Bible Readings for December 16, 2013

Today our passages are Micah 5:1–7:20; Revelation 7:1-17; Psalm 135:1-21; and Proverbs 30:5-6. The readings are the Contemporary English Version.

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Micah 5-7:20 (Contemporary English Version)

Micah 5

A Promised Ruler

 ¹Jerusalem, enemy troops    have surrounded you; ^[a] they have struck Israel's ruler
   in the face with a stick.
    ²Bethlehem Ephrath,
   you are one of the smallest towns
   in the nation of Judah.
   But the LORD will choose
   one of your people
   to rule the nation--
   someone whose family
   goes back to ancient times. ^[b] ³The LORD will abandon Israel
   only until this ruler is born,
   and the rest of his family
   returns to Israel.
    ⁴Like a shepherd
   taking care of his sheep,
   this ruler will lead
   and care for his people
   by the power and glorious name
   of the LORD his God.
   His people will live securely,
   and the whole earth will know
   his true greatness,
    ⁵because he will bring peace.
   Let Assyria attack our country
   and our palaces.
   We will counterattack,
   led by a number of rulers
   

Assyria Will Be Defeated

 ⁶whose strong army will defeat    the nation of Assyria. ^[c] Yes, our leaders will rescue us,
   if those Assyrians
   dare to invade our land.
   

The Survivors Will Be Safe

 ⁷A few of Jacob's descendants    survived and are scattered
   among the nations.
   But the LORD will let them
   cover the earth
   like dew and rain
   that refreshes the soil.
    ⁸At present they are scattered,
   but later they will attack,
   as though they were fierce lions
   pouncing on sheep.
   Their enemies will be torn
   to shreds,
   with no one to save them;
    ⁹they will be helpless,
   completely destroyed.
   

Idols Will Be Destroyed in Israel

 ¹⁰The LORD said:    At that time I will wipe out
   your cavalry and chariots,
    ¹¹as well as your cities
   and your fortresses.
    ¹²I will stop you
   from telling fortunes
   and practicing witchcraft.
    ¹³You will no longer worship
   the idols or stone images
   you have made--
   I will destroy them,
    ¹⁴together with the sacred poles ^[d] and even your towns.
    ¹⁵I will become furious
   and take revenge
   on the nations
   that refuse to obey me.
   

Micah 6

The LORD's Challenge to His People

 ¹The LORD said to his people:    Come and present your case
   to the hills and mountains.
    ²Israel, I am bringing charges
   against you--
   I call upon the mountains
   and the earth's firm foundation
   to be my witnesses.
    ³My people, have I wronged you
   in any way at all?
   Please tell me.
    ⁴I rescued you from Egypt,
   where you were slaves.
   I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam
   to be your leaders.
    ⁵Don't forget the evil plans
   of King Balak of Moab
   or what Balaam son of Beor ^[e] said to him.
   Remember how I, the LORD,
   saved you many times
   on your way from Acacia
   to Gilgal. ^[f]

True Obedience

 ⁶What offering should I bring    when I bow down to worship
   the LORD God Most High?
   Should I try to please him ^[g] by sacrificing
   calves a year old?
    ⁷Will thousands of sheep
   or rivers of olive oil
   make God satisfied with me?
   Should I sacrifice to the LORD
   my first-born child
   as payment
   for my terrible sins?
    ⁸The LORD God has told us
   what is right
   and what he demands:
   "See that justice is done,
   let mercy be your first concern,
   and humbly obey your God."
   

Cheating and Violence

 ⁹I am the LORD,    and it makes sense to respect
   my power to punish.
   So listen to my message
   for the city of Jerusalem: ^[h] ¹⁰You store up stolen treasures
   and use dishonest scales. ^[i] ¹¹But I, the LORD, will punish you
   for cheating with weights
   and with measures.
    ¹²You rich people are violent,
   and everyone tells lies.
    ¹³Because of your sins,
   I will wound you
   and leave you
   ruined and defenseless.
    ¹⁴You will eat,
   but still be hungry;
   you will store up goods,
   but lose everything--
   I, the LORD, will let it all
   be captured in war.
    ¹⁵You won't harvest what you plant
   or use the oil
   from your olive trees
   or drink the wine
   from grapes you grow.
    ¹⁶Jerusalem, this will happen
   because you followed
   the sinful example
   of kings Omri and Ahab. ^[j] Now I will destroy you
   and your property.
   Then the people of every nation
   will make fun and insult you.
   

