Hosea 10-14:9 (Contemporary English Version)
Hosea 10
But the more grapes you grew,
the more altars you built;
the better off you became,
the better shrines you set up
for pagan gods.
2You are deceitful and disloyal.
So you will pay
for your sins,
because the LORD will destroy
your altars and images.
3" We don't have a king,"
you will say.
" We don't fear the LORD.
And what good are kings?"
4Israel, you break treaties
and don't keep promises;
you turn justice
into poisonous weeds
where healthy plants should grow. a] 5All who live in Samaria tremble
with concern
for the idols b] at sinful Bethel. c] The idol there was the pride
of the priests,
but it has been put to shame;
now everyone will cry.
6It will be taken to Assyria
and given to the great king.
Then Israel will be disgraced
for worshiping that idol.
7Like a twig in a stream,
the king of Samaria
will be swept away.
8The altars at sinful Bethel
will be destroyed
for causing Israel to sin;
they will be grown over
with thorns and thistles.
Then everyone will beg
the mountains and hills
to cover and protect them.
The LORD Promises To Punish Israel
9Israel, you have never stopped sinning d] since that time at Gibeah. e] That's why youwill be attacked at Gibeah. f] 10Your sins have doubled,
and you are rebellious.
Now I have decided
to send nations to attack
and put you in chains.
11Once you were obedient
like a calf
that loved to thresh grain.
But I will put a harness
on your powerful neck;
you and Judah must plow
and cultivate the ground.
12Plow your fields,
scatter seeds of justice,
and harvest faithfulness.
Worship me, the LORD,
and I will send my saving power
down like rain.
13You have planted evil,
harvested injustice,
and eaten
the fruit of your lies.
You trusted your own strength
and your powerful forces.
14So war will break out,
and your fortresses
will be destroyed.
Your enemies will do to you
what Shalman g] did to the people
of Beth-Arbel--
mothers and their children
will be beaten to death
against rocks.
15Bethel, this will be your fate
because of your evil.
Israel, at dawn your king
will be killed.
Hosea 11
God's Love for His People
1When Israel was a child, I loved him,and I called
my son out of Egypt.
2But as the saying goes,
" The more they were called,
the more they rebelled." h] They never stopped offering
incense and sacrifices
to the idols of Baal.
3I took Israel by the arm
and taught them to walk.
But they would not admit
that I was the one
who had healed them.
4I led them with kindness
and with love,
not with ropes.
I held them close to me; i] I bent down to feed them.
5But they trusted Egypt
instead of returning to me;
now Assyria will rule them.
6War will visit their cities,
and their plans will fail. j] 7My people are determined
to reject me for a god
they think is stronger,
but he can't help. k] 8Israel, I can't let you go.
I can't give you up.
How could I possibly destroy you
as I did the towns of Admah
and Zeboiim? l] I just can't do it.
My feelings for you
are much too strong.
9Israel, I won't lose my temper
and destroy you again.
I am the Holy God--
not merely some human,
and I won't stay angry.
10I, the LORD, will roar like a lion,
and my children will return,
trembling
from the west.
11They will come back,
fluttering like birds from Egypt
or like doves from Assyria.
Then I will bring them
back to their homes.
I, the LORD, have spoken!
Israel and Judah Compared
12Israel is deceitful to me, their loyal and holy God;they surround me with lies,
and Judah worships
other gods. m]
Hosea 12
deceit and violence
are found everywhere.
Treaties are made with Assyria;
olive oil is taken to Egypt.
Israel and Judah Condemned
2The LORD also brings charges against the people of Judah,the descendants of Jacob.
He will punish them
for what they have done.
3Even before Jacob was born,
he cheated his brother, n] and when he grew up,
he fought against God. o] 4At Bethel, Jacob wrestled
with an angel and won;
then with tears in his eyes,
he asked for a blessing,
and God spoke to us p] there. 5God's name is the LORD,
the LORD God All-Powerful.
6So return to your God.
Patiently trust him,
and show love and justice.
7Israel, you enjoy cheating
and taking advantage
of others.
8You say to yourself, " I'm rich!
I earned it all on my own,
without committing a sin." q]
The LORD Is Still the God of Israel
9Israel, I, the LORD, am still your God,just as I have been
since the time
you were in Egypt.
