Zechariah 10-11:17 (Contemporary English Version)
Zechariah 10
A Bright Future for Judah and Israel
1I, the LORD, am the one who sends storm cloudsand showers of rain
to make fields produce.
So when the crops need rain,
you should pray to me.
2You can't believe idols
and fortunetellers,
or depend on the hope
you receive from witchcraft
and interpreters of dreams.
But you have tried all of these,
and now you are like sheep
without a shepherd.
3I, the LORD All-Powerful,
am fiercely angry
with you leaders,
and I will punish you.
I care for my people,
the nation of Judah,
and I will change
this flock of sheep
into charging war horses.
4From this flock will come leaders
who will be strong
like cornerstones and tent pegs
and weapons of war.
5They will join in the fighting,
and together they will trample
their enemies like mud.
They will fight,
because I, the LORD,
will be on their side.
And they will crush
the enemy cavalry.
6I will strengthen
the kingdoms of Judah
and Israel. a] And I will show mercy
because I am the LORD,
their God.
I will answer their prayers
and bring them home.
Then it will seem as though
I had never rejected them.
7Israel b] will be like a tribe of warriors
celebrating with wine.
When their children see this,
they will also be happy
because of me, the LORD.
8I will give a signal
for them to come together
because I have rescued them.
And there will be as many
as ever before.
9Although I scattered my people
in distant countries,
they won't forget me.
Once their children are raised, c] they will return--
10I will bring them home
from Egypt and Assyria,
then let them settle
as far as Gilead and Lebanon,
until the land overflows
with them.
11My people will go through
an ocean of troubles,
but I will overcome the waves
and dry up the deepest part
of the Nile.
Assyria's great pride
will be put down,
and the power of Egypt
will disappear.
12I'll strengthen my people
because of who I am,
and they will follow me.
I, the LORD, have spoken!
Zechariah 11
Trouble for Israel's Enemies
1Lebanon, open your gates! Let the fire come into destroy your cedar trees.
2Cry, you cyprus trees!
The glorious cedars have fallen
and are rotting.
Cry, you oak trees of Bashan!
The dense forest
has been chopped down.
3Listen! Shepherds are crying.
Their glorious pastures
have been ruined.
Listen! Lions are roaring.
The forests of the Jordan Valley
are no more to be found.
Worthless Shepherds
4The LORD my God said to me: Tend those sheep doomed for slaughter! 5The people who buy and butcher them go unpunished, while everyone who sells them says, "Praise the LORD! I'm rich." Not even their shepherds have pity on them.6Tend those sheep because I, the LORD, will no longer have pity on the people of this earth. I'll turn neighbor against neighbor and make them slaves of a king. They will bring disaster on the earth, and I'll do nothing to rescue any of them.
7So I became a shepherd of those sheep doomed to be slaughtered by the sheep dealers. d] And I gave names to the two sticks I used for tending the sheep: One of them was named "Mercy" and the other "Unity." 8In less than a month, I became impatient with three shepherds who didn't like me, and I got rid of them. 9Then I said, "I refuse to be your shepherd. Let the sheep that are going to die, go on and die, and those that are going to be destroyed, go on and be destroyed. Then let the others eat one another alive." 10On that same day, I broke the stick named "Mercy" to show that the LORD had canceled his agreement with all people. 11The sheep dealers who saw me knew right away that this was a message from the LORD. 12-13I told them, "Pay me my wages, if you think you should; otherwise, forget it." So they handed me my wages, a measly thirty pieces of silver.
Then the LORD said, "Throw the money into the treasury." e] So I threw the money into the treasury at the LORD's temple. 14Then I broke the stick named "Unity" and canceled the ties between Judah and Israel. 15Next, the LORD said to me, "Act like a shepherd again--this time a worthless shepherd. 16Once more I am going to let a worthless nobody rule the land--one who won't care for the strays or search for the young or heal the sick or feed the healthy. He will just dine on the fattest sheep, leaving nothing but a few bones."
17You worthless shepherd,
deserting the sheep!
I hope a sword
will cripple your arm
and blind your right eye.
Footnotes:
- Zechariah 10:6 Israel: The Hebrew text has "family of Joseph," the ancestor of Ephraim and Manasseh, the leading tribes of the northern kingdom (Israel).
- Zechariah 10:7 Israel: Hebrew "Ephraim" (see the note at 9.10).
- Zechariah 10:9 Once. . . raised: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- Zechariah 11:7 by the sheep dealers: One ancient translation; Hebrew "especially the weak ones."
- Zechariah 11:12 Throw. . . treasury: Hebrew "Throw the money to the potter."
Revelation 18:1-24 (Contemporary English Version)
Revelation 18
The Fall of Babylon
1I saw another angel come from heaven. This one had great power, and the earth was bright because of his glory. 2The angel shouted, "Fallen! Powerful Babylonhas fallen
and is now the home
of demons.
It is the den
of every filthy spirit
and of all unclean birds,
and every dirty
and hated animal.
3Babylon's evil and immoral wine
has made all nations drunk.
Every king on earth
has slept with her,
and every merchant on earth
is rich
because of
her evil desires."
4Then I heard another voice
from heaven shout,
"My people, you must escape
from Babylon.
Don't take part in her sins
and share her punishment.
5Her sins are piled
as high as heaven.
God has remembered the evil
she has done.
6Treat her as she
has treated others.
Make her pay double
for what she has done.
Make her drink twice as much
of what she mixed
for others.
7That woman honored herself
with a life of luxury.
