extra vitamin B. Well, I’ve been doing that for the past month and the pains only getting worse. So, I’m having a hard time sleeping at night because of all the pain. So, I really need your prayers. And I really appreciate all of you, my family. And I appreciate Brian and Jill and China and the whole Hardin family for the wonderful community that you have made this and that you have let God lead you the whole way and we really do appreciate that and thank you family. God bless you.

Hello this is Wonderfully Made in Albuquerque I am calling in to pray for a woman who…she didn’t say her name, but she asked for prayers over just being distracted with everything that’s going on in the world that makes her sick I think and she’s having trouble with listening to the Bible and feeling God’s presence. And, so, today is I think this is from the December 11 reading actually. So, I’m calling in for you whoever your name is and I know that your…know that you’re not alone, that many struggle with this especially including myself. So, heavenly Father I pray for this woman and others who are struggling with the many distractions and what’s going on right now and who are weighed down. And also, those who don’t feel Your presence and who are discouraged by that who…who just need hope and I lift all of these up to You and this woman Lord and I praise You that You are greater than he who is in the world. And even those times when it feels like You’re not present You are present, and Your love will never let us go. And…and I praise You for the times where You do give us glimpses Lord and…and bless us with…with those feelings of Your presence. Yet faith is not about feeling or seeing. Faith is just moving forward and believing even when we can’t see and feel and everything. And thank You that Your spirit gives us…that You give us what we need in the moments that we need it. And I ask and pray for perseverance…

Hi Daily Audio Bible this is Carmen from Orlando Florida calling with a praise report. Thank you everybody who prayed for my husband who had Covid at the end of October. He spent five days at the hospital and then he spent another week at home and getting better every day. And, so, two weeks later he went back to work and his personalities been back and he’s, you know, he still had an inhaler to use and his breathing wasn’t all the way there. But he seems fine now. I never see him running short of breath or anything like that and he feels like his old self again and I am so so grateful. I don’t know how to thank God for his healing. I don’t know how to thank you guys for them. So, all I can do is be here and say thank you thank you so much. I send you all a virtual hug and I wish everybody a Merry Christmas and an awesome new year 2021. God bless you. Bye-bye.