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Daily Readings for December 23
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Job 31
1."I made a covenant with my eyes, how then should I look lustfully at a young woman? 2.For what is the portion from God above, and the heritage from the Almighty on high? 3.Is it not calamity to the unrighteous, and disaster to the workers of iniquity? 4.Doesn't he see my ways, and number all my steps?
5."If I have walked with falsehood, and my foot has hurried to deceit 6.(let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know my integrity); 7.if my step has turned out of the way, if my heart walked after my eyes, if any defilement has stuck to my hands, 8.then let me sow, and let another eat. Yes, let the produce of my field be rooted out.
9."If my heart has been enticed to a woman, and I have laid wait at my neighbor's door, 10.then let my wife grind for another, and let others sleep with her. 11.For that would be a heinous crime. Yes, it would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges: 12.For it is a fire that consumes to destruction, and would root out all my increase.
13."If I have despised the cause of my male servant or of my female servant, when they contended with me; 14.What then shall I do when God rises up? When he visits, what shall I answer him? 15.Didn't he who made me in the womb make him? Didn't one fashion us in the womb?
16."If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail, 17.or have eaten my morsel alone, and the fatherless has not eaten of it 18.(no, from my youth he grew up with me as with a father, her have I guided from my mother's womb); 19.if I have seen any perish for want of clothing, or that the needy had no covering; 20.if his heart hasn't blessed me, if he hasn't been warmed with my sheep's fleece; 21.if I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, because I saw my help in the gate, 22.then let my shoulder fall from the shoulder blade, and my arm be broken from the bone. 23.For calamity from God is a terror to me. Because his majesty, I can do nothing.
24."If I have made gold my hope, and have said to the fine gold, 'You are my confidence;' 25.If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because my hand had gotten much; 26.if I have seen the sun when it shined, or the moon moving in splendor, 27.and my heart has been secretly enticed, and my hand threw a kiss from my mouth, 28.this also would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges; for I should have denied the God who is above.
29."If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found him; 30.(yes, I have not allowed my mouth to sin by asking his life with a curse); 31.if the men of my tent have not said, 'Who can find one who has not been filled with his meat?' 32.(the foreigner has not lodged in the street, but I have opened my doors to the traveler); 33.if like Adam I have covered my transgressions, by hiding my iniquity in my heart, 34.because I feared the great multitude, and the contempt of families terrified me, so that I kept silence, and didn't go out of the door-- 35.oh that I had one to hear me! (behold, here is my signature, let the Almighty answer me); let the accuser write my indictment! 36.Surely I would carry it on my shoulder; and I would bind it to me as a crown. 37.I would declare to him the number of my steps. as a prince would I go near to him. 38.If my land cries out against me, and its furrows weep together; 39.if I have eaten its fruits without money, or have caused its owners to lose their life, 40.let briars grow instead of wheat, and stinkweed instead of barley."
The words of Job are ended.
Job 32
1.So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. 2.Then the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel, the Buzite, of the family of Ram, was kindled against Job. His wrath was kindled because he justified himself rather than God. 3.Also his wrath was kindled against his three friends, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job. 4.Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job, because they were elder than he. 5.When Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, his wrath was kindled.
6.Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered, "I am young, and you are very old; Therefore I held back, and didn't dare show you my opinion. 7.I said, 'Days should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom.' 8.But there is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding. 9.It is not the great who are wise, nor the aged who understand justice. 10.Therefore I said, 'Listen to me; I also will show my opinion.'
11."Behold, I waited for your words, and I listened for your reasoning, while you searched out what to say. 12.Yes, I gave you my full attention, but there was no one who convinced Job, or who answered his words, among you. 13.Beware lest you say, 'We have found wisdom, God may refute him, not man;' 14.for he has not directed his words against me; neither will I answer him with your speeches.
15."They are amazed. They answer no more. They don't have a word to say. 16.Shall I wait, because they don't speak, because they stand still, and answer no more? 17.I also will answer my part, and I also will show my opinion. 18.For I am full of words. The spirit within me constrains me. 19.Behold, my breast is as wine which has no vent; like new wineskins it is ready to burst. 20.I will speak, that I may be refreshed. I will open my lips and answer. 21.Please don't let me respect any man's person, neither will I give flattering titles to any man. 22.For I don't know how to give flattering titles; or else my Maker would soon take me away.
Zechariah 8
1.The word of Yahweh of Armies came to me. 2.Thus says Yahweh of Armies: "I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath."
3.Thus says Yahweh: "I have returned to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called 'The City of Truth;' and the mountain of Yahweh of Armies, 'The Holy Mountain.'"