Micah 7

Israel Is Corrupt

 ¹I feel so empty inside--    like someone starving
   for grapes or figs,
   after the vines and trees
   have all been picked clean.
    ²No one is loyal to God;
   no one does right.
   Everyone is brutal
   and eager to deceive
   everyone else.
    ³People cooperate to commit crime.
   Judges and leaders demand bribes,
   and rulers cheat in court. ^[k] ⁴The most honest of them
   is worse than a thorn patch.
   Your doom has come!
   Lookouts sound the warning,
   and everyone panics.
    ⁵Don't trust anyone,
   not even your best friend,
   and be careful what you say
   to the one you love.
    ⁶Sons refuse to respect
   their own fathers,
   daughters rebel against
   their own mothers,
   and daughters-in-law despise
   their mothers-in-law.
   Your family is now your enemy.
    ⁷But I trust the LORD God
   to save me,
   and I will wait for him
   to answer my prayer.
   

The Nation Turns to God

 ⁸My enemies, don't be glad    because of my troubles!
   I may have fallen,
   but I will get up;
   I may be sitting in the dark,
   but the LORD is my light.
    ⁹I have sinned against the LORD.
   And so I must endure his anger,
   until he comes to my defense.
   But I know that I will see him
   making things right for me
   and leading me to the light.
    ¹⁰You, my enemies, said,
   "The LORD God is helpless."
   Now each of you
   will be disgraced
   and put to shame.
   I will see you trampled
   like mud in the street.
   

A Bright Future

 ¹¹Towns of Judah, the day is coming    when your walls will be rebuilt,
   and your boundaries enlarged.
    ¹²People will flock to you
   from Assyria and Egypt,
   from Babylonia ^[l] and everywhere else.
    ¹³Those nations will suffer disaster
   because of what they did.
   

Micah's Prayer and the LORD's Answer

 ¹⁴Lead your people, LORD!    Come and be our shepherd.
   Grasslands surround us,
   but we live in a forest.
   So lead us to Bashan and Gilead, ^[m] and let us find pasture
   as we did long ago.
    ¹⁵I, the LORD, will work miracles
   just as I did
   when I led you
   out of Egypt.
    ¹⁶Nations will see this
   and be ashamed
   because
   of their helpless armies.
   They will be in shock,
   unable to speak or hear,
    ¹⁷because of their fear of me,
   your LORD and God.
   Then they will come trembling,
   crawling out of their fortresses
   like insects or snakes,
   lapping up the dust.
   
   

No One Is Like God

The people said:

 ¹⁸Our God, no one is like you.    We are all that is left
   of your chosen people,
   and you freely forgive
   our sin and guilt.
   You don't stay angry forever;
   you're glad to have pity
    ¹⁹and pleased to be merciful.
   You will trample on our sins
   and throw them in the sea.
    ²⁰You will keep your word
   and be faithful to Jacob
   and to Abraham,
   as you promised our ancestors
   many years ago.
   

Footnotes:

1. Micah 5:1 Jerusalem. . . you: Or "Jerusalem, you are slashing yourself in sorrow, because of the enemy troops."
2. Micah 5:2 family. . . times: Or "kingdom is eternal."
3. Micah 5:6 the nation of Assyria: The Hebrew text uses both "land of Assyria" and "land of Nimrod," which was a poetic name for Assyria.
4. Micah 5:14 sacred poles: Used in the worship of Asherah, the fertility goddess.
5. Micah 6:5 Balak. . . Beor: See Numbers 22-24.
6. Micah 6:5 Acacia to Gilgal: Acacia was where the Israelites camped after the experience with Balaam (see Numbers 25.1; Joshua 2.1; 3.1); Gilgal was where they camped while waiting to attack Jericho (see Joshua 4.19--5.12).
7. Micah 6:6 try to please him: This refers to what are traditionally called "burnt sacrifices," which were offered as a way of pleasing the LORD.
8. Micah 6:9 Jerusalem: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 9.
9. Micah 6:10 scales: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 10.
10. Micah 6:16 Omri and Ahab: King Ahab was the son of Omri and the husband of the evil Jezebel. Almost two centuries before Micah, the prophet Elijah had spoken against the idolatry and the other sinful practices that Ahab had encouraged in Israel (see 1 Kings 16.21-34; 18.1-18; 21.1-26).
11. Micah 7:3 court: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 3.
12. Micah 7:12 Babylonia: The Hebrew text has "the river," meaning the Euphrates River, which stood for Babylonia.
13. Micah 7:14 Bashan and Gilead: Two regions east of the Jordan River, known for their fertile pasturelands.

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Revelation 7:1-17 (Contemporary English Version)

Revelation 7

The 144,000 Are Marked for God

 ^1-2After this I saw four angels. Each one was standing on one of the earth's four corners. The angels held back the four winds, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. These angels had also been given the power to harm the earth and the sea. Then I saw another angel come up from where the sun rises in the east, and he was ready to put the mark of the living God on people. He shouted to the four angels, ³"Don't harm the earth or the sea or any tree! Wait until I have marked the foreheads of the servants of our God."     ⁴Then I heard how many people had been marked on the forehead. There were one hundred forty-four thousand, and they came from every tribe of Israel:
    ⁵12,000 from Judah,
   12,000 from Reuben,
   12,000 from Gad,
    ⁶12,000 from Asher,
   12,000 from Naphtali,
   12,000 from Manasseh,
    ⁷12,000 from Simeon,
   12,000 from Levi,
   12,000 from Issachar,
    ⁸12,000 from Zebulun,
   12,000 from Joseph, and
   12,000 from Benjamin.
   

