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Daily Bible Reading
September 28 - Straight Thru the Bible
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Hosea 10-14
Chapter 10
Retribution for Israel's Sin
1 Israel is a luxuriant (C1)vine;
He produces fruit for himself.
The more his fruit,
The more altars he (C2)made;
The (F1)richer his land,
The better (F2)he made the (C3)memorial stones.
2 Their heart is (F1)(C1)deceitful;
Now they must suffer for their (C2)guilt.
(F2)The LORD will (C3)break down their altars
And destroy their memorial stones.
3 Certainly now they will say, "We have (C1)no king,
For we do not revere the LORD.
As for the king, what can he do for us?"
4 They speak mere words,
(F1)With (C1)worthless oaths they make covenants;
And (C2)judgment sprouts like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field.
5 The inhabitants of Samaria will fear
For the (F1)(C1)calf of (C2)Beth-aven.
Indeed, its people will mourn for it,
And its (C3)idolatrous priests (F2)will cry out over it,
Over its (C4)glory, since it has left it.
6 The thing itself will be brought to (C1)Assyria
As a gift of tribute to (F1)(C2)King Jareb;
Ephraim will (F2)be (C3)seized with shame,
And Israel will be ashamed of its (C4)own plan.
7 Samaria will be (C1)destroyed with her king,
Like a twig on the surface of the water.
8 Also the (C1)high places of Aven, the (C2)sin of Israel, will be destroyed;
(C3)Thorns and thistles will grow on their altars;
Then they will (C4)say to the mountains,
"Cover us!" And to the hills, "Fall on us!"
9 Since the days of Gibeah you have sinned, Israel;
There they stand!
Will the battle against the sons of injustice not overtake them in Gibeah?
10 When it is My (C1)desire, I will (F1)(C2)discipline them;
And (C3)the peoples will be gathered against them
When they are bound for their double guilt.
11 Ephraim is a trained (C1)heifer that loves to thresh,
(F1)And I (C2)passed over her lovely neck;
I will harness Ephraim,
Judah will plow, Jacob will (F2)harrow for himself.
12 (C1)Sow for yourselves, with a view to righteousness;
Harvest in accordance with (F1)kindness.
(C2)Break up your uncultivated ground,
For it is time to (C3)seek the LORD
Until He (C4)comes and (C5)rains righteousness on you.
13 You have (C1)plowed wickedness, you have harvested injustice,
You have eaten the fruit of (C2)lies.
Because you have trusted in your way, in your (C3)many warriors,
14 An uproar will arise among your people,
And all your (C1)fortresses will be destroyed,
As Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle,
When (C2)mothers were (F1)slaughtered with their children.
15 So it will be done to you at Bethel because of your great wickedness.
At dawn the king of Israel will be completely destroyed.
Chapter 11
God Yearns over His People
1 When Israel was a youth I loved him,
And (C1)out of Egypt I (C2)called My son.
2 The more (F1)(C1)they called them,
The more they went away from (F1)them;
They kept (C2)sacrificing to the Baals
And (C3)burning incense to idols.
3 Yet it is I who taught Ephraim to walk,
(F1)I (C1)took them in My arms;
But they did not know that I (C2)healed them.
4 I (C1)pulled them along with cords of a man, with ropes of love,
And (C2)I became to them as one who lifts the yoke from their jaws;
And I bent down and (C3)fed them.
5 (F1)They will not return to the land of Egypt;
But Assyria—he will be (F2)their king
Because they (C1)refused to return to Me.
6 And the (C1)sword will whirl against (F1)their cities,
And will destroy (F1)their oracle priests
And (C2)consume them, because of their (C3)counsels.
7 So My people are determined to (C1)turn from Me.
Though (F1)they call (F2)them to the One on high,
None at all exalts Him.
8 (C1)How can I give you up, Ephraim?
How can I surrender you, Israel?
How can I (F1)make you like (C2)Admah?
How can I treat you like (C2)Zeboiim?
My heart is turned over within Me,
(F2)All My compassions are kindled.
9 I will (C1)not carry out My fierce anger;
I will not destroy Ephraim (C2)again.
For (C3)I am God and not a man, the (C4)Holy One in your midst,
And I will not come in (F1)wrath.