4.Thus says Yahweh of Armies: "Old men and old women will again dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, every man with his staff in his hand for very age. 5.The streets of the city will be full of boys and girls playing in its streets."
6.Thus says Yahweh of Armies: "If it is marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvelous in my eyes?" says Yahweh of Armies.
7.Thus says Yahweh of Armies: "Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country; 8.and I will bring them, and they will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and they will be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness."
9.Thus says Yahweh of Armies: "Let your hands be strong, you who hear in these days these words from the mouth of the prophets who were in the day that the foundation of the house of Yahweh of Armies was laid, even the temple, that it might be built. 10.For before those days there was no wages for man, nor any wages for an animal; neither was there any peace to him who went out or came in, because of the adversary. For I set all men everyone against his neighbor. 11.But now I will not be to the remnant of this people as in the former days," says Yahweh of Armies. 12."For the seed of peace and the vine will yield its fruit, and the ground will give its increase, and the heavens will give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit all these things. 13.It shall come to pass that, as you were a curse among the nations, house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing. Don't be afraid. Let your hands be strong."
14.For thus says Yahweh of Armies: "As I thought to do evil to you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath," says Yahweh of Armies, "and I didn't repent; 15.so again have I thought in these days to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Don't be afraid. 16.These are the things that you shall do: speak every man the truth with his neighbor. Execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates, 17.and let none of you devise evil in your hearts against his neighbor, and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate," says Yahweh.
18.The word of Yahweh of Armies came to me. 19.Thus says Yahweh of Armies: "The fasts of the fourth fifth, seventh, and tenth months shall be for the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace."
20.Thus says Yahweh of Armies: "Many peoples, and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come; 21.and the inhabitants of one shall go to another, saying, 'Let us go speedily to entreat the favor of Yahweh, and to seek Yahweh of Armies. I will go also.' 22.Yes, many peoples and strong nations will come to seek Yahweh of Armies in Jerusalem, and to entreat the favor of Yahweh." 23.Thus says Yahweh of Armies: "In those days, ten men will take hold, out of all the languages of the nations, they will take hold of the skirt of him who is a Jew, saying, 'We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'"
Revelation 5
1.I saw, in the right hand of him who sat on the throne, a book written inside and outside, sealed shut with seven seals. 2.I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the book, and to break its seals?" 3.No one in heaven above, or on the earth, or under the earth, was able to open the book, or to look in it. 4.And I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open the book, or to look in it. 5.One of the elders said to me, "Don't weep. Behold, the Lion who is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome; he who opens the book and its seven seals." 6.I saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, having seven horns, and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. 7.Then he came, and he took it out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne. 8.Now when he had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9.They sang a new song, saying, "You are worthy to take the book, and to open its seals: for you were killed, and bought us for God with your blood, out of every tribe, language, people, and nation, 10.and made us kings and priests to our God, and we will reign on earth."
11.I saw, and I heard something like a voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousands of ten thousands, and thousands of thousands; 12.saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb who has been killed to receive the power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and blessing!"
13.I heard every created thing which is in heaven, on the earth, under the earth, on the sea, and everything in them, saying, "To him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb be the blessing, the honor, the glory, and the dominion, forever and ever! Amen!17"
14.The four living creatures said, "Amen!" The 18elders fell down and worshiped.19
Revelation 6
1.I saw that the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying, as with a voice of thunder, "Come and see!" 2.And behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow. A crown was given to him, and he came forth conquering, and to conquer.
3.When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, "Come!" 4.Another came forth, a red horse. To him who sat on it was given power to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another. There was given to him a great sword.
5.When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, "Come and see!" And behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a balance in his hand. 6.I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, "A choenix20 of wheat for a denarius, and three choenix of barley for a denarius! Don't damage the oil and the wine!"
7.When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living creature saying, "Come and see!" 8.And behold, a pale horse, and he who sat on it, his name was Death. Hades21 followed with him. Authority over one fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword, with famine, with death, and by the wild animals of the earth was given to him.
9.When he opened the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been killed for the Word of God, and for the testimony of the Lamb which they had. 10.They cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, Master, the holy and true, until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" 11.A long white robe was given to each of them. They were told that they should rest yet for a while, until their fellow servants and their brothers,22 who would also be killed even as they were, should complete their course.
12.I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became as blood. 13.The stars of the sky fell to the earth, like a fig tree dropping its unripe figs when it is shaken by a great wind. 14.The sky was removed like a scroll when it is rolled up. Every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15.The kings of the earth, the princes, the commanding officers, the rich, the strong, and every slave and free person, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains. 16.They told the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17.for the great day of his wrath has come; and who is able to stand?"