People from Every Nation

 ⁹After this, I saw a large crowd with more people than could be counted. They were from every race, tribe, nation, and language, and they stood before the throne and before the Lamb. They wore white robes and held palm branches in their hands, ¹⁰as they shouted,    "Our God, who sits
   upon the throne,
   has the power
   to save his people,
   and so does the Lamb."
    ¹¹The angels who stood around the throne knelt in front of it with their faces to the ground. The elders and the four living creatures knelt there with them. Then they all worshiped God ¹²and said,
   "Amen! Praise, glory, wisdom,
   thanks, honor, power,
   and strength belong to our God
   forever and ever! Amen!"
    ¹³One of the elders asked me, "Do you know who these people are that are dressed in white robes? Do you know where they come from?"
    ¹⁴"Sir," I answered, "you must know."
   Then he told me:
   "These are the ones
   who have gone through
   the great suffering.
   They have washed their robes
   in the blood of the Lamb
   and have made them white.
    ¹⁵And so they stand
   before the throne of God
   and worship him in his temple
   day and night.
   The one who sits on the throne
   will spread his tent
   over them.
    ¹⁶They will never hunger
   or thirst again,
   and they won't be troubled
   by the sun
   or any scorching heat.
    ¹⁷The Lamb in the center
   of the throne
   will be their shepherd.
   He will lead them to streams
   of life-giving water,
   and God will wipe all tears
   from their eyes."

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Psalm 135:1-21 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 135

In Praise of the LORD's Kindness

 ¹Shout praises to the LORD!    You are his servants,
   so praise his name.
    ²All who serve in the temple
   of the LORD our God,
    ³come and shout praises.
   Praise the name of the LORD!
   He is kind and good.
    ⁴He chose the family of Jacob
   and the people of Israel
   for his very own.
    ⁵The LORD is much greater
   than any other god.
    ⁶He does as he chooses
   in heaven and on earth
   and deep in the sea.
    ⁷The LORD makes the clouds rise
   from far across the earth,
   and he makes lightning
   to go with the rain.
   Then from his secret place
   he sends out the wind.
    ⁸The LORD killed the first-born
   of people and animals
   in the land of Egypt.
    ⁹God used miracles and wonders
   to fight the king of Egypt
   and all of his officials.
    ¹⁰He destroyed many nations
   and killed powerful kings,
    ¹¹including King Sihon
   of the Amorites
   and King Og of Bashan.
   He conquered every kingdom
   in the land of Canaan
    ¹²and gave their property
   to his people Israel.
    ¹³The name of the LORD
   will be remembered forever,
   and he will be famous
   for all time to come.
    ¹⁴The LORD will bring justice
   and show mercy
   to all
   who serve him.
    ¹⁵Idols of silver and gold
   are made
   and worshiped
   in other nations.
    ¹⁶They have a mouth and eyes,
   but they can't speak or see.
    ¹⁷They are completely deaf,
   and they can't breathe.
    ¹⁸Everyone who makes idols
   and all who trust them
   will end up as helpless
   as their idols.
    ¹⁹Everyone in Israel,
   come praise the LORD!
   All the family of Aaron
    ²⁰and all the tribe of Levi, ^[a] come praise the LORD!
   All of his worshipers,
   come praise the LORD.
    ²¹Praise the LORD from Zion!
   He lives here in Jerusalem.
   Shout praises to the LORD!
   

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 135:20 Aaron. . . Levi: Aaron was from the tribe of Levi, and all priests were from his family. The temple helpers, singers, and musicians were also from the tribe of Levi.

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Proverbs 30:5-6 (Contemporary English Version)

⁵Everything God says is true--
   and it's a shield for all
   who come to him for safety.
    ⁶Don't change what God has said!
   He will correct you and show
   that you are a liar.

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Verse of the Day

“[Mary's Song of Praise]Mary said: With all my heart I praise the Lord, and I am glad because of God my Savior. God All-Powerful has done great things for me, and his name is holy.” - Luke 1:46-47, 49

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

American novelist, short story writer and essayist, Philip K. Dick wrote, “Today we live in a society in which spurious realities are manufactured by the media, by governments, by big corporations, by religious groups, political groups … So I ask, in my writing, What is real? Because unceasingly we are bombarded with pseudo-realities manufactured by very sophisticated people using very sophisticated electronic mechanisms. I do not distrust their motives; I distrust their power. They have a lot of it. And it is an astonishing power: that of creating whole universes, universes of the mind. I ought to know. I do the same thing.”