10 They will (C1)walk after the LORD,
He will (C2)roar like a lion;
Indeed He will roar,
And His sons will come (C3)trembling from the west.
11 They will come trembling like birds from (C1)Egypt,
And like (C2)doves from the land of (C1)Assyria;
And I will (C3)settle them in their houses, declares the LORD.
12 (F1)Ephraim surrounds Me with (C1)lies
And the house of Israel with deceit;
(F2)Judah is still unruly against God,
Even against the Holy One who is faithful.
Chapter 12
Ephraim Reminded
1 (F1)Ephraim feeds on (C1)wind,
And pursues the (C2)east wind continually;
He multiplies lies and violence.
Moreover, (F2)he makes a covenant with Assyria,
And oil is brought to Egypt.
2 The LORD also has a (C1)case against Judah,
And will punish Jacob (C2)according to his ways;
He will repay him according to his deeds.
3 In the womb he (C1)took his brother by the heel,
And in his mature strength he (C2)contended with God.
4 Yes, he wrestled with the angel and prevailed;
He wept and (C1)implored His favor.
He found Him at (C2)Bethel,
And there He spoke with us,
5 And the LORD, the God of armies,
The LORD is His (F1)(C1)name.
6 So as for you, (C1)return to your God,
(C2)Maintain (F1)kindness and justice,
And (C3)wait for your God continually.
7 A (F1)merchant, in whose hands are fraudulent (C1)balances,
Loves to exploit.
8 And Ephraim said, "I have certainly become (C1)rich,
I have found wealth for myself;
In all my labors they will find in me
(C2)No wrongdoing, which would be sin."
9 But I have been the LORD your God since the land of Egypt;
I will make you (C1)live in tents again,
As in the days of the appointed festival.
10 I have also spoken to the (C1)prophets,
And I (F1)provided many visions,
And through the prophets I spoke in (C2)parables.
11 Is there injustice in Gilead?
Certainly they are worthless.
In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls,
Yes, (C1)their altars are like stone heaps
Beside the furrows of a field.
12 Now (C1)Jacob fled to the (F1)land of Aram,
And (C2)Israel worked for a wife,
And for a wife he kept sheep.
13 But by a (C1)prophet the LORD brought Israel up from Egypt,
And by a prophet he was protected.
14 (C1)Ephraim has provoked God to bitter anger;
So his Lord will leave his (C2)guilt for bloodshed on him
And bring his (C3)disgrace back to him.
Chapter 13
Ephraim's Idolatry
1 (C1)When Ephraim (F1)spoke, there was trembling.
He (C2)exalted himself in Israel,
But through (C3)Baal he incurred guilt and died.
2 And now they sin more and more,
And make for themselves (C1)cast metal images,
Idols (F1)(C2)skillfully made from their silver,
All of them the (C3)work of craftsmen.
They say of them, "Let the (F2)people who sacrifice kiss the (C4)calves!"
3 Therefore they will be like the (C1)morning cloud
And like dew which (F1)soon disappears,
Like (C2)chaff which is blown away from the threshing floor,
And like (C3)smoke from a chimney.
4 Yet I have been the (C1)LORD your God
Since the land of Egypt;
And you were not to know (C2)any god except Me,
For there is no savior (C3)besides Me.
5 I (F1)(C1)cared for you in the wilderness,
(C2)In the land of drought.
6 As they had their pasture, they became (C1)satisfied,
And as they became satisfied, their (C2)heart became proud;
Therefore they (C3)forgot Me.
7 So I will be (C1)like a lion to them;
Like a (C2)leopard I will (F1)lie in wait by the wayside.
8 I will confront them (C1)like a bear deprived of her cubs,
And I will tear open (F1)their chests;
I will also (C2)devour them there like a lioness,
As a wild animal would tear them to pieces.
9 (F1)It is to your own destruction, Israel,
That you are (C1)against Me, against your (C2)help.
10 Where then is your (C1)king,
That he might save you in all your cities;
And your (C2)judges, to whom you said,
"Give me a king and princes"?
11 I (C1)gave you a king in My anger,
And (C2)took him away in My wrath.
12 The guilt of Ephraim is wrapped up;
His sin is (C1)stored up.
13 The pains of (C1)childbirth come on him;
He is (C2)not a wise son,
For (F1)it is not the time that he should (C3)delay at the opening of the womb.
14 Shall I (C1)ransom them from the (F1)power of Sheol?
Shall I redeem them from death?
(C2)Death, where are your (F2)thorns?
Sheol, where is your sting?
(C3)Compassion will be hidden from My sight.
15 Though he (C1)flourishes among the (F1)reeds,
An (C2)east wind will come,
The wind of the LORD coming up from the wilderness;
And his fountain will (C3)become dry
And his spring will dry up;
It will (C4)plunder his treasury of every precious article.
16 (F1)Samaria will pay the penalty for her (C1)guilt,
Because she has (C2)rebelled against her God.
(C3)They will fall by the (C4)sword,
Their children will be (F2)(C5)slaughtered,
And their pregnant (C6)women will be ripped open.
Chapter 14
Israel's Future Blessing
1 (F1)(C1)Return, Israel, to the LORD your God,
For you have stumbled (F2)because of your (C2)wrongdoing.
2 Take words with you and return to the LORD.
Say to Him, "(C1)Take away all guilt
And (F1)receive us graciously,
So that we may (C2)present (F2)the fruit of our lips.
3 "Assyria will not save us,
We will (C1)not ride on horses;
Nor will we say again, '(C2)Our god'
To the (C3)work of our hands;
For in (C4)You the (F1)orphan finds mercy."
4 I will (C1)heal their apostasy,
I will (C2)love them freely,
Because My anger has (C3)turned away from them.
5 I will be like the (C1)dew to Israel;
He will blossom like the (C2)lily,
And he will (F1)take root like the cedars of (C3)Lebanon.
6 His shoots will (F1)sprout,
His (F2)majesty will be like the (C1)olive tree,
And his fragrance like the cedars of (C2)Lebanon.
7 Those who (C1)live in his shadow
Will (F1)again raise (C2)grain,
And they will blossom like the vine.
His fame will be like the wine of Lebanon.
8 Ephraim, what more have I to do with (C1)idols?
It is I who answer and look after (F1)you.
I am like a luxuriant (C2)juniper;
From (C3)Me (F2)comes your fruit.
9 (C1)Whoever is wise, let him understand these things;
Whoever is discerning, let him know them.
For the (C2)ways of the LORD are right,
And the (C3)righteous will walk in them,
But (C4)wrongdoers will stumble in them.
Joel 1:1-2:17
Chapter 1
The Devastation by Locusts
1 The (C1)word of the LORD that came to (C2)Joel, the son of Pethuel:
2 (C1)Hear this, you (C2)elders,
And listen, all inhabitants of the land.
(C3)Has anything like this happened in your days,
Or in your fathers' days?
3 (C1)Tell your sons about it,
And have your sons tell their sons,
And their sons the next generation.
4 What the (C1)gnawing locust has left, the (F1)swarming locust has eaten;
And what the (C2)swarming locust has left, the creeping locust has eaten;
And what the creeping locust has left, the (C3)stripping locust has eaten.
5 Awake, (C1)you heavy drinkers, and weep;
And wail, all you wine drinkers,
Because of the sweet wine,
For it has been (C2)eliminated from your mouth.
6 For a (C1)nation has (F1)invaded my land,
Mighty and without number;
(C2)Its teeth are the teeth of a lion,
And it has the jaws of a lioness.
7 It has (C1)made my vine a waste
And my fig tree a stump.
It has stripped them bare and hurled them away;
Their branches have become white.
8 (C1)Wail like a virgin (C2)clothed with sackcloth
For the groom of her youth.
9 The (C1)grain offering and the drink offering have been cut off
From the house of the LORD.
The (C2)priests mourn,
The ministers of the LORD.
10 The field is (C1)ruined,
(C2)The land mourns;
For the grain is ruined,
The new wine has dried up,
Fresh oil has (F1)failed.
11 (C1)Be ashamed, you farm workers,
Wail, you vinedressers,
For the wheat and the barley;
Because the (C2)harvest of the field is destroyed.
12 The (C1)vine has dried up
And the fig tree has withered;
The (C2)pomegranate, the (C3)palm also, and the (C4)apple tree,
All the trees of the field have dried up.
Indeed, (C5)joy has dried up
From the sons of mankind.
13 (C1)Put on sackcloth
And mourn, you priests;
(C2)Wail, you ministers of the altar!
Come, (C3)spend the night in sackcloth,
You ministers of my God,
For the grain offering and the drink offering
Have been withheld from the house of your God.
Starvation and Drought
14 (C1)Consecrate a fast,
Proclaim a (C2)solemn assembly;
Gather the elders
And all the inhabitants of the land
To the house of the LORD your God,
And (C3)cry out to the LORD.
15 (C1)Woe for the day!
For the (C2)day of the LORD is near,
And it will come as (C3)destruction from the (F1)Almighty.
16 Has (C1)food not been cut off before our eyes, and
Joy and (C2)rejoicing from the house of our God?
17 The (F1)(C1)seeds have dried up under their shovels;
The storehouses have become desolate,
The grain silos are ruined,
Because the grain has dried up.
18 How (C1)the animals have groaned!
The herds of cattle have wandered aimlessly
Because there is no pasture for them;
Even the flocks of sheep have (F1)suffered.
19 (C1)To You, LORD, I cry out;
For (C2)fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness,
And the flame has burned up all the trees of the field.
20 Even the animals of the field (F1)(C1)pant for You;
For the (C2)stream beds of water are dried up,
And fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
Chapter 2
The Terrible Visitation
1 (C1)Blow a trumpet in Zion,
And sound an alarm on My holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
For the (C2)day of the LORD is coming;
Indeed, it is near,
2 A day of (C1)darkness and gloom,
A day of clouds and thick darkness.
As dawn is spread over the mountains,
So there is a (C2)great and mighty people;
There has (C3)never been anything like it,
Nor will there be again after it
To the years of many generations.
3 A (C1)fire consumes before them,
And behind them a flame devours.
The land is (C2)like the Garden of Eden before them,
But a (C3)desolate wilderness behind them,
And nothing at all escapes them.
4 Their (C1)appearance is like the appearance of horses;
And like war horses, so they run.
5 (F1)With a (C1)noise as of chariots
They leap about on the tops of the mountains,
Like the (F2)crackling of a (C2)flame of fire consuming the stubble,
Like a mighty people drawn up for battle.
6 Before them the people are in (C1)anguish;
All (C2)faces (F1)turn pale.
7 They run like warriors,
They climb the wall like soldiers;
And each of them (C1)marches (F1)in line,
Nor do they lose their way.
8 They do not crowd each other,
Every warrior of them marches in his path;
When they (F1)burst through the (F2)defenses,
They do not break ranks.
9 They storm the city,
They run on the wall;
They climb into the (C1)houses,
They (C2)enter through the windows like a thief.
10 Before them the earth (C1)quakes,
The heavens tremble,
The (C2)sun and the moon become dark,
And the stars lose their brightness.
11 The LORD (C1)utters His voice before (C2)His army;
His camp is indeed very great,
For (C3)mighty is one who carries out His word.
The (C4)day of the LORD is indeed great and very awesome,
And (C5)who can endure it?
12 "Yet even now," declares the LORD,
"(C1)Return to Me with all your heart,
And with (C2)fasting, weeping, and mourning;
13 And (C1)tear your heart and not merely (C2)your garments."
Now return to the LORD your God,
For He is (C3)gracious and compassionate,
Slow to anger, abounding in mercy
And (C4)relenting of catastrophe.
14 Who knows, (C1)He might turn and relent,
And leave a (C2)blessing behind Him,
Resulting in (C3)a grain offering and a drink offering
For the LORD your God.
15 (C1)Blow a trumpet in Zion,
(C2)Consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly,
16 Gather the people, (C1)sanctify the congregation,
Assemble the elders,
Gather the children and the nursing infants.
Have the (C2)groom come out of his room
And the bride out of her bridal chamber.
17 Let the priests, the LORD'S ministers,
Weep (C1)between the porch and the altar,
And let them say, "(F1)(C2)Spare Your people, LORD,
And do not make Your inheritance a (C3)disgrace,
With the nations jeering at them.
Why should those among the peoples say,
'(C4)Where is their God?'"<
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