Now I will force you
to live in tents once again,
as you did in the desert. r] 10I spoke to the prophets--
often I spoke in visions.
And so, I will send my prophets
with messages of doom.
11Gilead is terribly sinful
and will end up ruined.
Bulls are sacrificed in Gilgal
on altars made of stones,
but those stones will be scattered
in every field.
12Jacob s] escaped to Syria t] where he tended sheep
to earn himself a wife.
13I sent the prophet Moses
to lead Israel from Egypt
and to keep them safe.
14Israel, I will make you pay
for your terrible sins
and for insulting me.
Hosea 13
Israel Is Doomed
The LORD said:
1When your leaders u] spoke, everyone in Israel trembled and showed great respect.But you sinned by worshiping Baal,
and you were destroyed.
2Now you continue to sin
by designing and making
idols of silver
in the shape of calves.
You are told to sacrifice
to these idols v] -- yes, even to kiss them.
3And so, all of you will vanish
like the mist
or the dew
of early morning,
or husks of grain in the wind
or smoke from a chimney.
4I, the LORD, have been your God
since the time
you were in Egypt.
I am the only God you know,
the only one who can save.
5I took care of you
in a thirsty desert. w] 6I fed you till you were satisfied,
then you became proud
and forgot about me.
7Now I will attack like a lion,
ambush you like a leopard,
8and rip you apart like a bear
robbed of her cubs.
I will gnaw on your bones,
as though I were a lion
or some other wild animal.
9Israel, you are done for.
Don't expect help from me. x] 10You wanted a king and rulers.
Where is your king now?
What cities have rulers?
11In my anger, I gave you a king;
in my fury, I took him away.
Israel's Terrible Fate
The LORD said:
12Israel, your terrible sins are written downand stored away.
13You are like a senseless child
who refuses to be born
at the proper time.
14Should I, the LORD, rescue you
from death and the grave?
No! I call death and the grave
to strike you like a plague.
I refuse to show mercy.
15No matter how much you prosper
more than the other tribes, y] I, the LORD, will wipe you out,
just as a scorching desert wind
dries up streams of water.
I will take away
your precious treasures.
16Samaria z] will be punished for turning against me.
It will be destroyed in war--
children will be beaten
against rocks,
and pregnant women
will be ripped open.
Hosea 14
Turn Back to the LORD
1Israel, return! Come back to the LORD, your God.Sin has made you fall.
2Return to the LORD and say,
" Please forgive our sins.
Accept our good sacrifices
of praise instead of bulls. aa] 3Assyria can't save us,
and chariots can't help.
So we will no longer worship
the idols we have made.
Our LORD, you show mercy
to orphans."
The LORD Promises To Forgive
4Israel, you have rejected me, but my anger is gone;I will heal you and love you
without limit.
5I will be like the dew--
then you will blossom like lilies
and have roots like a tree. ab] 6Your branches will spread
with the beauty
of an olive tree
and with the aroma
of Lebanon Forest.
7You will rest in my shade,
and your grain will grow.
You will blossom
like a vineyard
and be famous as the wine
from Lebanon.
8Israel, give up your idols!
I will answer your prayers
and take care of you. ac] I am that glorious tree,
the source of your fruit. ad] 9If you are wise, you will know
and understand what I mean.
I am the LORD, and I lead you
along the right path.
If you obey me,
we will walk together,
but if you are wicked,
you will stumble.
Footnotes:
- Hosea 10:4 you turn. . . grow: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- Hosea 10:5 idols: The Hebrew text has " calves," referring to the idols made in the shape of calves.
- Hosea 10:5 sinful Bethel: See the note at 4.15.
- Hosea 10:9 never stopped sinning: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- Hosea 10:9 Gibeah: See the note at 9.9.
- Hosea 10:9 That's why. . . Gibeah: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- Hosea 10:14 Shalman: Perhaps a Moabite king, also known as Salamanu.
- Hosea 11:2 But. . . rebelled: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- Hosea 11:4 I held. . . to me: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- Hosea 11:6 fail: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 6.
- Hosea 11:7 help: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 7.
- Hosea 11:8 Admah and Zeboiim: When the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, he also destroyed these two towns (see Deuteronomy 29.23).
