The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Wednesday December 25, 2019 (NIV)

The Lord Promises to Restore Jerusalem

8 The Lord Almighty gave this message to Zechariah: ² “I have longed to help Jerusalem because of my deep love for her people, a love which has made me angry with her enemies. ³ I will return to Jerusalem, my holy city, and live there. It will be known as the faithful city, and the hill of the Lord Almighty^[a] will be called the sacred hill. ⁴ Once again old men and women, so old that they use canes when they walk, will be sitting in the city squares. ⁵ And the streets will again be full of boys and girls playing.

⁶ “This may seem impossible to those of the nation who are now left, but it's not impossible for me. ⁷ I will rescue my people from the lands where they have been taken, ⁸ and will bring them back from east and west to live in Jerusalem. They will be my people, and I will be their God, ruling over them faithfully and justly.

⁹ “Have courage! You are now hearing the same words the prophets spoke at the time the foundation was being laid for rebuilding my Temple. ¹⁰ Before that time no one could afford to hire either men or animals, and no one was safe from enemies. I turned people against one another. ¹¹ But now I am treating the survivors of this nation differently. ¹² They will plant their crops in peace. Their vines will bear grapes, the earth will produce crops, and there will be plenty of rain. I will give all these blessings to the people of my nation who survive. ¹³ People of Judah and Israel! In the past foreigners have cursed one another by saying, ‘May the same disasters fall on you that fell on Judah and Israel!’ But I will save you, and then those foreigners will say to one another, ‘May you receive the same blessings that came to Judah and Israel!’ So have courage and don't be afraid.”

¹⁴ The Lord Almighty says, “When your ancestors made me angry, I planned disaster for them and did not change my mind, but carried out my plans. ¹⁵ But now I am planning to bless the people of Jerusalem and Judah. So don't be afraid. ^16 (A)These are the things you should do: Speak the truth to one another. In the courts give real justice—the kind that brings peace. ¹⁷ Do not plan ways of harming one another. Do not give false testimony under oath. I hate lying, injustice, and violence.”

¹⁸ The Lord Almighty gave this message to Zechariah: ¹⁹ “The fasts held in the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months will become festivals of joy and gladness for the people of Judah. You must love truth and peace.”

²⁰ The Lord Almighty says, “The time is coming when people from many^[b] cities will come to Jerusalem. ²¹ Those from one city will say to those from another, ‘We are going to worship the Lord Almighty and pray for his blessing. Come with us!’ ²² Many^[c] peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to worship the Lord Almighty and to pray for his blessing. ²³ In those days ten foreigners will come to one Jew and say, ‘We want to share in your destiny, because we have heard that God is with you.’”

The Bowls of God's Anger

16 Then I heard a loud voice speaking from the temple to the seven angels: “Go and pour out the seven bowls of God's anger on the earth!”

^2 (A)The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth. Terrible and painful sores appeared on those who had the mark of the beast and on those who had worshiped its image.

³ Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea. The water became like the blood of a dead person, and every living creature in the sea died.

^4 (B)Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and the springs of water, and they turned into blood. ⁵ I heard the angel in charge of the waters say, “The judgments you have made are just, O Holy One, you who are and who were! ⁶ They poured out the blood of God's people and of the prophets, and so you have given them blood to drink. They are getting what they deserve!” ⁷ Then I heard a voice from the altar saying, “Lord God Almighty! True and just indeed are your judgments!”

⁸ Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to burn people with its fiery heat. ⁹ They were burned by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God, who has authority over these plagues. But they would not turn from their sins and praise his greatness.

^10 (C)Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast. Darkness fell over the beast's kingdom, and people bit their tongues because of their pain, ¹¹ and they cursed the God of heaven for their pains and sores. But they did not turn from their evil ways.

^12 (D)Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great Euphrates River. The river dried up, to provide a way for the kings who come from the east. ¹³ Then I saw three unclean spirits that looked like frogs. They were coming out of the mouth of the dragon, the mouth of the beast, and the mouth of the false prophet. ¹⁴ They are the spirits of demons that perform miracles. These three spirits go out to all the kings of the world, to bring them together for the battle on the great Day of Almighty God.

^15 (E)“Listen! I am coming like a thief! Happy is he who stays awake and guards his clothes, so that he will not walk around naked and be ashamed in public!”

^16 (F)Then the spirits brought the kings together in the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

¹⁷ Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl in the air. A loud voice came from the throne in the temple, saying, “It is done!” ^18 (G)There were flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder, and a terrible earthquake. There has never been such an earthquake since the creation of human beings; this was the worst earthquake of all! ^19 (H)The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of all countries were destroyed. God remembered great Babylon and made her drink the wine from his cup—the wine of his furious anger. ^20 (I)All the islands disappeared, all the mountains vanished. ^21 (J)Huge hailstones, each weighing as much as a hundred pounds, fell from the sky on people, who cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because it was such a terrible plague.

A King Thanks God for Victory^[a]

²⁹ There are four things that are impressive to watch as they walk: