Day 319 of 365

Ezek 21:1–32

1 The word of the Lord came to me, saying,

2 "Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, and drop your word toward the sanctuaries, and prophesy against the land of Israel;

3 and tell the land of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord: "Behold, I am against you, and will draw forth my sword out of its sheath, and will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked.

4 Seeing then that I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of its sheath against all flesh from the south to the north:

5 and all flesh shall know that I, the Lord, have drawn forth my sword out of its sheath; it shall not return any more."'

6 "Sigh therefore, you son of man; with the breaking of your thighs and with bitterness you will sigh before their eyes.

7 It shall be, when they tell you, 'Why do you sigh?' that you shall say, 'Because of the news, for it comes; and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint, and all knees shall be weak as water: behold, it comes, and it shall be done, says the Lord God.'"

8 The word of the Lord came to me, saying,

9 "Son of man, prophesy, and say, 'Thus says the Lord: Say, "A sword, a sword, it is sharpened, and also furbished;

10 it is sharpened that it may make a slaughter; it is furbished that it may be as lightning: shall we then make mirth? The rod of my son, it condemns every tree.

11 It is given to be furbished, that it may be handled: the sword, it is sharpened, yes, it is furbished, to give it into the hand of the killer."'

12 Cry and wail, son of man; for it is on my people, it is on all the princes of Israel: they are delivered over to the sword with my people; strike therefore on your thigh.

13 For there is a trial; and what if even the rod that condemns shall be no more?" says the Lord God.

14 "You therefore, son of man, prophesy, and strike your hands together; and let the sword be doubled the third time, the sword of the deadly wounded: it is the sword of the great one who is deadly wounded, which enters into their rooms.

15 I have set the threatening sword against all their gates, that their heart may melt, and their stumblings be multiplied: Ah! It is made as lightning, it is pointed for slaughter.

16 'Gather yourselves together, go to the right, set yourselves in array, go to the left, wherever your face is set.'

17 I will also strike my hands together, and I will cause my wrath to rest: I, the Lord, have spoken it."

18 The word of the Lord came to me again, saying,

19 "Also, you son of man, appoint two ways that the sword of the king of Babylon may come; they both shall come forth out of one land: and mark out a place, mark it out at the head of the way to the city.

20 You shall appoint a way for the sword to come to Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and to Judah in Jerusalem, the fortified.

21 For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he shook the arrows back and forth, he consulted the teraphim, he looked in the liver.

22 In his right hand was the divination for Jerusalem, to set battering rams, to open the mouth in the slaughter, to lift up the voice with shouting, to set battering rams against the gates, to cast up mounds, to build forts.

23 It shall be to them as a false divination in their sight, who have sworn oaths to them; but he brings iniquity to memory, that they may be taken.

24 "Therefore thus says the Lord God: 'Because you have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are uncovered, so that in all your doings your sins appear; because you have come to memory, you shall be taken with the hand.

25 "'You, deadly wounded wicked one, the prince of Israel, whose day has come, in the time of the iniquity of the end,

26 thus says the Lord God: "Remove the turban, and take off the crown; this shall be no more the same; exalt that which is low, and abase that which is high."

27 I will overturn, overturn, overturn it: this also shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him.'

28 "You, son of man, prophesy, and say, 'Thus says the Lord God concerning the children of Ammon, and concerning their reproach; and say, "A sword, a sword is drawn, for the slaughter it is furbished, to cause it to devour, that it may be as lightning;

29 while they see for you false visions, while they divine lies to you, to lay you on the necks of the wicked who are deadly wounded, whose day has come in the time of the iniquity of the end.

30 Cause it to return into its sheath. In the place where you were created, in the land of your birth, will I judge you.

31 I will pour out my indignation on you; I will blow on you with the fire of my wrath; and I will deliver you into the hand of brutish men, skillful to destroy.

32 You shall be for fuel to the fire; your blood shall be in the midst of the land; you shall be remembered no more: for I, the Lord, have spoken it."'"

1 Tim 5:1–25

1 Do not rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father; the younger men as brothers;

2 the elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, in all purity.

3 Honor widows who are widows indeed.

4 But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them learn first to show piety towards their own family, and to repay their parents, for this is acceptable in the sight of God.

5 Now she who is a widow indeed, and desolate, has her hope set on God, and continues in petitions and prayers night and day.

6 But she who gives herself to pleasure is dead while she lives.

7 Also command these things, that they may be without reproach.

8 But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially his own household, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever.

9 Let no one be enrolled as a widow under sixty years old, having been the wife of one man,

10 being approved by good works, if she has brought up children, if she has been hospitable to strangers, if she has washed the saints' feet, if she has relieved the afflicted, and if she has diligently followed every good work.

11 But refuse younger widows, for when they have grown wanton against Christ, they desire to marry;

12 having condemnation, because they have rejected their first pledge.

13 Besides, they also learn to be idle, going about from house to house. Not only idle, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things which they ought not.

14 I desire therefore that the younger widows marry, bear children, rule the household, and give no occasion to the adversary for reviling.

15 For already some have turned aside after Satan.

16 If any woman who believes has widows, let her assist them, and do not let the church be burdened; that it might help those widows who are truly in need.

17 Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and in teaching.

18 For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle the ox when it treads out the grain." And, "The laborer is worthy of his wages."

19 Do not receive an accusation against an elder, except at the word of two or three witnesses.

20 Those who sin, reprove in the sight of all, that the rest also may be in fear.

21 I command you in the sight of God, and Christ Jesus, and the chosen angels, that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing by partiality.

22 Lay hands hastily on no one, neither be a participant in other men's sins. Keep yourself pure.

23 Be no longer a drinker of water only, but use a little wine for your stomach's sake and your frequent infirmities.

24 Some men's sins are evident, preceding them to judgment, and some also follow later.

25 In the same way also there are good works that are obvious, and those that are otherwise cannot be hidden.

Job 31:25–40

25 If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because my hand had gotten much;

26 if I have seen the sun when it shined, or the moon moving in splendor,

27 and my heart has been secretly enticed, and my hand threw a kiss from my mouth,

28 this also would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges; for I should have denied the God who is above.

29 "If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found him;

30 (yes, I have not allowed my mouth to sin by asking his life with a curse);

31 if the men of my tent have not said, 'Who can find one who has not been filled with his meat?'

32 (the foreigner has not lodged in the street, but I have opened my doors to the traveler);

33 if like Adam I have covered my transgressions, by hiding my iniquity in my heart,

34 because I feared the great multitude, and the contempt of families terrified me, so that I kept silence, and did not go out of the door-

35 oh that I had one to hear me! (behold, here is my signature, let the Almighty answer me); let the accuser write my indictment!

36 Surely I would carry it on my shoulder; and I would bind it to me as a crown.

37 I would declare to him the number of my steps; as a prince would I go near to him.

38 If my land cries out against me, and its furrows weep together;

39 if I have eaten its fruits without money, or have caused its owners to lose their life,

40 let briars grow instead of wheat, and stinkweed instead of barley." The words of Job are ended.