- Hosea 11:12 and Judah worships other gods: Or " but Judah remains faithful."
- Hosea 12:3 Jacob. . . cheated. . . brother: In Hebrew " Jacob" sounds like " cheat" and also like " heel." Jacob grabbed his twin brother Esau by the heel at the time of their birth (see Genesis 25.26). Later he cheated him out of his rights and blessings as the first-born son (see Genesis 25.29-34; 27.1-40).
- Hosea 12:3 fought against God: See Genesis 32.22-32.
- Hosea 12:4 us: Hebrew; two ancient translations " him."
- Hosea 12:8 without. . . sin: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- Hosea 12:9 as. . . desert: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. This probably refers to the forty years of wandering through the desert after leaving Egypt, though it could refer to the " tents" (or " shelters" ) in which the Israelites lived during the Festival of Shelters (see 9.5,6).
- Hosea 12:12 Jacob: His name was later changed to Israel (see Genesis 32.28), and he became the ancestor of the nation by that name.
- Hosea 12:12 Syria: The Hebrew text has " Aram," probably referring to northern Syria in the region of Haran.
- Hosea 13:1 your leaders: The Hebrew text has " Ephraim," here meaning Mount Ephraim, where the royal palace of Samaria (capital of the northern kingdom of Israel) was located.
- Hosea 13:2 You are told. . . idols: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- Hosea 13:5 thirsty desert: The forty years that Israel wandered through the desert, after leaving Egypt.
- Hosea 13:9 Don't. . . me: Or " You are against me, the one who helps you."
- Hosea 13:15 more. . . tribes: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- Hosea 13:16 Samaria: The capital of the northern kingdom of Israel.
- Hosea 14:2 Accept. . . bulls: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- Hosea 14:5 like a tree: The Hebrew text has " like Lebanon," probably referring to the famous cedar trees on Mount Lebanon.
- Hosea 14:8 Israel. . . you: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- Hosea 14:8 I am. . . fruit: This is the only place in the Old Testament where the LORD is compared to a tree. Hosea reminds the people that it is the LORD who is the source of life, rather than the Canaanite gods and goddesses that are worshiped under trees at the local shrines.
Jude 1-25 (Contemporary English Version)
Jude 1
2I pray that God will greatly bless you with kindness, peace, and love!
False Teachers
3My dear friends, I really wanted to write you about God's saving power at work in our lives. But instead, I must write and ask you to defend the faith that God has once for all given to his people. 4Some godless people have sneaked in among us and are saying, "God treats us much better than we deserve, and so it is all right to be immoral." They even deny that we must obey Jesus Christ as our only Master and Lord. But long ago the Scriptures warned that these godless people were doomed.5Don't forget what happened to those people that the Lord rescued from Egypt. Some of them did not have faith, and he later destroyed them.
6You also know about the angels a] who didn't do their work and left their proper places. God chained them with everlasting chains and is now keeping them in dark pits until the great day of judgment.
7We should also be warned by what happened to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah b] and the nearby towns. Their people became immoral and did all sorts of sexual sins. Then God made an example of them and punished them with eternal fire.
8The people I am talking about are behaving just like those dreamers who destroyed their own bodies. They reject all authority and insult angels.
9Even Michael, the chief angel, didn't dare to insult the devil, when the two of them were arguing about the body of Moses. c]All Michael said was, "The Lord will punish you!"
10But these people insult powers they don't know anything about. They are like senseless animals that end up getting destroyed, because they live only by their feelings.
11Now they are in for real trouble. They have followed Cain's example d] and have made the same mistake that Balaam e] did by caring only for money. They have also rebelled against God, just as Korah did. f] Because of all this, they will be destroyed.
12These people are filthy minded, and by their shameful and selfish actions they spoil the meals you eat together. They are like clouds blown along by the wind, but never bringing any rain. They are like leafless trees, uprooted and dead, and unable to produce fruit.
13Their shameful deeds show up like foam on wild ocean waves. They are like wandering stars forever doomed to the darkest pits of hell.
14Enoch was the seventh person after Adam, and he was talking about these people when he said:
Look! The Lord is coming with thousands and thousands of holy angels
15to judge everyone. He will punish all those ungodly people for all the evil things they have done. The Lord will surely punish those ungodly sinners for every evil thing they have ever said about him.
