Day 327 of 365

Ezek 35:1–36:38

35:1 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

35:2 "Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir, and prophesy against it,

35:3 and tell it, 'Thus says the Lord God: "Behold, I am against you, Mount Seir, and I will stretch out my hand against you, and I will make you a desolation and an astonishment.

35:4 I will lay your cities waste, and you shall be desolate; and you shall know that I am the Lord.

35:5 "'"Because you have had a perpetual enmity, and have given over the children of Israel to the power of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time of the iniquity of the end;

35:6 therefore, as I live," says the Lord God, "I will prepare you for blood, and blood shall pursue you: since you have not hated blood, therefore blood shall pursue you.

35:7 Thus will I make Mount Seir an astonishment and a desolation; and I will cut off from it him who passes through and him who returns.

35:8 I will fill its mountains with its slain: in your hills and in your valleys and in all your watercourses shall they fall who are slain with the sword.

35:9 I will make you a perpetual desolation, and your cities shall not be inhabited; and you shall know that I am the Lord.

35:10 "'"Because you have said, 'These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will possess it'; whereas the Lord was there:

35:11 therefore, as I live," says the Lord God, "I will do according to your anger, and according to your envy which you have shown out of your hatred against them; and I will make myself known among them, when I shall judge you.

35:12 You shall know that I, the Lord, have heard all your insults which you have spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, They are laid desolate, they have been given us to devour.

35:13 You have magnified yourselves against me with your mouth, and have multiplied your words against me: I have heard it."

35:14 Thus says the Lord God: "When the whole earth rejoices, I will make you desolate.

35:15 As you rejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so will I do to you: you shall be desolate, Mount Seir, and all Edom, even all of it; and they shall know that I am the Lord."'"

36:1 "You, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel, and say, 'You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord.

36:2 Thus says the Lord God: "Because the enemy has said against you, 'Aha!' and, 'The ancient high places are ours in possession'"';

36:3 therefore prophesy, and say, 'Thus says the Lord God: "Because, even because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that you might be a possession to the residue of the nations, and you are taken up in the lips of talkers, and the evil report of the people";

36:4 therefore, you mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God: "Thus says the Lord God to the mountains and to the hills, to the watercourses and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes and to the cities that are forsaken, which are become a prey and derision to the residue of the nations that are all around;

36:5 therefore thus says the Lord God: 'Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the nations, and against all Edom, that have appointed my land to themselves for a possession with the joy of all their heart, with despite of soul, to cast it out for a prey.'"'

36:6 "Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and tell the mountains and to the hills, to the watercourses and to the valleys, 'Thus says the Lord God: "Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my wrath, because you have borne the shame of the nations:

36:7 therefore thus says the Lord God: 'I have sworn, saying, "Surely the nations that are around you, they shall bear their shame."

36:8 "'"'But you, mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people Israel; for they are at hand to come.

36:9 For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn into you, and you shall be tilled and sown;

36:10 and I will multiply men on you, all the house of Israel, even all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited, and the waste places shall be built;

36:11 and I will multiply on you man and animal; and they shall increase and be fruitful; and I will cause you to be inhabited after your former estate, and will do better to you than at your beginnings: and you shall know that I am the Lord.

36:12 Yes, I will cause men to walk on you, even my people Israel; and they shall possess you, and you shall be their inheritance, and you shall no more henceforth bereave them of children.'"

36:13 "'Thus says the Lord God: "Because they say to you, 'You are a devourer of men, and have been a bereaver of your nation';

36:14 therefore you shall devour men no more, neither bereave your nation any more," says the Lord God;

36:15 "neither will I let you hear any more the shame of the nations, neither shall you bear the reproach of the peoples any more, neither shall you cause your nation to stumble any more," says the Lord God.'"

36:16 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

36:17 "Son of man, when the house of Israel lived in their own land, they defiled it by their way and by their doings: their way before me was as the uncleanness of a woman in her impurity.

36:18 Therefore I poured out my wrath on them for the blood which they had poured out on the land, and because they had defiled it with their idols;

36:19 and I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them.

36:20 When they came to the nations, where they went, they profaned my holy name; in that men said of them, 'These are the people of the Lord, and are gone forth out of his land.'

36:21 But I had respect for my holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations, where they went.