Reward her now
with suffering and pain.
"Deep in her heart
Babylon said,
`I am the queen!
Never will I be a widow
or know what it means
to be sad.'
8And so, in a single day
she will suffer the pain
of sorrow, hunger, and death.
Fire will destroy
her dead body,
because her judge
is the powerful Lord God."
9Every king on earth who slept with her and shared in her luxury will mourn. They will weep, when they see the smoke from that fire. 10Her sufferings will frighten them, and they will stand at a distance and say,
"Pity that great
and powerful city!
Pity Babylon!
In a single hour
her judgment has come."
11Every merchant on earth will mourn, because there is no one to buy their goods. 12There won't be anyone to buy their gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, sweet-smelling wood, fancy carvings of ivory and wood, as well as things made of bronze, iron, or marble. 13No one will buy their cinnamon, spices, incense, myrrh, frankincense, a] wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, chariots, slaves, and other humans. 14Babylon, the things
your heart desired
have all escaped
from you.
Every luxury
and all your glory
will be lost forever.
You will never
get them back.
15The merchants had become rich because of her. But when they saw her sufferings, they were terrified. They stood at a distance, crying and mourning. 16Then they shouted,
"Pity the great city
of Babylon!
She dressed in fine linen
and wore purple
and scarlet cloth.
She had jewelry
made of gold
and precious stones
and pearls.
17Yet in a single hour
her riches disappeared."
Every ship captain and passenger and sailor stood at a distance, together with everyone who does business by traveling on the sea. 18When they saw the smoke from her fire, they shouted, "This was the greatest city ever!"
19They cried loudly, and in their sorrow they threw dust on their heads, as they said,
"Pity the great city
of Babylon!
Everyone who sailed the seas
became rich
from her treasures.
But in a single hour
the city was destroyed.
20The heavens should be happy
with God's people
and apostles and prophets.
God has punished her
for them."
21A powerful angel then picked up a huge stone and threw it into the sea. The angel said,
"This is how the great city
of Babylon
will be thrown down,
never to rise again.
22The music of harps and singers
and of flutes and trumpets
will no longer be heard.
No workers will ever
set up shop in that city,
and the sound
of grinding grain
will be silenced forever.
23Lamps will no longer shine
anywhere in Babylon,
and couples will never again
say wedding vows there.
Her merchants ruled
the earth,
and by her witchcraft
she fooled all nations.
24On the streets of Babylon
is found the blood
of God's people
and of his prophets,
and everyone else."
Footnotes:
- Revelation 18:13 myrrh, frankincense: Myrrh was a valuable sweet-smelling powder often used in perfume. Frankincense was a valuable powder that was burned to make a sweet smell.
Psalm 146:1-10 (Contemporary English Version)
Psalm 146
Shout Praises to the LORD
1Shout praises to the LORD! With all that I am,I will shout his praises.
2I will sing
and praise
the LORD God
for as long as I live.
3You can't depend on anyone,
not even a great leader.
4Once they die and are buried,
that will be the end
of all their plans.
5The LORD God of Jacob blesses
everyone
who trusts him
and depends on him.
6God made heaven and earth;
he created the sea
and everything else.
God always keeps his word.
7He gives justice to the poor
and food to the hungry.
The LORD sets prisoners free
8and heals blind eyes.
He gives a helping hand
to everyone who falls.
The LORD loves good people
9and looks after strangers.
He defends the rights
of orphans and widows,
but destroys the wicked.
10The LORD God of Zion
will rule forever!
Shout praises to the LORD!
Proverbs 30:33 (Contemporary English Version)
33If you churn milk
you get butter;
if you pound on your nose,
you get blood--
and if you stay angry,
you get in trouble.
Verse of the Day
“[(By David.)][The LORD's Wonderful Love]With all my heart I praise the LORD, and with all that I am I praise his holy name! With all my heart I praise the LORD! I will never forget how kind he has been.” - Psalm 103:1-2
you get butter;
if you pound on your nose,
you get blood--
and if you stay angry,
you get in trouble.
Verse of the Day
“[(By David.)][The LORD's Wonderful Love]With all my heart I praise the LORD, and with all that I am I praise his holy name! With all my heart I praise the LORD! I will never forget how kind he has been.” - Psalm 103:1-2
Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.
Thought for the Day Second generation American poet, Charles Olson wrote, “This morning of the small snow I count the blessings, the leak in the faucet which makes of the sink time, the drop of the water on water.”
A Joke for Today
Sarah's parents, trying to take advantage of her newfound interest in Santa Claus, reminded the two-year-old that Santa was watching and doesn't like it when children fight. This had little impact.
"I'll just have to tell Santa about your misbehavior," the mother said as she picked up the phone and dialed. Sarah's eyes grew big as her mother asked "Mrs. Claus" (really Sarah's aunt; Santa's real line was busy) if she could put Santa on the line. Sarah's mouth dropped open as Mom described to Santa (Sarah's uncle) how the two-year-old was acting. But, when Mom said that Santa wanted to talk to her, she reluctantly took the phone.
Santa, in a deepened voice, explained to her how there would be no presents Christmas morning to children who fought with their sisters. He would be watching, and he expected things to be better from now on.
Sarah, now even more wide eyed, solemnly nodded to each of Santa's remarks and silently hung the phone up when he was done. After a long moment, Mom (holding in her chuckles at being so clever) asked, "What did Santa say to you, dear?"
In almost a whisper, Sarah sadly but matter-of-factly stated, "Santa said he won't be bringing toys to my sister this year."
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