Day 356 of 365

Mic 5:1–7:20

5:1 Now you shall gather yourself in troops, daughter of troops. He has laid siege against us. They will strike the judge of Israel with a rod on the cheek.

5:2 But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, being small among the clans of Judah, out of you one will come forth to me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.

5:3 Therefore he will abandon them until the time that she who is in labor gives birth. Then the rest of his brothers will return to the children of Israel.

5:4 He shall stand, and shall shepherd in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God: and they will live, for then he will be great to the ends of the earth.

5:5 He will be our peace when Assyria invades our land, and when he marches through our fortresses, then we will raise against him seven shepherds, and eight leaders of men.

5:6 They will rule the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in its gates. He will deliver us from the Assyrian, when he invades our land, and when he marches within our border.

5:7 The remnant of Jacob will be in the midst of many peoples, like dew from the Lord, like showers on the grass, that do not wait for man, nor wait for the sons of men.

5:8 The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the animals of the forest, like a young lion among the flocks of sheep; who, if he goes through, treads down and tears in pieces, and there is no one to deliver.

5:9 Let your hand be lifted up above your adversaries, and let all of your enemies be cut off.

5:10 "It will happen in that day," says the Lord, "That I will cut off your horses out of the midst of you, and will destroy your chariots.

5:11 I will cut off the cities of your land, and will tear down all your strongholds.

5:12 I will destroy witchcraft from your hand; and you shall have no soothsayers.

5:13 I will cut off your engraved images and your pillars out of your midst; and you shall no more worship the work of your hands.

5:14 I will uproot your Asherim out of your midst; and I will destroy your cities.

5:15 I will execute vengeance in anger, and wrath on the nations that did not listen."

6:1 Listen now to what the Lord says: "Arise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear what you have to say.

6:2 Hear, you mountains, the Lord's controversy, and you enduring foundations of the earth; for the Lord has a controversy with his people, and he will contend with Israel.

6:3 My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me!

6:4 For I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage. I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.

6:5 My people, remember now what Balak king of Moab devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord."

6:6 How shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?

6:7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams? With tens of thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my disobedience? The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

6:8 He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does the Lord require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?

6:9 The Lord's voice calls to the city, and wisdom sees your name: "Listen to the rod, and he who appointed it.

6:10 Are there yet treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and a short ephah that is accursed?

6:11 Shall I be pure with dishonest scales, and with a bag of deceitful weights?

6:12 Her rich men are full of violence, her inhabitants speak lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their speech.

6:13 Therefore I also have struck you with a grievous wound. I have made you desolate because of your sins.

6:14 You shall eat, but not be satisfied. Your humiliation will be in your midst. You will store up, but not save; and that which you save I will give up to the sword.

6:15 You will sow, but won't reap. You will tread the olives, but won't anoint yourself with oil; and crush grapes, but won't drink the wine.

6:16 For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab. You walk in their counsels, that I may make you a ruin, and her inhabitants a hissing; And you will bear the reproach of my people."

7:1 Misery is mine! Indeed, I am like one who gathers the summer fruits, as gleanings of the vineyard: There is no cluster of grapes to eat. My soul desires to eat the early fig.

7:2 The godly man has perished out of the earth, and there is no one upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood; every man hunts his brother with a net.

7:3 Their hands are on that which is evil to do it diligently. The ruler and judge ask for a bribe; and the powerful man dictates the evil desire of his soul. Thus they conspire together.

7:4 The best of them is like a brier. The most upright is worse than a thorn hedge. The day of your watchmen, even your visitation, has come; now is the time of their confusion.

7:5 Do not trust in a neighbor. Do not put confidence in a friend. With the woman lying in your embrace, be careful of the words of your mouth!

7:6 For the son dishonors the father, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house.

7:7 But as for me, I will look to the Lord. I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.

7:8 Do not rejoice against me, my enemy. When I fall, I will arise. When I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.

7:9 I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him, until he pleads my case, and executes judgment for me. He will bring me forth to the light. I will see his righteousness.

7:10 Then my enemy will see it, and shame will cover her who said to me, where is the Lord your God? Then my enemy will see me and will cover her shame. Now she will be trodden down like the mire of the streets.

7:11 A day to build your walls- In that day, he will extend your boundary.

7:12 In that day they will come to you from Assyria and the cities of Egypt, and from Egypt even to the River, and from sea to sea, and mountain to mountain.

7:13 Yet the land will be desolate because of those who dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings.

7:14 Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your heritage, who dwell by themselves in a forest, in the midst of fertile pasture land, let them feed; in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.

7:15 "As in the days of your coming forth out of the land of Egypt, I will show them marvelous things."

7:16 The nations will see and be ashamed of all their might. They will lay their hand on their mouth. Their ears will be deaf.

7:17 They will lick the dust like a serpent. Like crawling things of the earth they shall come trembling out of their dens. They will come with fear to the Lord our God, and will be afraid because of you.

7:18 Who is a God like you, who pardons iniquity, and passes over the disobedience of the remnant of his heritage? He doesn't retain his anger forever, because he delights in loving kindness.

7:19 He will again have compassion on us. He will tread our iniquities under foot; and you will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

7:20 You will give truth to Jacob, and mercy to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old.

Rev 14:1–20

1 4I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him one hundred forty-four thousand, having his name, and the name of his Father, written on their foreheads.

2 I heard a sound from heaven, like the sound of many waters, and like the sound of a great thunder. The sound which I heard was like that of harpists playing on their harps.

3 They sing a new song before the throne, and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the one hundred forty-four thousand, those who had been redeemed out of the earth.

4 These are those who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are those who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These were redeemed from among men, the first fruits to God and to the Lamb.

5 In their mouth was found no lie, for they are blameless.

6 I saw another angel flying in mid heaven, having an eternal Good News to proclaim to those who dwell on the earth, and to every nation, tribe, language, and people.

7 He said with a loud voice, "Fear God, and give him glory; for the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and the springs of waters!"

8 Another, a second angel, followed, saying, "Babylon the great has fallen, which has made all the nations to drink of the wine of the wrath of her sexual immorality."

9 Another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a great voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead, or on his hand,

10 he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is prepared unmixed in the cup of his anger. He will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.

11 The smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. They have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.

12 Here is the patience of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus."

13 I heard the voice from heaven saying, "Write, 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.'" "Yes," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors; for their works follow with them."

14 I looked, and behold, a white cloud; and on the cloud one sitting like a son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.

15 Another angel came out from the temple, crying with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, "Send forth your sickle, and reap; for the hour to reap has come; for the harvest of the earth is ripe!"

16 He who sat on the cloud thrust his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.

17 Another angel came out from the temple which is in heaven. He also had a sharp sickle.

18 Another angel came out from the altar, he who has power over fire, and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, "Send forth your sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for it's grapes are fully ripe!"

19 The angel thrust his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vintage of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.

20 The winepress was trodden outside of the city, and blood came out from the winepress, even to the bridles of the horses, as far as one thousand six hundred stadia.

Ps 147:12–20

12 Praise the Lord, Jerusalem! Praise your God, Zion!

13 For he has strengthened the bars of your gates. He has blessed your children within you.

14 He makes peace in your borders. He fills you with the finest of the wheat.

15 He sends out his commandment to the earth. His word runs very swiftly.

16 He gives snow like wool, and scatters frost like ashes.

17 He hurls down his hail like pebbles. Who can stand before his cold?

18 He sends out his word, and melts them. He causes his wind to blow, and the waters flow.

19 He shows his word to Jacob; his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.

20 He has not done this for just any nation. They do not know his ordinances. Praise Yah!