36:22 "Therefore tell the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord God: "I do not do this for your sake, house of Israel, but for my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations, where you went.

36:23 I will sanctify my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord," says the Lord God, "when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.

36:24 For I will take you from among the nations, and gather you out of all the countries, and will bring you into your own land.

36:25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

36:26 I will also give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.

36:27 I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my ordinances, and do them.

36:28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.

36:29 I will save you from all your uncleanness: and I will call for the grain, and will multiply it, and lay no famine on you.

36:30 I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that you may receive no more the reproach of famine among the nations.

36:31 Then you shall remember your evil ways, and your doings that were not good; and you shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations.

36:32 Nor for your sake do I this," says the Lord God, "be it known to you: be ashamed and confounded for your ways, house of Israel."'

36:33 "Thus says the Lord God: 'In the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places shall be built.

36:34 The land that was desolate shall be tilled, whereas it was a desolation in the sight of all who passed by.

36:35 They shall say, "This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited."

36:36 Then the nations that are left around you shall know that I, the Lord, have built the ruined places, and planted that which was desolate: I, the Lord, have spoken it, and I will do it.'"

36:37 "Thus says the Lord God: 'For this, moreover, will I be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them: I will increase them with men like a flock.

36:38 As the flock for sacrifice, as the flock of Jerusalem in her appointed feasts, so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men; and they shall know that I am the Lord.'"

Phlm 1:1–25

1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon, our beloved fellow worker,

2 and to Apphia our sister, to Archippus, our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house:

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

4 I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers,

5 hearing of your love, and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all the saints;

6 that the fellowship of your faith may become effective, in the knowledge of every good thing which is in us in Christ.

7 For I have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.

8 Therefore, though I have all boldness in Christ to command you that which is appropriate,

9 yet for love's sake I rather beg, being such a one as Paul, the aged, but also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.

10 I beg you for my child, whom I have become the father of in my chains, Onesimus,

11 who once was useless to you, but now is useful to you and to me.

12 I am sending back to you, him who is my very heart,

13 whom I desired to keep with me, that on your behalf he might serve me in my chains for the Good News.

14 But I was willing to do nothing without your consent, that your goodness would not be as of necessity, but of free will.

15 For perhaps he was therefore separated from you for a while, that you would have him forever,

16 no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much rather to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

17 If then you count me a partner, receive him as you would receive me.

18 But if he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, put that to my account.

19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it (not to mention to you that you owe to me even your own self besides).

20 Yes, brother, let me have joy from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.

21 Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even beyond what I say.

22 Also, prepare a guest room for me, for I hope that through your prayers I will be restored to you.

23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you,

24 as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.

25 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

Ps 136:1–26

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his loving kindness endures forever.

2 Give thanks to the God of gods; for his loving kindness endures forever.

3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords; for his loving kindness endures forever:

4 To him who alone does great wonders; for his loving kindness endures forever:

5 To him who by understanding made the heavens; for his loving kindness endures forever:

6 To him who spread out the earth above the waters; for his loving kindness endures forever:

7 To him who made the great lights; for his loving kindness endures forever:

8 The sun to rule by day; for his loving kindness endures forever;

9 The moon and stars to rule by night; for his loving kindness endures forever:

10 To him who struck down the Egyptian firstborn; for his loving kindness endures forever;

11 And brought out Israel from among them; for his loving kindness endures forever;

12 With a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm; for his loving kindness endures forever:

13 To him who divided the Red Sea apart; for his loving kindness endures forever;

14 And made Israel to pass through its midst; for his loving kindness endures forever;

15 But overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea; for his loving kindness endures forever:

16 To him who led his people through the wilderness; for his loving kindness endures forever:

17 To him who struck great kings; for his loving kindness endures forever;

18 And killed mighty kings; for his loving kindness endures forever:

19 Sihon king of the Amorites; for his loving kindness endures forever;

20 Og king of Bashan; for his loving kindness endures forever;

21 And gave their land as an inheritance; for his loving kindness endures forever;

22 Even a heritage to Israel his servant; for his loving kindness endures forever:

23 Who remembered us in our low estate; for his loving kindness endures forever;

24 And has delivered us from our adversaries; for his loving kindness endures forever:

25 Who gives food to every creature; for his loving kindness endures forever.

26 Oh give thanks to the God of heaven; for his loving kindness endures forever.