16These people grumble and complain and live by their own selfish desires. They brag about themselves and flatter others to get what they want.
More Warnings
17My dear friends, remember the warning you were given by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 18They told you that near the end of time, selfish and godless people would start making fun of God.19And now these people are already making you turn against each other. They think only about this life, and they don't have God's Spirit.
20Dear friends, keep building on the foundation of your most holy faith, as the Holy Spirit helps you to pray.
21And keep in step with God's love, as you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to show how kind he is by giving you eternal life.
22Be helpful to g] all who may have doubts.
23Rescue any who need to be saved, as you would rescue someone from a fire. Then with fear in your own hearts, have mercy on everyone who needs it. But hate even the clothes of those who have been made dirty by their filthy deeds.
Final Prayer
24-25Offer praise to God our Savior because of our Lord Jesus Christ! Only God can keep you from falling and make you pure and joyful in his glorious presence. Before time began and now and forevermore, God is worthy of glory, honor, power, and authority. Amen.
Footnotes:
- Jude 1:6 angels: This may refer to the angels who liked the women on earth so much that they came down and married them (see Genesis 6.2).
- Jude 1:7 Sodom and Gomorrah: During the time of Abraham the Lord destroyed these cities because the people there were so evil.
- Jude 1:9 Michael. . . the body of Moses: This refers to what was said in an ancient Jewish book about Moses.
- Jude 1:11 Cain's example: Cain murdered his brother Abel.
- Jude 1:11 Balaam: According to the biblical account, Balaam refused to curse the people of Israel for profit (see Numbers 22.18; 24.13), though he led them to be unfaithful to the Lord (see Numbers 25.1-3; 31.16). But by New Testament times, some Jewish teachers taught that Balaam was greedy and did accept money to curse them.
- Jude 1:11 just as Korah did: Together with Dathan and Abiram, Korah led a rebellion against Moses and Aaron (see Numbers 16.1-35; 26.9,10).
- Jude 1:22 Be helpful to: Some manuscripts have "Correct."
Psalm 127:1-5 (Contemporary English Version)
Psalm 127
(A song by Solomon for worship.)
Only the LORD Can Bless a Home
1Without the help of the LORD it is useless to build a homeor to guard a city.
2It is useless to get up early
and stay up late
in order to earn a living.
God takes care of his own,
even while they sleep. a] 3Children are a blessing
and a gift from the LORD.
4Having a lot of children
to take care of you
in your old age
is like a warrior
with a lot of arrows.
5The more you have,
the better off you will be,
because they will protect you
when your enemies attack
with arguments.
Footnotes:
- Psalm 127:2 God. . . sleep: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
Proverbs 29:15-17 (Contemporary English Version)
15Correct your children,
and they will be wise;
children out of control
disgrace their mothers.
16Crime increases
when crooks are in power,
but law-abiding citizens
will see them fall.
17If you correct your children,
they will bring you peace
and happiness.
Verse of the Day
“I am the way, the truth, and the life!" Jesus answered. "Without me, no one can go to the Father.” - John 14:6
and they will be wise;
children out of control
disgrace their mothers.
16Crime increases
when crooks are in power,
but law-abiding citizens
will see them fall.
17If you correct your children,
they will bring you peace
and happiness.
Verse of the Day
“I am the way, the truth, and the life!" Jesus answered. "Without me, no one can go to the Father.” - John 14:6
Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.
Thought for the Day
American comedian and actor best known for his television appearances during the late 1960s and the 1970s, Flip Wilson wrote, “Funny is not a color. Being black is only good from the time you get from the curtain to the microphone.”
A Joke for Today
After the offering plates were passed, the pastor glanced down and noticed that someone had placed a $1,000 bill in offering. He was so excited that he immediately shared his joy with his congregation and said he'd like to personally thank the person who placed the money in the plate.
A very quiet, elderly and saintly lady all the way in the back shyly raised her hand. The pastor asked her to come to the front. Slowly she made her way to the pastor. He told her how wonderful it was that she gave so much and in thanksgiving asked her to pick out three hymns.
Her eyes brightened as she looked over the congregation, pointed to the three handsomest men in the building and said, "I'll take him and him and him."
